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Blount County Schools has both pockets of excellence and need, but school officials believe the system can emerge stronger than before if the school community wholeheartedly embraces the winds of change.

The state Report Card released Nov. 3 contains Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) data, academic achievement grades, value-added academic growth and attendance, promotion, dropout and graduation rates.

State officials this year have implemented major changes concerning the annual Report Card value-added and achievement score calculations. The state's academic achievement grades are based on 2008-2009 Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program (TCAP) test results for grades 3-8.

State officials recently reset the growth standard to reflect the state's average student performance in 2009. All subsequent years will be measured against this baseline.

Officials have also revised the state's grade scale. "Scores considered to be an A or proficient in years past may now be Bs or Cs. These changes do not reflect a loss of learning but a change in the scale," according to a state press release.

The state Department of Education has made these changes to make sure students are prepared for the Tennessee Diploma Project's more rigorous curriculum and graduation requirements, the release said.

New state assessments will be administered to students this school year, and the cut scores for academic achievement grades will also be higher, said Blount County Director of Schools Rob Britt.

Britt believes this new foundation will help officials better identify the system's strengths and weaknesses, which in turn can usher in a new area of academic growth. "A lot of what we do is validated -- to some degree -- by how well we grow from year to year. When you look at the (Tennessee Department of Education) Report Card, you can't just take a quick glance. You have to look for signs of positive growth. This is Year 1 and we ought to celebrate the areas we're performing well in.

"I believe every one of our schools can be excellent. All our children need to be able to wake up and go to a high-performing school," Britt said. "I'm convinced and confident that we have the talent, determination and commitment by our exceptional teachers to be able to do it," he said, adding that he's visited 15 of the system's 20 schools and toured about three classrooms in each school.

Administrators and educators will be setting goals to aid student academic growth as they continue to grow with the new state standards, Britt said.

'Pockets of excellence'

"We want all of our schools to be in the A or B range, but that's not where we are at. I've encouraged our principals to collaborate together as they determine areas of need and address them with appropriate strategies to push those scores higher as we try to grow students," Britt said. "I think it would be easy to get down with these results, but we should get excited about the possibilities. Each school has things they can celebrate and other things they can work on. It's really a challenge, and there's no room for complacency.

"Our students require the skills and knowledge to be successful in school and also be college- and career-ready so they can compete in the global economy," he said. "Our students should not be graduating for graduation's sake. It has to mean something."

Britt also noted how Blount County Schools' graduation rate had improved for the third straight year. Blount County's graduation rate was 78.6 percent in 2007 and 82.3 in 2008. The system's current graduation rate stands at 86.2 percent, which is still beneath the state's goal of 90 percent.

Schools and school districts, however, can still be in "good standing" with the state if they meet or exceed an additional AYP indicator that determines whether they're on track to meet a 90 percent graduation rate by the 2013-2014 school year.

William Blount High School's graduation rate for 2008-2009 is 93.7 percent. Heritage High School's graduation rate is 88.2 percent, which exceeds its 82.3 percent improvement track target.