State’s grades of suburban schools range from A to D
Some suburban districts' grades were low due to Tennessee’s required growth for students with the most need.
Topic: Tennessee Department of Education
RSSThere are 98 article(s) tagged Tennessee Department of Education:
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December 2025
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MSCS gets better report card in third year of state letter grades
About one in three local schools improved their letter grade, and one in five scored worse.
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Collierville principal ‘still over the moon’ after state recognition
While it’s the second time for the Collierville school system to take the Principal of the Year honor, it’s the first time a Tennessee school district has had both principal and teacher of the year at the same time.
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November 2025
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For 35 low-performing Memphis schools, Tennessee has new rules about academic improvement
They are among about 100 identified as “priority schools” by the Tennessee State Board of Education. Possible interventions can include state-mandated closure, conversion to a charter school, or firing and rehiring staff.
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Tennessee voucher application will track public school attendance as part of new award guidelines
The change to the 2026-27 applications will offer insight about the new vouchers that the state awards.
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These Shelby County schools are among best in Tennessee
Tennessee awarded dozens of Shelby County schools “reward” status, a credential for top academic performance. See if your school made the list.
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Gun safety classes now required in some Tennessee, Arkansas schools
At Berclair Elementary School in Memphis, a class of 16 fifth graders were asked how many had seen a real gun. Nearly all raised their hands.
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October 2025
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Students with income-limited vouchers outperform MSCS on reading, but not math
Data from the Department of Education show students receiving income-limited Education Savings Account vouchers performed slightly better in reading exams than their MSCS counterparts. Both sets of students made gains in math, but at the same clip.
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More than 3,400 Memphis-area kids benefited from state’s new school vouchers. Here’s who got them.
A map of local recipients of Tennessee’s voucher program expansion shows that most live in Shelby County’s top-earning zip codes.
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‘It’s a calling': Collierville educator is Tennessee’s Teacher of the Year
When Brandi De La Cruz was deciding what she wanted to do with her life, a career as a high school math teacher was not on her radar. She wanted to be the next Martha Stewart.
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August 2025
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TCAP results 2025: See how your Memphis-area school scored
The Daily Memphian’s chart includes scores for all public schools in Memphis and Shelby County, including charters and campuses in the suburbs.
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July 2025
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6 charts show how Memphis-area students stack up on TCAP tests
Have Shelby County districts improved third grade reading scores under the new retention law? How do Memphis students compare to students across Tennessee? Answer these questions and more.
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TCAP scores 2025: See how MSCS students did on Tennessee tests
The Tennessee Department of Education issued results from its state exams Tuesday, July 8. “Growth is not optional; it’s our mandate,” MSCS Interim Superintendent Roderick Richmond said in a statement.
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May 2025
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Thousands applied for vouchers. What Memphis schools will accept them?
Across the state, families’ interest in the new EFS vouchers, which relaxed family-income thresholds and academic testing requirements, has exceeded the available 20,000 spots for its first year.
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December 2024
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MSCS has fewer F schools in second year of Tennessee letter grades
Nevertheless, state law requires Tennessee districts with D and F schools appear before the Tennessee State Board of Education for hearings. Such reviews could result in corrective-action plans or audits for districts or charter operators.
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November 2024
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How two Frayser schools learned ‘what it feels like to win’
At Hawkins Mill Elementary, chronic absenteeism plummeted. And at Trezevant High, graduation rates climbed closer to the district average. Both had been among Tennessee’s bottom 5% for over a decade.
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June 2024
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What the state says went wrong at Memphis Scholars’ charter schools
Findings from the state-run Achievement School District showed “serious noncompliance and material violations of the charter agreement” by Memphis Scholars, revealing additional information about the abrupt closure of the operators three charter schools.
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TCAP scores show mixed results for MSCS
Math and English language arts proficiency varies by race, and MSCS’ scores continue to fall below statewide data.
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April 2024
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Chronic absenteeism: Counting missing students in the Memphis area
The percentage of students who are chronically absent from schools jumped dramatically in Memphis from the 2018-19 school year to the 2022-23 school year. It’s a national trend that’s also seen in the area’s suburban schools.
Related story:
Chronic absenteeism: Myriad of issues keep MSCS students home
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February 2024
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Top Tennessee lawmakers want to end Achievement School District
A 2023 study found the turnaround district’s effectiveness to be “indistinguishable from zero.” It could be closed as part of the legislation establishing a universal private school voucher program — but what would replace it is still unclear.
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January 2024
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Tennessee private school voucher law hits new obstacle in court
A legal challenge to Tennessee’s private school voucher law is back on track after a state appeals court ruled that a lower court erred in dismissing the case.
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November 2023
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Tennessee Department of Education refuses to take stance on federal funds
Tennessee’s education commissioner refused to say Tuesday whether she supports or opposes the possible rejection of more than $1 billion in annual school funding from the federal government.
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August 2023
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Statewide assessment of academic growth shows gains for MSCS
Memphis-Shelby County Schools scored a Level 5 distinction on the Tennessee Value-Added Assessment System for the second consecutive year.
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July 2023
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Lizzette Gonzalez Reynolds starts as Tennessee’s new education commissioner
“Tennessee is one of those states that has always prioritized education as number one so that’s why I’m so excited to be here,” said new Department of Education Commissioner Lizzette Gonzalez Reynolds.
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Tennessee education commissioner leaving role
Tennessee will be getting a new education commissioner this summer, the state Department of Education announced Monday morning.
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