Knox County Schools saw growth in English Language Arts (ELA) and math scores according to TCAP scores released today, even as the effects of the pandemic remain evident.

The latest round of scores reflects Spring 2022 and Fall 2021 end-of-course exams in ELA, math, science and social studies. Data released by the State of Tennessee showed that:

• KCS elementary and high school grade students improved in ELA and are performing at a level similar to pre-pandemic years;
• Elementary and middle-grade students improved in math but remain below pre-pandemic levels;
• Middle school students improved in ELA but remain slightly below pre-pandemic levels; and
• High school students’ performance in Math remained steady but below pre-pandemic levels.

“These improving student results should address any recent comments concerning the preparedness of teachers and confirm what I already know – the teachers of Knox County Schools are fully capable and second to none. Today, we celebrate the amazing progress of our students, the support of our families, and the stellar commitment, hard work and expertise of our educators,” said Superintendent Dr. Jon Rysewyk.

“We recognize there is still work to be done and I am grateful for the support provided by the State of Tennessee to offset COVID-related learning loss, including funding for tutoring and summer learning. There’s no doubt in my mind that our educators will leverage these resources to build on this momentum as we continue to improve the number of students who are academically proficient and prepared for success after high school.”

Students receive a performance score based on four categories: “Below Expectations,” “Approaching Expectations,” “Met Expectations,” and “Exceeded Expectations.” Students scoring in the top two performance categories – “Met Expectations” and “Exceeded Expectations” – are considered to be proficient for that content area.

Within KCS, the combined proficiency rate for all grades and subjects was 39%. Please note that all data provided in this release are preliminary numbers, and are compared to last year’s equivalent data set.

Some key takeaways from the results include:

Elementary school TCAP exams (grades 3-5)

• 42% of students scored “Met Expectations” or “Exceeded Expectations” in ELA, up from 35% the previous year;
• 38% of students scored “Met Expectations” or “Exceeded Expectations” in math, up from 36% the previous year;
• 46% of students scored “Met Expectations” or “Exceeded Expectations” in science, unchanged from the previous year.

Middle School TCAP exams (grades 6-8)

• 35% of students scored “Met Expectations” or “Exceeded Expectations” in ELA, up from 30% the previous year;
• 32% of students scored “Met Expectations” or “Exceeded Expectations” in math, up from 29% the previous year;
• 41% of students scored “Met Expectations” or “Exceeded Expectations” in science, unchanged from the previous year.

High School EOC exams (grades 9-12)

• 42% of students scored “Met Expectations” or “Exceeded Expectations” in ELA, up from 38% the previous year;
• 21% of students scored “Met Expectations” or “Exceeded Expectations” in math, up from 20% the previous year;
• 50% of students scored “Met Expectations” or “Exceeded Expectations” in science, up from 49% the previous year;
• 37% of students scored “Met Expectations” or “Exceeded Expectations” in U.S. History, down from 39% the previous year.

When considering district-wide numbers:

• 40% of students met or exceeded grade-level expectations in ELA;
• 31% of students met or exceeded grade-level expectations in math;
• 44% of students met or exceeded grade-level expectations in science; and
• 48% of KCS students met or exceeded grade-level expectations in social studies.

“Our educators have taken a comprehensive approach to offsetting the learning loss caused by COVID-19, and it is encouraging to see the impact of those actions,” said Dr. Keith Wilson, assistant superintendent for academics. “The district offered in-person and virtual learning throughout the pandemic, provided extensive teacher training, offered a systematic tutoring program and made significant investments in school counseling. We are grateful for the support of state and federal lawmakers to address the unprecedented needs of K-12 education during the last two years, and we will continue to make strategic investments to achieve our district’s four priorities.”

The district has identified four priorities: excellence in foundational skills, providing great educators in every school, career empowerment and preparation, and success for every student.

Zoo Knoxville is excited to announce the birth of an endangered African lion cub.  The female cub, born on June 16, is the third offspring of father Upepo and mother Amara, and a full sibling to 6-month-old cubs Magi and Anga. 

Amara is nursing and caring for the cub, who is healthy and thriving.  Amara experienced complications with the delivery and is being closely monitored by her care team.  After the birth of the female cub, Amara continued to show signs of labor but when she didn’t progress an ultrasound was performed, showing a stillborn cub lodged in the birth canal.  Veterinarians from the University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine (UTCVM) quickly performed emergency surgery.  Although the surgery was successful, Amara was slow to rebound afterwards, and further tests diagnosed acute renal insufficiency.     

Amara is currently being treated with medication and showing improvement.  Her care team is cautiously optimistic that they can continue to manage the condition with oral medications, fluid therapy and voluntary care.  The latest report was that she was bright, acting more like her usual self, and caring appropriately for her cub. 

Amara and Upepo’s cubs are extremely important to the population of lions in the care of zoos accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA), who work collaboratively as part of the African Lion SAFE (Saving Animals From Extinction) Program to ensure a future for the species.  The SAFE program partners with organizations in Africa to reduce conflict between farmers and lions, increase monitoring of the number of lions and where they are located, and address habitat loss. In partnership with the Lion Recovery Fund and Disney’s Protect the Pride campaign, the goal of the SAFE Program is to double the number of lions in the wild by 2050. 

Zoo Knoxville also supports the Ruaha Project in East Africa.  This program is the initiative of Lion Landscapes, an organization working to gather data to help develop appropriate conservation strategies.  They are actively working with local communities in the Ruaha village to effectively reduce human-carnivore conflict, save wild lions, and support rangers protecting wild lions.