South Fulton Elementary earns ‘Reward School’ status

The latest list of Tennessee’s highest performing schools and districts, along with districts that need improvement, was released Feb. 20.

Among the list entries was Reward School designation for South Fulton Elementary School and Hillcrest Elementary, both schools in the Obion County School District.

The Tennessee Department of Education gave schools “reward” status for the 2022-23 school year, meaning they demonstrated high levels of performance, met specific goals to improve performance or both.

The department detailed the categories considered in determining each designation. They include: Preparing students to be proficient; Accelerating student learning; Encouraging students to attend school regularly; Preparing students for postsecondary success; and Supporting English learners as they build language skills.

A total of 400 schools across 98 districts earned reward status for 2022-2023. The distinction emphasizes performance and improvement across all the success indicators from the previous year, according to the department

Typically the state also releases a list of priority schools, which are consistently low-performing schools that fall into the bottom 5% of the state’s standardized test scores or have low graduation rates.

However, the department did not release a priority schools list this year. It provided this statement as an explanation: “After delays in federal accountability approvals from the U.S. Department of Education, and the first-ever implementation of the A-F school letter grade law this school year, the department has elected not to update the state’s priority school list and focus on supporting schools and districts in the implementation of policies and strategies designed to improve student outcomes.”