Jim Scales

Strong leadership and a data-driven approach to education helped two Hamilton County elementary schools meet “adequate yearly progress” requirements of the federal No Child Left Behind Act for the first time since the 2002 law was implemented, a state official said.

After about eight years of not meeting state or federal education standards, East Lake and Orchard Knob elementary schools have moved into “good standing,” state education officials announced Monday morning.

“They found a leader at the school level that had the respect of the community,” said Connie Smith, Tennessee Department of Education accountability director. “Hamilton County is a very data-driven school system, and what that means is they emphasize and require all their administrators to get their arms around the data, so they can know where the gaps are, so they can prescribe how to close the gaps for all kids.”

Six other county schools — Chattanooga Middle Museum Magnet, East Side Elementary, Howard School of Academics and Technology, Lookout Valley Middle/High School, Ooltewah High School and Soddy-Daisy High School — did not fare as well and remain on the high-priority list.

Southeast Tennessee schools Cleveland Middle School, Jasper Middle School, Marion County High School, South Pittsburg High School and Sequatchie County High School also are on the high-priority list, records show.

On Monday, all Hamilton County school system principals attended the annual administrators meeting and were unable to comment on progress results, officials said.

Under No Child Left Behind, schools and school districts are required to meet certain benchmarks. For grades third through eighth, the benchmarks are in math, reading and attendance. At the high school level, math, English and graduation rates are judged. Each school and system has a different benchmark, depending on where they started, officials said.

Schools or systems in good standing either have always met requirements or have done so for two consecutive years. High priority means a school or system has failed to meet requirements in the same area for at least two years in a row.

the good news

State education officials said Hamilton County should throw a party to celebrate the two elementary schools’ achievement.

Hamilton County Superintendent Dr. Jim Scales said local officials were very excited about the news. East Lake Elementary is in a relatively new building, and this year Orchard Knob will get a new facility, which is perfect for a fresh start, he said.

“They go in free from any state regulations,” he said. “All they have to do is continue to do the work and make good solid progress, academically.”

He said leadership and data analysis helped turn the schools around, but said the final results came through a large combination of factors.

“It is difficult to point to any one particular thing,” he said, but the school system is “very focused on making sure we meet the needs of all kids.”

Extra training for teachers and support from the Chattanooga school reform program, the Benwood Initiative, also contributed to the two elementary school’s success, Dr. Scales said.

Hamilton County school board member Debra Matthews, whose district includes Orchard Knob, said while she’s very happy with Orchard Knob’s and East Lake’s progress, she wants to see all Hamilton County schools continue to grow.

the bad news

Hamilton County has six of Tennessee’s 134 schools listed as high priority facilities, records show. Low graduation and attendance rates were contributing factors to the other schools’ failure to make the needed progress, Dr. Scales said.

Hamilton County’s graduation rate was hovering around 75 percent for the 2006-07 school year, according to Chattanooga Times Free Press archives. Under No Child Left Behind, it should be at 90 percent by 2014. On Monday, state officials did not have information specifically regarding Hamilton County’s graduation benchmark for this year.

“We have to get our parents involved from the standpoint of ensuring that the kids get to school,” Dr. Scales said.

Community and parental support is essential to school improvement, especially in high-poverty areas, officials said. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, almost one of every five students in the county lives in poverty.

“One of the primary indicators of being successful in school is not race or ethnicity,” Dr. Scales said. “It is poverty. Schools with a significant percentage of students who live in low income ... it is not that they cannot learn, but the support system we have at home sometimes does not support what we have going.”

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