The Hamilton County Schools system isn't focused on test scores, but on the "process" of improving student achievement, Superintendent Bryan Johnson told PTA members Wednesday.
At the annual State of the Schools address, hosted by the Hamilton County Council of PTAs, Johnson addressed group leaders - many of them parents themselves - and talked about the accomplishments and continued challenges of his first year at the helm of the school district.
"When we talk about our children, we have big dreams for our children," Johnson said. "Our focus is not on the test scores, but on the process."
Schools superintendent Bryan Johnson speaks at a ribbon-cutting ceremony for 8 new Volkswagen eLabs at Hixson Middle School on Tuesday, Aug. 21, 2018, in Chattanooga, Tenn. The 8 new labs complete a total of 16 technology-centered labs in schools across Hamilton County.Recently, the district received good and bad news from the state - it ranked as "satisfactory" and has 17 reward schools this year, but students continue to perform worse than their peers in a number of areas on state assessments, such as math, especially Algebra 1.
"We've got a lot of schools that aren't moving the way we want to see them move," Johnson said. "But we got a lot of schools that are moving beyond that."
Johnson said the district was excited about the increase in reward schools, but acknowledged that increase was due in part to a "shift in methodology" at the state level.
He also told the audience that the district's achievement numbers continue to be a challenge, particularly when it comes to students of color.
"There are several subgroups gaps [in achievement], the biggest one that's impacting us is black, Hispanic and Native American students," Johnson said.
He attributed that to challenges being grappled with nationwide, such as a tendency for more students of color to be living in poverty and attending schools in large concentrations.
"You'll find nationally that this group struggles," he said. "We doubled down, whether it be with curriculum, resources or other social-emotional supports You'll see concentrations of English language learners, for instance, in East Ridge and Howard, where they need particular supports."
For example, graduation rates released earlier this week reflect that Hamilton County's graduation rate for all students is 86.6 percent. However, when broken down by race, 88.3 percent of white students graduate compared to only 83.6 percent of students of color.
Students who don't speak English, or English language learners, are even less likely to graduate. Hamilton County's ELL graduation rate in 2018 was only 67.1 percent.
Johnson said the district is combating such challenges by adding extra resources to certain schools, including the nine priority schools within the Opportunity Zone and other schools such as those in East Ridge who have large concentrations of students of color or English language learners.
"We've got a lot of work to do," he said.
Mary Edwards, grant manager at the Chambliss Center for Children and member of the Hamilton County Council of PTAs, asked Johnson if the district might focus on pre-K and early childhood education as a way to combat low student performance.
"A lot of kids are already starting out behind," Edwards said.
Johnson acknowledged that, but he said the district had not gotten to a point where it could discuss adding seats to the county's few pre-K programs.
Other PTA representatives questioned Johnson on issues including start times, bus routes, school safety and how the district evaluates students with disabilities and informs parents of their rights and options.
Contact staff writer Meghan Mangrum at mmangrum@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6592. Follow her on Twitter @memangrum.