October 2011
WHAT'S HERE Welcome to Benchmarks Open letter: "It is an exciting and remarkable time for public education in Tennessee." (Read More) New parent - employee communication tool promises easier use, text messages and more starting September 19.  Here's how APEX, TEAM fit with the Strategic Plan "Excellence for All Children." (Read More)STEM comes to the L&N (Read More) Fulbright-Hays Summer abroad brings social studies to life for Cedar Bluff students, teacher (Read More, Photos) "I don't have time to read this, will you help me, please?" (Read More) TCAP, AYP, ACT reports (Read More) |
Welcome to Benchmarks, one of three new publications Benchmarks is one of three new KCS publications that replace the former "Administrative Bulletin" which is no longer published. The new publications are Benchmarks, KCS Bulletin Board, and the HR Insider. Benchmarks and KCS Bulletin Board are online publications while the HR Insider is a combination. (Read more about each publication, how to contribute, focus of each) |
| An Open Letter Dear Colleagues, It's an exciting and remarkable time in public education in Tennessee. With substantially higher academic standards, a new performance evaluation system, a nascent strategic compensation initiative, and fundamental shifts in tenure and collective bargaining, we have experienced considerable change and reform in a very short period of time. In classrooms throughout the Knox County Schools, and indeed across the state, teachers are educating children professionally and enthusiastically, even as their operating environment is in transition. (Continue) KCS adopts new parent/employee messaging system  The Knox County Schools has adopted a new parent - employee contact system that will replace ParentLink in mid-September. SchoolMessenger will go live September 19. The new system will provide a more robust communication tool and feature set including text messaging, e-mail, multiple phones per contact if needed and more.TEAM, APEX underscore Excellence for All Children
Beginning in the 2011-2012 school year, the State of
Tennessee will require an evaluation of every certified educator on an annual basis. This evaluation process is called TEAM (Tennessee Educator Acceleration Model), and is specifically designed to improve student academic success by identifying and supporting effective instruction. TEAM determines where teachers are working effectively, then appropriately harnesses and shares best practices through Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) that provide opportunities for real and meaningful support. (Read More)Knox County STEM Academy pioneering new ventures in historic setting  Set in a building that served for a century as a transportation junction on a site that brought the world to the "scruffy little city", the Knox County STEM Academy prepares to take the region on a new journey to serve the future. (Read More)TEACHER FEATURE:  Cedar Bluff teacher Fulbright-Hays tour includes Turkey, Greece Ms. Amy Melendy can tell her students what it is like to be in the middle of social and economic turmoil after spending 38 days traveling to Turkey and Greece as part of the Fulbright-Hays program for teachers. Read how the experience will impact her classroom and her students. (More) Amy Melenedy, Cedar Bluff Middle School Social Studies Teacher,
points out the circuitous route through Turkey. "I'm too busy to read this, but I really want to know what it says " can lead to an enriching family experience. Here's how...
 AYP, ACT, TCAP News…
The State of Tennessee recently released district-level 2010-2011 results for Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP), ACT (formerly known as American College Testing), and the Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program (TCAP). Details of reports
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