Dear Knox County Schools’ families 26 

By Dr. Jim McIntyre, Superintendent of Knox County Schools

We are fortunate to have teachers in our organization who work enthusiastically to make learning engaging and exciting for our students in the Knox County Schools.

We recently concluded Thank A Teacher Week (Sept. 28 – Oct. 2, 2015), a time set aside in the Knox County Schools to thank our valued teachers for what they do every day and the enormous difference they make in the lives of children.  We are seeing the fruits of our labor in terms of increased student learning and success!  Just recently, ACT results were released and the composite score for Knox County Schools students improved from 20.4 in 2014 to 20.7 in 2015.  Additionally, our school system was recently recognized by the State of Tennessee as an Exemplary School District, the first large urban school district to ever earn this honor.  We could not enjoy this success without our teachers and their collective talents, passions, and persistence toward excellence.

Special thanks to the Great Schools Partnership, the Knox County Education Association, the Knox County Council PTA, Knoxville Chamber, and other community organizations that helped our community say “thank you” to our educators in so many meaningful ways.  For the fourth consecutive year, these great community organizations have partnered together with us to celebrate the important role teachers play in our students’ lives.

I would encourage us to build upon this week of gratitude and find ways to thank teachers throughout the school year – handwritten notes, emails, and cards are wonderful ways to show appreciation for the important job teachers do to enrich our children’s lives.

My sincere thanks to our fantastic educators for their hard work and for helping to ensure every child has the opportunity to successfully reach their greatest potential.

As a school system, we are preparing to transition to TNReady, Tennessee’s new and improved TCAP test for English language arts and math in grades 3-11. The new TNReady is designed to assess true student understanding and not just basic memorization and test-taking skills. It will provide more and better information about our students’ progress, and it will measure student understanding of our current Tennessee state standards in math and English language arts.  To learn more about TNReady, including helpful resource information for parents, please visit our website at knoxschools.org.

My sincere thanks to our fantastic educators for their hard work and for helping to ensure every child has the opportunity to successfully reach their greatest potential.  Together, we will achieve our ambitious goal of Excellence for Every Child.

As a reminder, Fall Break for Knox County Schools’ students is Monday, Oct. 12 and Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2015.  I hope everyone has an enjoyable and restful break.

Sincerely,

Jim McIntyre

Superintendent