In late October, LEAD Academy’s Middle School was put “on notice” for failing to meet academic expectations. In fact, despite being rated “satisfactory” in academic performance in 2012 and 2013, the school has been on a downward trajectory in terms of student achievement. This year, they landed on the “review” category at MNPS.
This is noteworthy because LEAD is on tap to possibly take over either Madison Middle or Neely’s Bend Middle depending on what the Achievement School District decides in meetings in Nashville this week.
While LEAD’s Brick Church installment does well in both student achievement and achievement growth as measured by TVAAS, LEAD Academy’s middle school does not show these results.
Here’s a portion of the letter from Carol Swann, Coordinator of Charter Schools at the MNPS Office of Innovation:
This letter serves as formal notice that the academic performance of LEAD Middle School is significantly below expectations. Although the three year average of Lead Middle is rated “Satisfactory” (white) on the APF, the 2014 status fell into the “Review” (yellow) category. WE would like to challenge you to significantly raise that status, as a school must have a three year in the “achieving” (light green) or “excelling” (dark green) categories to be recommended for simple renewal through a streamlined process at the end of their current ten (10) year contract.
LEAD’s contract expires in 2016.
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Eventually just about EVERY school will end up on “the list”. The plan is to close all but a few traditional public schools (gotta keep a few around as a repository for the hopeless). So each year the bar must be changed in order to keep feeding the list. PLEASE understand the ASD has nothing to do with fixing or accurately identifying bad schools. Their agenda is to destroy as many of our schools as possible and line the pockets of the Charter school groups and Teach for America. Wake the heck up and address the problem instead of complaining. We need to repeal the Charter School Act in TN and we need to repeal ALL aspects of Race to the Top. Sadly we had the chance to do that but the uninformed voters of Tennessee put Haslam back as our Governor. When will people learn???