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Tennessee Report Card’s Comparison Tool Dovetails With School Choice Trend

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NAEP--the National Assessment of Educational Progress--is nicknamed the Nation's Report Card. The same test is given to a sample group of 4th and 8th graders in every state. It's not the same thing as the annual standardized exams taken by all students; those are designed by the state. Past disparities between results on the state tests and NAEP were one of the factors that lead Tennessee to create a more stringent set of standards and tougher state assessments several years ago. Credit: Jason Selicksar via Flickr

The Tennessee Report Card pulls from more than 40 “data sets” from school districts, including standardized testing and teacher evaluations. Credit: Jason Selicksar via Flickr

The Tennessee Report Card released this month shows detailed stats on each of the state’s 1800 public schools, from racial breakdowns to reading scores. But state education officials are highlighting another key function – side-by-side comparison.

Tony Pratt oversees the state’s education data and says in an era of increasing school choice, families want to weigh their options.

“They would be able to compare maybe their zoned school and the magnet or charter school on some of those key data points and see how they stack up.”

The same side-by-side comparison can be done on the district level, which Pratt says may help an out-of-town family moving to the area decide which county to live in.

Filed Under: Education, WPLN News

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Blake Farmer, Host, This Is Nashville

Blake Farmer is the host of “This Is Nashville,” the flagship weekday show of Nashville Public Radio. Previously, Blake spent 16 years at WPLN News, serving as host, editor and news director. Before a two-year radio hiatus with a Nashville-based healthcare company, Blake was one of the country’s most prolific healthcare audio journalists. He produced stories for both local and national programs, extending the reach of his reporting through a partnership with KFF Health News. Outside of work, Blake can be found running or biking on roads that other Nashvillians consider too busy for such activities. So far, he has always made it home to his wife of 20 years and two children.

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