Graysville elementary named back-to-back Reward School

GRAYSVILLE — Graysville Elementary School (GES) was recently named a state Reward School for the second year in a row, and Graysville Elementary School Principal Heather Jewell said GES is the only school in Rhea County to achieve the designation two years in a row.

“Graysville Elementary School will celebrate being named a Tennessee Reward School back-to-back for 2022 and 2023 on Thursday, March 7, 2024,” Jewell said. “We will be hosting a Family Literacy Night from 5 to 7 p.m., with a Reward School banner hanging ceremony at 5 p.m.”

School officials said the event will also feature a book fair, snacks, a visit from The Book Bus and more.

Each year, schools and districts are eligible for designations based on their overall performance across indicators that are essential to student success, including how they prepared students to be proficient (achievement), accelerated student learning (growth), encouraged students to attend school regularly (chronically out of school), prepared students for postsecondary success (graduation rate and Ready Graduate), and supported English learners acquiring language skills.

Schools are recognized as a Reward school when they demonstrate high levels of performance and/or improvement in performance by meeting objectives across performance indicators and student groups, and the Reward school distinction places significant emphasis on performance and improvement across all indicators from the prior school year.

Across the state, 400 schools, spanning 98 districts, received the Reward school designation; 12 districts received the Exemplary district designation; and seven districts received the In Need of Improvement designation. The complete list of district and school designations is available on the department‘s accountability webpage.

“I am excited to highlight the Reward Schools and Exemplary Districts across the state for their commitment to ensuring students are growing and learning every day,” said Lizzette Reynolds, Commissioner of Education. “These annual designations are a testament to the hard work our educators and school and district leaders provide to students each and every day across the state.”