Knox County Public School System

In December 1990, Knox County became the largest school system in the state to receive an "A+ from the state Department of Education. The rating resulted from an evaluation that cited projects and programs that actively involved Knox County citizens in their schools. The "Governor's At Award for Community Commitment to Excellence in Education" requires satisfying state requirements in ten different categories ranging from "meeting the needs of at-risk children" to providing recognition to outstanding teachers and students. Only 24 communities in Tennessee have received this award.

Knox County operates 88 schools: 50 elementary schools, 14 middle schools, 12 high schools, 2 special education centers, 1Center School for Dropouts, 2 vocational centers, and 2 early childhood development centers. 5 magnet schools. Student enrollment is 52,501 (Sept. 1996).

In addition to primary and secondary education, the Knox County school system offers kindergarten, advanced programs for gifted children, special educational resources for the handicapped children, vocational and technical training courses, and advanced academic programs for the academically and physically handicapped.

All buildings are maintained by the Knox County Schools Maintenance Department Fifty-five percent of all schools have new or extensively renovated buildings since 1968. Because of rapid increase in enrollment over the past two decades, some temporary classrooms are still in service. The Superintendent and School Board are committed to a major reduction in the number of these facilities. However, as long as population shifts occur, it is necessary to maintain some capability for rapid placement of temporary classrooms. During recent years the most noticeable and rapid growth has occurred in the western and northern portions of the county.

Guidance Services

Guidance and counseling services are available through the school system. The goal is to help students attain satisfactory educational and personal direction. High school programs assist in the assessment of student abilities, aptitudes, interests, and educational needs. Guidance services are available in all middle and elementary schools and the focus is a developmental guidance and counseling program.

Social Services

The program of social services reflects the responsibility for attendance and home school problems that adversely affect pupil progress. It provides a continuous line of communication between the school the home, and community social service agencies, such as the Department of Human Services, rehabilitation services, mental health agencies, private medical and mental health service providers, and many others.

Enrollment

Currently, elementary schools range in enrollment from 133 to 1,209, with a building average of 641. High schools range in enrollment from 430 to 2,169, with a building average of 974. There are two vocational centers associated with their respective high schools and whose populations are included with them. A third vocational center enrolls 130 students. There are two special education centers with a total of 167 pupils. The Center School for Dropouts has an enrollment of 60 for this year. The State of Tennessee dictates the student-teacher ratio. Grades K-3 1-25 Students

Grade 4 1-28 Students

Grades 5-6 1-30 Students

Grades 7-12 1-35 Students

Psychological Services

Psychological services are available in every school in Knox County. School psychologists provide assessment, consultation, and, in some cases, individual and group counseling. These services are primarily diagnostic in the areas of academic, cognitive, social, and emotional development and are not clinical in nature.

Transportation Services

The Board of Education contracts with private individuals to provide bus service to all schools. Approximately 31,000 or 62%of all pupils are transported by 244 buses covering roughly 13,890 miles per day. Sixty-six minibuses furnish transportation service to 900 children in special educations programs at 56 different sites. Parents should contact the School Bus Transportation Office to obtain more detailed information about bus schedules, routes, and stops.

School Bus Transportation Office (865) 594-1555

Entrance Age

A child entering kindergarten must be five years of age on or before September 30 of the current school term. A child entering first grade must be six years of age on or before September 30 of the current school term; however, a transfer student who has been legally enrolled as a first grader in another state may be admitted if he/she will be six years of age no later than December 31 of the current school year.

Special Education Programs

Special education programs offer a wide range of educational opportunities for exceptional students. Instructional and supportive services are provided to students with behavioral, cognitive, developmental, emotional, and/or physical handicaps. Included are special programs for emotional, mentally, and/or orthopedically handicapped students; language, hearing, speech and/or visually impaired students; and learning disabled students. Programs are also available for hospital or homebound students. AU special education students are educated in the least restrictive environment with specific help from aides, nurses, and/or therapists, and with special equipment, furniture and/or materials, if needed. Each student's program is determined by the Individual Education Program (IEP) that is developed by the school Multi- Disciplinary Team (M-Team) .

Child Find

Child Find/System-wide Screening is a systematic plan to identify students who are at risk in the areas of hearing, vision, speech/language, social, emotional, physical, and cognitive development from birth through age 21. All such services to handicapped students are delivered in the student's community-based school insofar as possible. Moves to more restrictive placement must be justified and documented. By law a child entering a special education program shall be no less than four years of age (three years of age for deaf). However, the Knox County School System offers programming for hearing-impaired children as young as two and one-half years of age, if space is available.

Supplemental Services (Federal Programs)

The supplemental Services Department encompasses a number of federally funded programs. The largest program, Chapter I, provides language development, remedial language arts/reading, and math classes designed to meet the needs of educationally deprived students in grades K-8. In addition, a parent involvement component and a tutorial program for students in institutions for neglected or delinquent children are provided.

Chapter II and Title I1 funds are used for discretionary programs developed by the instructional staff PL 874 Impacted Aid funds are in lieu of tax payments made directly to the General Purpose School Fund for students whose parents work or reside in Federal property. Nursery schools provide services for children age three to school age. This program is funded by the Department of Human Services and a grant from USDA with matching funds from Knox County schools, Knox County Commission, and United Way.

Medical and Immunizations Requirements

Students entering the Knox County Schools for the first time must present evidence of a complete physical examination provided by a licensed physician or a nurse practitioner. Students must also have a permanent Tennessee Immunization Certificate which requires proof of immunizations against diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus, polio, mumps, red measles and rubella, signed by a health care provider. This is required by Tennessee State Law.

Standardized Testing

Achievement tests are administered at regular intervals during the K-12 program to an students except those in certain special education categories. These tests, part of the new Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program (TUP), were developed by CTB/McGraw-Hill, Inc. and the Tennessee State Department of Education. This customized series combines the Comprehensive Test of Basic Skills (CTBS/4), a nationally normed achievement test, with criterion-referenced items measuring Tennessee Basic Skills First Objectives. A career survey instrument is administered to ninth graders in their first month of high school. Additional aptitude and interest inventories are used for certain subjects, while others are available for class or individual use where necessary. Intelligence tests are administered on an individual basis whenever LQ. scores are required for special programs or requested by a teacher, school psychologist, or parent. Other testing is employed as required for programs such as Chapter 1or for any other special need. Knox County Schools' achievement test scores and basic skills test scores have been consistently above State and national averages. The Tennessee Competency Test was passed by 98% of the 1996 senior class. This is the most current information as of Nov. 1996.A passing grade on this test is required for receipt of a regular Tennessee high school diploma. Composite AC.T scores for the Class of 1995 (the most recent year's scores available) were above State and national averages.

Talented and Gifted

Knox County Schools Program for Talented and Gifted serves students who are:

1. Intellectually Gifted as defined by the Rules and Regulations for the State of Tennessee
OR
2. Academically Able as defined through teacher identification and achievement test scores
OR
3. Creative Producers as defined by teacher identification and self- selection.

The Program for Talented and Gifted operates in every elementary and middle school. Students are exposed to a variety of enrichment and accelerated programs which are integrated in both the regular classroom and the special services program. Required skills in research, logic, and problem solving special interest activities in careers, humanities, and the arts through presentations and field trips; competitions in Future Problem Solving, Math Olympiad, Energy Bowl, Science Fair, Stock Market, and Olympic of the Mind; and formal programs such as Junior Great Books are major components of the program for Talented and Gifted. Students are also encouraged to participate in Independent Study since this designates them as investigators of real problems. Approximately 5,000 students participate in the activities for Talented and Gifted.

Through the regular classroom program students can be grouped at higher levels for instruction in reading and mathematics. Bearden Middle School has a formal foreign language component while Farragut Middle and Cedar Bluff Middle have science seminars for selected students. Individual modifications are provided based on individual need. High school students are able to complete honors classes, advance classes, and/or Advanced Placement classes in their respective schools. Opportunities for students to have differentiated curriculum are based on individual need. Powell High School offers a special program for the talented and gifted which incorporates advanced classes, competition, and independent study. Farragut High School offers a special Mentor Program for those creative producers who choose to work with an expert in the field. Advanced Placement classes are available in most high schools.

Curriculum and Instruction

The Knox County School System is committed to providing those educational experiences that develop the skills, knowledge, and attitudes required for living in our democratic society. The instructional program is based on system-wide goals identified through a community-based needs assessment. The goals are implemented in all schools through system-wide curricula for all subject areas. Curricula are developed or revised on a six-year cycle, corresponding to the state textbook adoption cycle. Each subject is organized into courses of study that are written according to an approved system-wide format and according to statewide goals and objectives. Most are organized around a progression of skills over which students are thoroughly tested. Every effort is made to provide a high quality program which is consistent among all school with respect to teaching personnel, materials and supplies, administration and support services.

Grade Level Organization

The school system operates, basically, on a 6-3-4 plan. Elementary Schools usually include grades K-5, middle schools grades 6-8,and high schools grades 9-12. There are some variations to this basic arrangement due to facility limitations and other special circumstances. The K-5 elementary span has been divided into two schools (primary, K-2; intermediate, 3-5) in some school zones.

Magnate Schools

The Knox County Schools began the Beaumont Honors Academy in the school year 1993-94 and the Green Elementary Magnet program in 1994- 95. The Beaumont Honors Magnet Academy will insure the acquisition of required skills, an integrated curriculum and a strong leadership component Students will experience learning at a faster pace with an enriched experimental base. Knox County's five elementary Magnet Schools offer students a hands- on program combining the basics with electives in an interdisciplinary approach. Open to any student, this program will be expanded to include middle and high school students in the coming years.

Elementary Schools

Elementary schools in Knox County are designed to lay a firm educational foundation upon which succeeding grade levels may build. These schools encompass kindergarten through grade he. Transition classes are available for children who are not developmentally ready to enter first grade from kindergarten. In grades one through five, the instructional emphasis is on the basic skills of oral language, reading, handwriting, composition, spelling, listening, mathematics, and the subject areas of art, music, health and safety, physical education, science, and social studies. An elementary guidance program serves the special needs of young children.

Middle Schools

Knox county's middle schools provide a smooth transition between elementary and secondary programs. 'They focus on the special needs of the preadolescent child. The instructional program places emphasis on the basic skills and provides opportunities for students to continue their general education and to discover special interests. The areas of language arts, reading, social studies, mathematics, and science are taught by a team of teachers, each specializing in one or more of these subjects. Art, computer literacy, health, music (choral, general, and instrumental), and physical educations are taught by specialists in each subject area Guidance counselors help students develop personal and educational skis necessary for attainment of life goals.

High Schools

The high school program provides courses of study by which students can move toward personal, career, and educational goals. Both required and elective courses are offered in English, mathematics, science, social studies, and physical education. Numerous elective courses are available in art, business, driver training, foreign languages, industrial arts, music and vocational programs, including among others, child care, foods, cosmetology, marketing, ornamental horticulture, and several trade and industrial courses. Guidance counselors aid in the placement of students in programs which are best suited to their interests, abilities, and needs. Counselors also assist in post-secondary placement AU high schools are accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.

Academics

Talented and Gifted Program A system-wide implementation of Rensulli’s Enrichment Triad Model for grades K-8 includes: exploration/ enrichment activities, thought process training, and opportunities for independent study. The program serves over 4,000 students.

Effective Schools Program

A research-based program which emphasizes multiple teaching strategies found to be effective in schools nationwide includes twenty-five schools, with expansion to additional schools each year.

FLEX

A program of instruction in foreign language (Spanish, French, German) offered to third grade students in selected schools, a cooperative program between the system and the University of Tennessee.

Project W.RI.T. & E.

Available to students in eight middle schools, middle school language arts teachers are trained to teach students through a writing program based on national diffusion network projects.

Science

Science/Humanities Seminars offered for gifted students in two middle schools.

Project Model

A support system of regular classroom teachers (K-12) designed to assist them in dealing with handicapped students who are mainstreamed to regular classes.

Computer Education

An innovative integrated computer education curriculum in kindergarten through grade five. Identified as a model by the Tandy Corporation, the Computer Skills Next literacy program is provided for all middle school students. Computer laboratories are available to every high school vocational student

Magnet School

Schools choice, offering experiences not affordable system wide; implemented in five elementary schools during the current school year.

Honors Courses

High school courses designed to challenge students who possess the capability and desire for study above the standard level.