By Mike Hutchens, UC Schools Communications Director
The State Department of Education has confirmed Union City Schools’ status as an elite system in Tennessee.
All three schools in the UC System have earned Level 5 ratings – the highest possible score a school or district can receive based on the Tennessee Value-Added Assessment System (TVAAS).
The designation indicates that Union City Schools students are making significantly more academic progress than expected, exceeding state standards and outperforming peers in terms of academic growth. This distinction is based on student performance data, often measured through standardized tests.
Level 5 status is considered two standards above average in district and school growth measures compared to the growth standard. That rating represents significant evidence that students exceeded the growth standard.
The latest honor for the UCSS – which has received mention in U.S. News and World Reports, among many other honors in recent years – was understandably well received by Director of Schools Wes Kennedy.
“What a fantastic honor for everyone who has a hand in the educational experience at Union City Schools!” Kennedy said. “We’re always grateful for recognition for our dedicated and driven students and staff.
“Their work ethic in the classroom is exemplary. We are happy to see their hard work and efforts highlighted in any and every way.”
Kennedy was also quick to point out that not every success of Union City Schools is measured by state standards, however.
“Because those (state) designations and the commissioner regularly change, we don’t put our total worth and value on such statistics,” he claimed. “Certainly, we’re happy with the honor. But our end-game satisfaction comes from having the state’s sixth-highest ACT scores, the number of students with 30 or above on the ACT, and having had mentioned on the National AP Honor Roll.
“We’ll always celebrate the accomplishments of students and teachers in our system, though. And we’ll always have the best interests of our students and staff as far as providing them with the best overall educational experience. When you do that, the results will take care of themselves.”