Tenkiller School Achieves New State Benchmark

By Teddye Snell, Tahlequah Daily Press, Okla.

Jun. 12–Tenkiller School Superintendent Randy Rountree has earned bragging rights among his peers this year.

For one thing, he’s been named Regional Superintendent of the Year, and is now competing for state honors.

But he’s even more proud of a second distinction, which he shares with his entire school.

According to the Oklahoma Education Oversight Board, Tenkiller was the only school in Cherokee County to achieve a new performance benchmark for the 2006-’07 year.

“The new performance benchmark is a rigorous one that identifies top schools across the state,” said Susan Field, chairman of the EOB. “The new mark is in addition to an earlier benchmark and identifies those schools where 70 percent of the students score satisfactory or above, and where 25 percent of the students score advanced on every subject tested at a given grade level.”

The benchmark applies to the results of the 2007 Oklahoma School Testing Program for regular education students, grades 3-8, who have attended the same school for a full academic year.

Tenkiller students met the mark in sixth-grade testing, scoring 88 percent in math and 100 percent in reading. Tenkiller was one of only 52 schools statewide to lay claim to the achievement.

“Our goals are always to prepare our students for success,” said Rountree. “Whether it be in state achievement tests, social skills, work habits or high school readiness, we want Tenkiller students to be the very best they can be.”

According to Rountree, teachers review the previous year’s achievement test scores each summer before a new year begins, and identify areas that may need more attention or a different teaching approach. He believes this also reinforces academic areas that have satisfactory results.

Rountree was thrilled with the achievement.

“Anytime my teachers, staff and students excel or receive an honor for their hard work, I get excited,” he said. “At Tenkiller, we all share in the successes of our students. It takes great effort and brings a level of fulfillment for me.”

Rountree views elements making up the school more as a “family.”

“From one grade level to the next, each teacher has is mind that their students must be ready for the next grade’s challenges,” he said. “This achievement exhibits that flow. This success is not just those working with the sixth grade, or third and seventh grades [testing years], it is a reflection of the entire school.”

As mentioned in the first part in the series, scores released recently are a year old, but Rountree expects much of the same when this year’s scores are released next June.

“We expect our students to be successful on this past spring’s tests,” he said. “So much can, and often does, influence the outcome of state tests. Students can and do have bad days. This might cause them to not perform to their ability on a test. Steps are taken to create an environment that students feel comfortable in and help to relieve stress.”

According to the school’s report card, 100 percent students in third and sixth grades scored satisfactorily in reading, compared to a state average of 87.

And 100 percent of Tenkiller seventh-graders scored satisfactorily in geography, where the state average was also 87 percent.

Under the heading of preparation, motivation and parental support, Tenkiller also had high marks, reporting no suspensions for the period, and a high level of parental participation in conferences.

“We encourage our parents to be involved with their child’s education by supporting their child’s teacher, attending conferences and volunteering when asked,” said Rountree. “Our parents understand this school is the community, and I think that is a reason they give us such great support.”

Rountree believes the testing results can be attributed to the staff sharing a kindred spirit.

“Overall, this is a result of quality faculty and staff sharing a common goal to give Tenkiller School students the very best educational opportunity possible,” he said.

Kathleen Wilcoxon, co-chairman of the Senate Education Committee, said it was high time the state created a new hurdle for achievement.

“A number of years ago when the board established the original 70 percent performance benchmark, there were only a few schools that met the challenge and received a check mark,” she said. “Now, most schools get the check mark. Students, teachers and administrators have all worked very hard to improve performance on Oklahoma’s standardized tests, but realignment of test rigor, reclassification of students and adjusting of cut-scores has also worked to move student scores higher.

“We reached the point where even the state average warranted a check mark at every grade level, so the new 25 percent advanced performance benchmark re-establishes the EOB’s desire to recognize the state’s top-performing schools.”

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