(MURFREESBORO)  Rutherford County Schools remains one of the top school districts in Tennessee, based on academic growth scores released by the Tennessee Department of Education.

RCS earned the highest possible composite score on the Tennessee Value-Added Assessment System — more commonly known as TVAAS ­— which measures student growth from year to year on a 1-5 scale. RCS received a composite score of 5 for its students’ growth during the 2021-2022 school year.

“Level 5 status means there is significant evidence that our students made more growth than expected,” Director of Schools Jimmy Sullivan said. “As a county, that means our students and teachers outperformed expectations. Although this has been customary for Rutherford County, we should never take for granted that our students are outperforming what statistical models projected.

Sullivan added: “This performance is dedicated to the hard work of our educators and support staff, and the collaboration we have with our parents and community.”

The school district’s composite score is made up of five categories. RCS received 5’s in system-wide literacy, system-wide literacy and numeracy, and system-wide social studies. It received a 4 in system-wide numeracy and a 2 in system-wide science. Lower science growth scores were common across the state, as the assessment and standards have become more rigorous.

At the school level, 19 Rutherford County schools received a composite score of 5, the highest score possible.