Rumor Mill – December 21, 2016

Published December 21, 2016

The purpose of this section is to answer any questions parents, teachers or community members might have regarding the school district and to set the record straight in regards to any rumors that might be circulating.

If you have a question or have heard a rumor that you would like for us to address, simply SEND US your questions and we will respond to them in upcoming issues of InFocus. Below are some of the questions we have received since our last issue.

Why was there a last minute change in the percentage weighting of fall semester exams?

In November, the WCS School Board began approving changes to several policies regarding middle and high school grade calculations and exams. These policy changes were a proactive measure to imminent alterations to Tennessee State Board policy. The WCS School Board decided to count semester exams at the minimum weight allowed by the Tennessee State Board of Education. In the interest of fairness, WCS district officials decided that both EOC and non-EOC finals would be weighted the same.

On Thursday, December 15, the Tennessee State Board of Education took action to set the percentage at 10 percent for EOC testing for this school year. Therefore, WCS was required to address these State policy changes immediately. Building administrators understand that during this time of transition that they and their teachers should make grading decisions that appropriately reflect each student’s mastery of course content. School administrators and teachers are committed to ensuring that students’ grades are not adversely affected by the semester exam percentage decrease from 25 percent to 10 percent.

I would like to know when the new K-8 school in Spring Hill will be ready?

The elementary and middle school in Thompson’s Station is expected to open in August, 2018.