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The Tennessee Department of Education has designated Upperman High School as a 2019 Reward School.
Principal William Stepp said the designation sets the high school apart from others.
“Earning a Reward School designation is showing the growth that we are doing with our students with their achievement. And trying to give them the absolute best education,” Stepp said. “So that when they leave they are independent and can take advantage of all the opportunities out there.”
Stepp said the school focused on a detailed approach for each student.
“A lot of hard work, a lot of teachers digging in and trying to become better at their craft,” Stepp said. “So that the student learning increased enough this year to meet our goals.”
Stepp said he hopes Upperman will receive the designation for 2020 as well.
“It just means verification that we are doing the right thing to maximize student learning. It shows that our teachers are doing a great job,” Stepp said. “And the community is obviously super proud of the students here at Upperman. We are just continuing to work hard to be the best high school, to be the best education a child can get.”
TN Ready Testing Coordinator Tim Martin said the state uses a number factors when designating schools, including academic success rates, graduation rates, and chronic absenteeism.
“Lots of different things there. The state assigns a number to each of those areas any school that has an average of 3.1 or higher is considered a reward school. Those schools are often asked to by the state to present at state conferences and things like that.”
Upperman High School is one of four Putnam County Schools receiving the designation. The state also recognized Algood Elementary, Burks Elementary, and Capshaw Elementary Schools.
