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Cornerstone Prep Students Excel on National and State Tests

Cornerstone Prep students performed among the nation’s best schools in a recent national assessment. On average, Cornerstone Prep students outpaced the growth of 74 percent of students in science, 72 percent of students in math and 70 percent of students in reading and language.

According to Achievement School District (ASD) officials, the national norming study includes students drawn from a test pool of 5.1 million students from over 13,000 schools in more than 2,700 school districts in 50 states. The academic growth of Cornerstone Prep far exceeds the national norm for students who began the year at a similar academic level, placing the school near the top 25 percent in the country in academic growth on the Measure of Academic Progress assessment (MAP). 

Cornerstone Prep students also excelled on the recent Tennessee Comprehensive Achievement Program (TCAP) assessment. Cornerstone Prep students showed an astounding 14.7 point increase over the prior year. These scores drastically outpaced the state average increase of .6 percent in math and-.8 percent in RLA.

Click here to see more data of test results!

Cornerstone Prep is an Achievement School District (ASD) elementary school serving the Binghampton community that opened in the fall of 2012, with 325 students in grades pre-Kindergarten through third grade. Last year, the school added grades four and five, completing the transition into a full elementary school. Cornerstone Prep’s approach to education, based on successful urban schools around the country, includes an intense focus on the core subjects of math and reading and a fast-paced learning environment. Principal Lisa Settle said, “We are so proud of our Prepsters and parents. Our Prepsters work diligently every day in their classroom and our parents are so supportive of us at home and at the school. These test results prove what is possible when everyone works together to provide children a great education.”  

Parent survey results in this second year of operation reveal a high level of parent satisfaction, as 99 percent of parents surveyed gave the school an overall grade of A or B. Drew Sippel, Cornerstone Prep executive director, said “I am very pleased with the level of engagement from our parents.  Everyone is working together for the success of our children and our school.”  

Cornerstone Prep has shown great growth in their second year operating as an ASD school, earning the highest available Tennessee Value-Added Assessment System (TVAAS) score of 5 in 2013. This growth score reflects the strength of the teachers and staff at the school. Many of the Cornerstone Prep teachers were trained as part of the Memphis Teacher Residency program (MTR), which according to the Tennessee Higher Education Commission (THEC) 2013 Report Card on the Effectiveness of Teacher Training Programs, “consistently produced teachers that are outperforming other teachers in the state.”

Cornerstone Prep will add grade six this year and grades seven and eight next year as the school expands to serve more of the families in the Binghampton community. For more information, click here to learn more about Cornerstone Prep.