News

Memphis Students Score Among the Best in the Country

Memphis, TN (5/21/12) – Every single student attending Cornerstone Prep School performed at or above grade level ona recent national academic test that measures achievement of elementary school students.

Cornerstone Prep students, 88% of which will be the first in their immediate families to graduate from college and 89%of them qualify for free or reduced lunch programs, proved that students from any background can perform at highlevels when given access to great schools and teachers.

“These results provide tangible evidence of what urban students can accomplish when given the right environment,”said Drew Sippel, the Executive Director of Cornerstone Prep. “Students thrive when great teachers engage themeffectively and provide challenging work for them in a fast-paced environment. These students will be the future leadersof Memphis.”

The test, called TerraNova, is given to students across the country. It gives teachers specific information about gaps instudent learning and measures student progress over time. Terra Nova is a supplement for the state TCAP test whichbegins testing students in the third grade. Terra Nova is one of the few nationally recognized standardized assessmentsfor kindergarten and first grade students. While the Terra Nova test is not a college admissions test, studentsperforming at this level are on path to college graduation and are on par with students attending our country’s bestprivate and suburban public schools.

On average, students at Cornerstone Prep grew at least two grade levels. The most dramatic gains were seen in firstgrade literacy. First graders at Cornerstone Prep are reading on a fourth grade level. 20 kindergarten students and 13first grade students scored in the 99th percentile, the best score possible.

Ali Hill is a first grade teacher at Cornerstone. "It's exciting to see the hard work of our Prepsters and parents recognizedin such a tangible way,” she said. “I am thrilled to be a part of what they have accomplished! These kids areunstoppable."

Cornerstone Prep is committed to serving students in the Binghampton community. Because of their proven trackrecord for dramatically increasing student performance, Cornerstone Prep will manage the daily operations andacademic achievement of students at Lester Elementary starting in August of 2012 as a member of the state-wideMedia Plan_Cornerstone Achievement Data_May 15 2012

Achievement School District. All schools in the Achievement School District will perform among the top 25% of schoolsin the state within 5 years.

“We’re excited to have Cornerstone as a member of the Achievement School District,” said Superintendent Chris Barbic.“The accomplishments of their students are a testament to the hard work and dedication of their teachers, and we wantmore students to benefit from that great instruction.”

Cornerstone Prep – Lester Campus is still enrolling students. For more information or to enroll, visitwww.cornerstoneprepmemphis.org or call 9012614384.

About Cornerstone Prep

Cornerstone Prep is a high-performing elementary school in the Binghampton neighborhood of Memphis. CornerstonePrep is joining the Achievement School District in the summer of 2012, serving students at Lester Elementary. Currently,Lester Elementary is one of Tennessee’s priority schools, performing in the bottom 5% of schools in the state. In joiningthe Achievement School District, Cornerstone Prep has made a commitment to our students that Lester will be amongTennessee’s top 25% campuses in five years. Cornerstone Prep – Lester Campus is enrolling students for the fall of2012. For more information, please visit the website at www.cornerstoneprepmemphis.org.