QPAs and QSAs: A Game-Changer for Literacy in Knox County Schools
What are the QPA and QSA?
Knox County Schools is taking a new approach to ensure all K-5 students master literacy with two powerful diagnostic tools: the Quick Phonics Assessment (QPA) and the Quick Spelling Assessment (QSA).
The QPA, given to kindergarten through second grade students, focuses on decoding skills—helping students recognize and sound out words. The QSA, administered to first through fifth graders, assesses encoding skills like spelling.
QPA & QSA Defined
QPA (Quick Phonics Assessment): diagnostic test given to all kindergarten – 2nd grade students & focuses on decoding skills like sounding out words
QSA (Quick Spelling Assessment): diagnostic test given to all 3rd – 5th grade students & focuses on encoding skills like spelling
According to Dr. Erin Phillips, Executive Director of Teaching and Learning, these assessments are embedded within the district’s curriculum, which makes them especially valuable.
“Because they follow the same systematic scope and sequence of how we teach phonics, teachers can easily pinpoint gaps and intervene in a structured way,” she explained.
Why is this important right now?
This school year marks the first time KCS has implemented these assessments district-wide. While KCS has always used a universal reading screener three times a year (as required by law), only students flagged for reading difficulties would receive a follow-up diagnostic assessment. That changed this year.
“For the first time, we administered the QPA to all K-2 students and the QSA to all 1st-5th graders,” said Dr. Phillips. “This shift allows us to identify reading gaps for every student—not just those who were flagged—giving teachers a clearer picture of what each child needs to succeed.”
Why implement these additional diagnostics?
The universal reading screener helps identify students who may need extra support, but it does not pinpoint exactly where a student’s reading challenges begin. That’s where the QPA and QSA come in.
“This diagnostic tells us the exact first point of error for a student,” Dr. Phillips explained. “That knowledge allows teachers to provide targeted instruction instead of taking a broad approach that may not address the root of the issue.”
Beyond diagnostics, KCS has also aligned its instructional materials across all literacy programs, ensuring consistency from classroom instruction to intervention services.
“We used to have different programs teaching the same skills in different ways,” Dr. Phillips said. “Now, everything—from Tier 1 literacy instruction to Tier 2 and Tier 3 support—follows the same structure and academic language, which prevents confusion and helps students progress faster.”
What growth and changes have we seen so far?
Though the program is still in its first year, teachers are already seeing a difference.
“The response from teachers has been overwhelmingly positive,” said Dr. Phillips. “They’re able to see student progress in ways they couldn’t before and are getting a much deeper understanding of what their students know and what they still need to learn.”
Additionally, the district is building stronger collaboration between academics and support services to provide better coherence in literacy instruction.
“Our goal is not just to implement a new assessment but to make sure our entire literacy approach is aligned, effective, and giving students the best chance at success,” Dr. Phillips emphasized.
While it will take time to see the full impact of these changes, KCS is already gaining valuable insights.
“We’re getting better at analyzing and using this data to drive instruction,” Dr. Phillips said. “And most importantly, we’re ensuring more students learn to read early—setting them up for long-term academic success.”
Excellence in Foundational Skills
Knox County Schools is committed to Excellence in Foundational Skills. Early literacy and middle school math are foundational to a student’s academic and lifelong success. By preparing students to read proficiently by third grade and reach or surpass proficiency in Algebra I by ninth grade, KCS equips every student with the skills needed to succeed in and beyond the classroom.
KUB TeenWork and 865 Academies: A Partnership for Career Readiness
Central High School senior Makenlee Cox recently had the opportunity to showcase her graphic design skills during an internship with the KUB TeenWork program, a partner of the Knox County Schools’ 865 Academies initiative.
Cox was drawn to the TeenWork program to gain valuable, real-world experience and enhance her resume for college applications.
The KUB TeenWork program provided students with monthly sessions on essential career skills such as resume writing, interviewing, and professional attire.
Participants also took part in field trips and learned about KUB’s operations and its business partners, including Covenant Health, West Knox Utilities, First Utility District, and the Knoxville Chamber, offering insights into various career paths.
“It was such a great experience,” Cox said. “It helped me to get my foot in the door and gave me hands-on experiences into what I may be doing in the future.”
For Cox, a student in the Academy of Business and Design, the program was a perfect fit.
Planning to attend the Haslam College of Business at the University of Tennessee, she brought her experience with Adobe software, honed through her work on the school yearbook, into her internship.
This expertise was showcased when she was placed in the communications department and tasked with creating a newsletter for the KUB TeenWork program, distributed to stakeholders and the staff.
“It was really cool to be like, ‘I did this. I created that,’” Cox said. “Everybody gets to see what I’ve made.”
Cox’s involvement in TeenWork mirrors the goals of the 865 Academies, which aim to prepare students for life after graduation by providing authentic, work-based learning experiences.
Through the Academies, students like Cox can connect classroom knowledge to real-world applications, ensuring they are prepared for postsecondary education, enlistment, or employment in high-demand fields.
Beyond honing technical skills, Cox valued the opportunity to build connections that will benefit her in the future.
“I’m grateful to Knox County Schools for providing these opportunities for students to get experience working in a career they’re interested in,” she said. “Being able to build connections while still in high school is really important.”
As she plans to major in marketing, Cox’s experience with KUB TeenWork has provided a solid foundation for her future, demonstrating how the 865 Academies initiative is successfully preparing students for the next steps in their academic and professional journeys.
Career Empowerment and Preparation
Knox County Schools is dedicated to Career Empowerment and Preparation. At KCS, we are committed to preparing students for graduation and life after graduation. By providing students with early and meaningful opportunities to explore colleges and careers, KCS empowers students to confidently approach their future, prepared for the three Es: employment, enrollment, or enlistment.
KCS Expands Computer Science for All Middle and High School Students
Knox County Schools is expanding its computer science courses across the district following the adoption of a state-wide requirement for all middle and high school students.
This initiative aims to equip students with essential analysis and computational thinking skills—increasingly vital tools in the modern workforce.
At Central High School, Brandon Roberts, one of the new computer science teachers, is at the forefront of this change.
“All students will benefit from this course because every kid has access to a Chromebook and needs to be able to use it,” Roberts said. “And if it ignites a passion in a few kids—with so much need for people to be good with computers—I think it’s worth it.”
Central High School has integrated this new requirement within its Freshman Academy.
“At Central, we will combine the new graduation requirement of computer science in the Freshman Academy with our Freshman Seminar class,” Central’s Academy Coach Cassidy Taylor explained. “These classes follow an A/B schedule, meaning that all freshmen rotate between them on a daily basis. One day, they have a computer science class, and the next day, they have a Freshman Seminar class.”
This integration ensures that students learn technical skills and see how these skills apply in broader academic and real-world contexts.
The early introduction of computer science as a graduation requirement demonstrates the district’s forward-thinking approach.
“Adding computer science as a graduation requirement shows a commitment to preparing students for a future shaped by technological advancements,” Taylor added.
The initiative is closely aligned with the 865 Academies‘ mission to expose students to meaningful and fulfilling experiences, ensuring they are well-prepared for the 21st-century workforce.
As technology continues to evolve, the importance of computer literacy cannot be overstated. Through this new requirement, Knox County Schools ensures that every student, regardless of their future career path, will have the foundational skills needed to navigate and succeed in a technology-driven world.
Career Empowerment and Preparation
Knox County Schools is dedicated to Career Empowerment and Preparation. At KCS, we are committed to preparing students for graduation and life after graduation. By providing students with early and meaningful opportunities to explore colleges and careers, KCS empowers students to confidently approach their future, prepared for the three Es: employment, enrollment, or enlistment.
Closing Opportunity Gaps at Transformational Thursday
Students in Region 5 schools have historically been the most at-risk group in the district, and KCS is working to close the opportunity gap for these students.
One of the ways the district is taking steps in this area is by hosting Transformational Thursdays, a weekly professional development program for educators in Region 5.
During this week’s Transformational Thursday session, Executive Director of Learning and Literacy Dr. Erin Phillips joined educators at Belle Morris Elementary to discuss the Opportunity Myth.
The “myth” is a research study that looked into five diverse school districts and did an analysis of what opportunities students are receiving in school to achieve their lifetime goals. The study found that students believed they were set up for success, but in reality, the schools were not adequately preparing them with the skills they needed to thrive in a postsecondary environment.
While this finding may seem dim and disheartening, the study provided four key resources educators can amplify to end the myth for students: grade-aligned assignments, deep engagement, strong instruction, and high expectations.
“These resources are particularly important in Region 5 because we have students who have experienced trauma and are from diverse backgrounds with lots of potential barriers they walk into school with,” Phillips said. “The focus is on how we can remove the stigma teachers might have – that students have so many issues they’re dealing with that they can’t achieve at high levels – because all students deserve this strong mindset from their teachers.”
The start of the second quarter of the year brought with it a change of focus for the Transformational Thursday sessions.
“What we’re trying to do throughout these sessions is empower our teachers to continue to do great things for kids to continue being lifelong learners,” Phillips said. “With this work in Transformational Thursdays, we’re really looking at a student-centered approach to how we elevate strong teaching in our schools.”
Hardin Valley Academy Celebrates Future Teachers
Hardin Valley Academy held a college signing ceremony on Monday – to celebrate a group of future educators!
The event celebrated 10 HVA seniors who are planning to return to the classroom as educators when they graduate from college.
- Amaya Martin, who will attend Middle Tennessee State University, participated with her parents, Chris and Tiffany Martin, along with former teacher and school librarian Suzanne Sherman.
Martin said her former teacher made sure that students were always heard, and during a lesson on children’s literature she incorporated a book that featured a Black family – helping Martin feel that she was represented. “That really stuck with me,” she said.
- Knox County Schools has made it a priority to identify and support high school students who are interested in pursuing a career in education. In some cases, college students who participate in the district’s “Grow Your Own” program can receive a salary, health care and credit toward retirement while completing their college degree.
Hope Johnson – whose mother, Maria Johnson, is a former teacher – is planning to attend Tennessee Tech, and has already spent many hours in the classroom as part of the district’s Teaching as a Profession program.
The HVA student particularly enjoyed working with elementary students, because they are just starting to learn how the world works and where they fit in: “It’s so cool to be the avenue that opens that up for them.”
