Metro Nashville’s Director of Schools Earns ‘Met’ Ratings Across All Evaluation Categories
Dr. Adrienne Battle (Photo by MNPS)
Metro Nashville Public Schools Board of Education members announced Tuesday that Dr. Adrienne Battle earned “met” ratings in all four performance categories for the 2024–25 school year, despite criticism for her role in roughly $6.5 million in legal settlements involving allegations of retaliation and discrimination.
An evaluation team of board members used student growth, proficiency, attendance, and other areas to rate Dr. Battle across four evaluation categories, including literacy, numeracy, social-emotional learning (SEL), and transitions.
For the literacy category, evaluators credited the district for achieving the state’s highest level of growth for the fourth consecutive year. Additionally, English language arts proficiency increased from 29.6 percent to 31.2 percent.
In the numeracy category, the district’s math proficiency increased from 29.3 percent to 31.9 percent.
Under the SEK category, attendance in the fourth quarter reached 92.8 percent, and chronic absenteeism decreased by 1.7 percentage points.
In Transitions, 164 MNPS students received exclusive scholarships through district programs, a metric used by the evaluation committee to assess readiness for college and career pathways.
Recent Legal Settlement and Controversy
The positive review comes just a few months after Dr. Battle faced calls to resign from the parent advocacy group Nashville PROPEL over the $6.5 million legal settlement with former district administrators.
At a meeting last August, a dozen parents, including Kindall Maupin, attacked Dr. Battle’s leadership.
“Children in our district are expected to correct their behavior when they make mistakes. Why is this not the case for Dr. Battle and this board?” asked Maupin. “Accountability should not be optional. This decision sends a message that the settlements are prioritized over student success.”
Board members publicly expressed support for Dr. Battle amid the controversy, saying the legal settlement “does not suggest wrongdoing.”
