During the 2011-2012 school year, Putnam County School System (PCSS) partnered with Evans Newton to provide its five middle schools with professional development and coaching in mathematics, focused on standards alignment and pacing, the Common Core State Standards (CCSS), and data-driven instruction. From 2011 to 2012, the rural district showed significant growth on the Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program (TCAP). The percentage of students achieving at the proficient level or above jumped by 10 percentage points in grade 5, 7 points in grade 6, and 11 points in grades 7-8.