Dr. Amanda Hardin shows off resources available to rural school districts in the RAIL Library. Photo by Angela Foster.
When the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga launched the Rural Assessment Intervention Library (RAIL) System at the start of the fall 2025 semester, Department of School Psychology Program Director Amanda Hardin wasn’t sure how quickly school districts would find it—or whether they would find it at all.
RAIL, housed within School Psychology, officially opened in late August after many K-12 districts across the state had already returned to session. Early awareness depended largely on word of mouth, she said, particularly among districts participating in Tennessee’s Project RAISE initiative—which supports internships in rural communities.
“Being completely brand new, I really didn’t know how much interest we would get right away,” said Hardin, an assistant professor at UTC. “And I really wasn’t sure how much traction we would get during the first semester.”
By the end of the fall term, however, the early uncertainty had been replaced by measurable results.
In its first 3½ months of operation, the RAIL System served 19 school districts across Tennessee and provided access to 186 assessment tools and related resources—saving participating districts more than $22,000 in costs they would otherwise have incurred purchasing the materials themselves.
“When we started looking at numbers, we were pleasantly surprised by just how many items we had actually used,” Hardin said.
The RAIL System allows qualified professionals in rural districts to check out assessments used to evaluate students for developmental delays, learning differences, behavioral needs and other educational services. There is no cost to participate.
Materials are housed in a designated space within UTC’s School Psychology program— part of the College of Health, Education and Professional Studies—and are available to districts involved in Project RAISE.
While RAIL was initially designed with school psychologists in mind, its first semester revealed a broader reach. In addition to school psychologists, the system served speech-language pathologists, occupational therapists, educational diagnosticians, gifted and dyslexia coordinators, Project RAISE interns and other qualified professionals working in special education roles.
“I knew school psychologists would use this,” Hardin said, “but I was pleasantly surprised at the variety of individuals within school districts.”
Usage patterns also differed from early expectations. Hardin anticipated strong demand for specific assessments, but data from the first semester told a different story: preschool evaluations emerged as a significant need among rural districts.
Hardin said feedback from participating districts has been meaningful.
“Some of these school districts have written us saying, ‘Thank you for all you’re doing. There’s no way we would ever have been able to purchase this test kit,’” she said. “One of the districts told me they don’t have any money for new test kits, period. So the fact that we could provide alternatives was great.”
Hardin said she initially viewed success through a modest lens.
“If we can just do this for one, then I’m happy it’s a success,” she said. “But to know that we are doing it for multiple districts—that’s huge.”
The early momentum also highlighted the role RAIL can play beyond active student cases. Several districts used the system to review materials before deciding whether to invest limited funds in their own assessments, particularly those focused on social, emotional and behavioral interventions.
Interns and students have also benefited. In some cases, Project RAISE interns checked out materials simply to familiarize themselves with assessments their districts did not currently own.
“The fact that students—even ones who weren’t ours—were able to use it and get experience with it was exciting,” Hardin said.
Looking ahead, Hardin sees the first semester as a learning period rather than a pilot. The focus now is on expanding awareness and responding to feedback from participating districts.
“Once someone hears about us, then it is literally within a week we get a request,” she said.
As the program looks toward long-term sustainability, the early cost savings remain one of the clearest indicators of RAIL’s value.
“The fact that in a little over three months it was $22,000—that’s big,” she said. “I think the more we get the word out, it’ll be even more.”
The RAIL System is open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Thursday during the academic year. Additional information is available through the UTC School Psychology webpage.
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UTC School Psychology prepares to kick off the Rural Assessment Intervention Library
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