Metro Nashville Public Schools director optimistic about the performance of third and fourth-graders on state reading tests

Metro Nashville Public Schools Director Dr. Adrienne Battle says based on the district’s preliminary “quick scores,” she's optimistic about how third and fourth-graders performed on state reading assessments. Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program (TCAP) test results determine whether and how third- and fourth-grade students can advance to the next grade under the state’s Third-Grade Retention Law.

According to the law, third-grade students who fail to show proficiency in reading on state assessments will have to attend summer school and or tutoring during fourth grade to advance further. Fourth-grade students impacted by the law last year must also show “adequate growth” on state testing this year to be promoted to fifth grade. In addition, fourth graders who fail to show “adequate growth” on Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program (TCAP) tests can qualify to advance to the fifth grade if there’s agreement from parents, teachers and administrators, under legislation that passed in April.

During Tuesday's school board meeting, Battle said she looks forward to digging more into the data as it becomes available from the state. However, more details are pending.

“On Thursday, the state plans to release third and fourth grade ELA proficiencies, but all other data are embargoed until June 24, so I should have a lot more to report to you on our next meeting on the 25th but we are very optimistic about what we are seeing thus far,” she told the board. “I’ll know a lot more in a couple of weeks, and we’ll share that with you.”

Board members also received updates about the district’s Metro Schools ReimaginED initiative, which Battle said has involved moving fifth graders back into elementary schools, increasing emphasis on socio-emotional learning and increasing student support services.

Citing results from a recent evaluation of the district’s initiative during its first cohort of students in the 2021-22 school year, Metro Nashville Public Schools Chief of Student Support Services Elisa Norris said the first cohort “outperformed their peers in math” by nearly four percent.

“While we did not see the same statistical difference in ELA, we do see a positive trend in this area we can build upon,” she said, noting that performance in English Language Arts has improved by a little under a percent.

Norris said ReimaginED students also reported higher ratings in student-teacher relationships, student-student relationships, sense of belonging and overall engagement. She added that non-ReimaginED students were more likely to transfer out of the district between fourth and fifth grade compared to the initiative’s first cohort.

“MNPS students and families are choosing to remain in MNPS and are then able to take advantage of the stronger cluster alignment that is part of the ReimaginED vision,” she said.