Debate over one of the biggest issues for education in Tennessee is over for the year.Thursday morning House members voted 82-15 to pass legislation that’s expected to reduce the number of children held back by the state’s Third-Grade Retention Law. That vote follows Tuesday’s passage in the Senate.The Tennessee General Assembly passed the Third-Grade Retention Law in 2021 to ensure students who need additional support in reading would receive them before being promoted to fourth grade. Recently, the law has come under fire from opponents who worry it may do more harm than good holding students back a grade based on their Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program (TCAP) test scores.More than a dozen bills were filed to adjust or repeal the law earlier in the session but leaders in both parties settled on a compromise bill that adds an additional test for children to take to advance to the fourth grade.The legislation also adds onto already established interventions like summer school and assigns tutors and additional reading support to students retained in the third grade. It would also create an appeal process for the parents of retained students.“We’ve worked fervently with the chairmen of education, the chairmen of the Senate, and the Department of Education and the Governor’s Office to come up with a plan here. Members these are the corrections, the adjustments, and the enhancements to the Third-Grade Retention Bill,” said Culleoka Representative Scott Cepicky.Knoxville Representative Gloria Johnson was among those opposing the legislation, arguing it doesn’t address the concerns families have with the Third-Grade Retention law and the tests it uses to determine literacy.“We haven’t done our due diligence when it comes to what families, what teachers, what schools want. And it’s concerning to me that we have removed—to the largest degree—the decision for retention should be made by the local school and the parents. We talk a lot here about parents’ rights when it comes to their children’s education, and retention should be based on the parents and the local school who know the child best,” said Representative Johnson. “I am not going to be able to support this bill because it doesn’t do what we told parents we were going to do this session and I think we are doing serious damage.”Supporters argued the legislation is a good step forward to address concerns about the law while still keeping reading requirements.Lobelville Representative Kirk Haston told House members it’s imperative for Tennessee to keep its educational standards high.“If we continue to set low expectations for our students, then that’s the exact level that they’re going to reach. That’s what they’re going to strive to get to is those low expectations. I just don’t believe that our students are going to crumble with stress and fear as we raise the expectations for them. I think we’re underselling what they’re capable of,” said Representative Haston. “I hear about there’s mental stress going to be for these students retained, well there’s also a three times greater chance of that student dropping out if they’re not reading by the third grade.”Once signed by Governor Bill Lee, the legislation will take effect during the 2023-24 school year.
