Children to learn this week if they're at risk for retention under reading requirements

Children taking learning English language arts (Photo by the Tennessee Department of Education)

Parents across the state should learn this week whether their third and fourth-graders are at risk for retention because of new state reading requirements.Under the state’s Third-Grade Retention Law, third-graders who fail to show reading proficiency on state tests have to undergo either summer school or summer school and tutoring during their fourth-grade year to advance. Additionally, fourth-graders impacted by the law last year have to show “adequate growth” on state testing this year to be promoted to fifth-grade.

The Tennessee Department of Education released the English language arts (ELA) results of the Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program (TCAP) that will be used in those determinations to local school districts today.  Districts themselves will be notifying impacted parents.

“Third grade is a pivotal year for students to strengthen the foundational building blocks of reading comprehension, which shape academic success in fourth grade and beyond,” said Tennessee Department of Education Commissioner Lizzette Reynolds. “I am grateful to our districts and schools for having essential conversations with families and students to determine the best path forward for future success.”

Third-graders who scored below proficient on ELA will have the option of taking the TCAP retest later this month.  Some students will additionally qualify as exempt or qualify for an appeal process that runs from May 28 through June 28.Fourth-graders who fail to show “adequate growth” on the TCAP can qualify for advancement to the fifth grade if there’s agreement from all parties in a conference with parents, teachers, and the school principal under legislation that passed in April.

Last year more than half of Tennessee's third-graders failed to meet the initial testing threshold to advance under the new law. It’s believed as many as 10 thousand fourth-grade students statewide could be impacted this year by the fourth-grade provision of the law.