More than half of Tennessee third-graders failed to meet testing standard to advance

For months opponents of Tennessee’s new Third-Grade Retention Law have argued it could lead to many students at risk of being held back from the fourth-grade.After Monday those voices may grow louder.The Tennessee Department of Education says 60% of third-graders scored “below” or “approaching” proficiency on the English language arts (ELA) portion of the Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program (TCAP).Under the new state law, non-exempt students in both categories will now have some work to do to advance to the fourth-grade.

Who’s exempt and what options are available?

The state lists four categories of students as exempt from the new law including English language learners with less than two years of ELA instruction, students who have been previously retained, and students with disabilities or suspected disabilities that impact reading.Nonexempt students have several options to gain eligibility to advance to the fourth-grade depending on whether they scored “approaching” or “below” proficient on the TCAP.Those options include any of the following.Approaching Proficient

• Student retests and scores proficient on the ELA test. The days will vary based on the district.
• Student maintains a 90% attendance at Summer Camp and demonstrates improvement.
• Student receives free TN ALL Corps tutoring during fourth grade.
• Parent successfully appeals the retention.

Below Proficient

• Student retests and scores proficient on the ELA test
• Student maintains a 90% attendance at Summer Camp, demonstrates improvement, and receives free TN ALL Corps tutoring during fourth grade.

The department provided raw score data to school districts Friday afternoon to use to evaluate which children need to meet additional requirements for advancement. Districts are responsible for notifying their parents.Some were able to provide that notification over the weekend while others are doing so this week.

Districts release TCAP numbers

The state did not release district level data Monday, but multiple larger school districts did so independently.Metro Nashville Public Schools (MNPS) is projecting up to 62% of third-graders either met proficiency or are exempt from retention. The remaining 39% will be eligible for a TCAP retake between Monday and May 24 at their schools.The district is also offering its Promising Scholars program to students who fail the retake and aren’t approved for an appeal.“It is important for children, parents, and the community to understand that if a student didn’t score proficient on this one test, it does not mean they failed, that they cannot read, or that they are not making learning progress,” said Dr. Adrienne Battle, Director of Metro Schools. “Tennessee has some of the highest standards in the nation for student expectations, and while we all strive to help them meet those goals, students all start from different places, and teachers work hard to ensure they are making growth and progress in their learning journey. While we did not agree with this law, we are required to implement it and are committed to working with every family to make sure their students are provided the opportunities necessary to be promoted to the 4th grade.”Hamilton County Schools announced in a press release that 77% of its third graders scored proficient or are exempt from retention. The remaining 23% of third-graders were eligible to retake the TCAP at their school today and tomorrow. Of these students, at least 400 will be required to attend HCS’s Summer Reach program to be eligible for promotion to fourth-grade.“Hamilton County Schools has been preparing for this day for nearly a year,” said HCS Superintendent Dr. Justin Robertson. “In November, we began communicating with third-grade families about the requirements for promotion to the fourth grade. We have also worked to put strategies and resources in place to make sure every student has a pathway for promotion under the law. Early literacy is a foundation for student success, and we are committed to seeing every student learn. In addition to classroom instruction, proven programs like Summer Reach and intensive literacy tutoring will provide the supports necessary to make sure this year’s third-grade class is eligible and ready to move to fourth grade.”The Tennessean reported 40 percent of third-graders in Knox County Schools failed to meet the ELA threshold while Maury County Public Schools reported more than 63 percent failed to meet it.Clarksville-Montgomery County School System said 40% of its third-grade students will need additional work to advance.The district offered students a TCAP retake on Monday, but a technological issue impacted the ability to administer it.“The CMCSS Technology Department and other districts are working with the state’s testing vendor to fix the issue as quickly as possible. We are hopeful a solution will be identified this afternoon so that we can retest tomorrow,” said district Chief Communications Officer Anthony D, Jonson.Memphis-Shelby County Schools did not release its test results and instead provided a statement outlining its plans.“The District has been communicating directly with families. Today, parents of third grade students will receive an email and physical letter as well as text and robocall reminders. We're working to support the families of our 3^rdgrade students over the next few days as they prepare for retests, appeals, our MSCS Summer Learning Academy, and end of year celebrations. You can read more about our plan here,” said the district in a released statement.

Historic Gains

Despite these numbers, Tennessee Governor Bill Lee and his administration focused on the positives of the TCAP results and praised their "historic gains."“The ability to read at grade level determines a student’s success in the classroom and beyond, and we’re encouraged that our strategic literacy investments have already resulted in historic gains across the state,” said Governor Bill Lee. “As we continue our work to deliver strong reading skills to benefit every student, we’re committed to giving families multiple pathways that will support student promotion and achievement.”The number of students who scored proficient on the ELA portion increased by more than 4 percent to 40% of third-graders. This includes the largest percentage of third-graders scoring in the top category in over a decade. This year also saw the largest increase overall of third-graders who met or exceeded expectations in a single year since Tennessee updated its ELA academic standards in 2017.   .

"Students, teachers, districts, and families have worked incredibly hard to improve reading proficiency in Tennessee and their efforts should be celebrated,” said Education Commissioner Penny Schwinn. "The significant gains that we see on the 3rd grade ELA TCAP reflect the success that schools across the state are seeing under Reading 360 and other literacy efforts and will change the lives of thousands of students. While we still have a long way to go before we reach the goals laid out in legislation, I appreciate the ongoing efforts of Tennessee schools as they implement summer and tutoring programs to provide students not yet on grade level with the supports they need to thrive."