NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — While not providing district by district, the Tennessee Department of Education released how third graders performed on the TCAP assessment, which is the crucial test in determining the path for their fourth grade promotion.
Tennessee third graders did make some gains, with 40% of kids meeting or exceeding grade level expectations. Those children will be able to move onto the fourth grade with no intervention. However, 60% of the state's children will either have to re-take the test, go to summer school or appeal the decision based on the Third Grade Retention Law. The law as it it's written will affect this year's third graders primarily as the legislature amended the current language. But it won't go into effect until next school year.
The data is broken down by:
- 13% exceeded
- 27% met expectations
- 35% approached expectations
- 25% below expectations
This is growth compared to last year's scores by three points in exceeding state expectations and three points in meeting expectations.
"Students, teachers, districts, and families have worked incredibly hard to improve reading proficiency in Tennessee and their efforts should be celebrated,” said Commissioner Penny Schwinn. "The significant gains that we see on the third 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."
WHAT SCHOOL DISTRICTS HAVE SAID
Metro Nashville Public Schools
MNPS elementary schools will be contacting third grade parents on Monday to inform them of the results. We understand the anxiety and frustration that students, parents, and teachers are feeling because of the state’s third grade retention law and the lack of the assessment results that will not only inform summer plans but that also could have a dramatic impact on students’ futures. We had hoped to provide information to families Friday before school dismissal, but TDOE did not provide the data by the time elementary schools dismissed for the day.
Students who score in the “below” or “approaching” categories on the 3rd grade ELA portion of TCAP will be provided a re-take examination at their schools between Monday, May 22, and Wednesday, May 24, for a chance to improve their score before the end of the school year.
More information about the third grade retention law is available at www.mnps.org/third_grade [mnps.org]
Williamson County Schools
Williamson County Schools third grade families will receive an email by noon on Monday, May 22, with details about how to access information related to TCAP. The information will indicate how their student performed on the ELA portion of TCAP as well as if any retests or interventions will be appropriate or necessary prior to fourth grade. That’s all I am able to share at this time.
Dickson County Schools
We have been communicating with parents all year long. Elementary principals are notifying families today of third grade preliminary results. The re-take test is scheduled for tomorrow. We will be assisting students later in the week of the appeals process.
Rutherford County Schools
70% of current third-graders eligible for the fourth grade promotion.
School district providing free resources and working directly with parents to ensure all third-graders advance to fourth grade. Preliminary data shows 43.5 percent of Rutherford County third-graders were proficient on the English Language Arts portion of the Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program. This is a significant increase over the previous year’s proficiency rate of 39.3%.
A new Tennessee law requires third-graders to score proficiently on the ELA portion of the TCAP to be promoted to the fourth grade, or they must meet the requirements to be exempt or follow another pathway to be promoted to fourth grade. An additional 27% of RCS third-graders are exempt from the law’s proficiency requirements because those students fall into one of several categories, including those who are English Language Learners, those who have a disability that impacts reading, or those who have been held back previously.
