NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Tennessee's third-grade retention law is forcing thousands of 9-year-olds into summer school.
It's one of the few options they have if they failed the TCAP reading test and want to be promoted to fourth grade.
But registration for summer school closed weeks ago, so what does that mean for the students that just got their scores back?
If there's a silver lining, school districts anticipated the bad results. Administrators knew this class has had a hard learning journey, so they planned ahead when the third-grade retention law was enacted. This group of third graders started kindergarten months before the COVID-19 pandemic shut schools down.
Because of Tennessee's new third-grade retention law students that fail the reading test are held back if they don't go to summer school, work with a tutor in fourth grade or score better on a re-test.
Metro Nashville Public Schools said while registration for Promising Scholars closed May 2, it reopened summer learning registration for third graders. Registration is open until the day the program starts which is June 1.
In Wilson County, general registration has also closed, but individual schools are contacting the 3rd graders that didn't pass the TCAP and would benefit from summer school.
Clarksville-Montgomery County Schools started working with third-grade families weeks ago. It started communicating invitations in April based on results from other tests. More than 800 third-grade students are already enrolled.
When it comes to tutors for the 2023-2024 school year, most districts are still fine-tuning a plan.
In Rutherford County, a spokesperson said tutoring will happen during the time in the school day that's already devoted to pandemic learning loss.
The Franklin Special School District said it has partnered with the United Way of Greater Nashville for its Raise Your Hand after-school elementary tutoring for several years and will continue this partnership next year.
A big tutor shortage is likely, so most tutoring will be done in groups and possibly a combination of before, during, and after school.
The most popular option for third-grade students that didn't pass the reading exam is to take the test again. If students get a passing score they do not have to go to summer school or get a tutor. However, there isn't a lot of time for a retest. For example, the last day for a retest in Metro Nashville is Wednesday, May 24.
There are some students who are exempt from the third-grade retention rules. English language learners and those who have already been held back a grade are exempt.
