SPRING HILL, Tenn. (WTVF) — Myleigh Eason is nervous.
At 10, she's approaching a crossroads she never imagined: either being successful on this year's TCAP testing or leaving her public school to go to a private school for 2024-2025 school year.
This isn't a place Myleigh wanted to be. She loves school, multiplication tables and meeting new friends.
I talk to Myleigh and her mom, Haley, in the player above. Hear her talk in her own words.
She doesn't love that she is one of 12,000 fourth graders who could be forced to repeat the fourth-grade thanks to the state's controversial Third Grade Retention Law. Thousands of kids across Middle Tennessee took part in summer school and tutoring in fourth grade in hopes of showing enough improvement to move to fifth grade.
"I just feel like it's not fair because I am a straight-A student," Myleigh said. "They are on the verge of trying to fail me."
If her school retained her, she would repeat the fourth grade alongside her younger sister, who is two years younger than her. Her parents promised her that wouldn't help, instead already having found a private school to accept her into fifth grade.
In mid-February, the Tennessee Board of Education approved a formula to calculate how much improvement Myleigh needs to show to go on to the fifth grade. That number is dubbed as adequate growth. Only weeks later, those same members voted unanimously to send a letter to the Tennessee General Assembly to ask lawmakers to reconsider retention and doing it for younger grades versus third and fourth grade.
"When I first told her what was going on, there was tears," her mother Haley Eason said. "She was upset. It's going to be an embarrassment were exact words."
How families are dealing before TCAP
Myleigh's mother wasn't going to be undeterred.
When she got the notice Myleigh was on the brink of repeating fourth grade, she searched for answers from lawmakers who crafted the Third Grade Retention Law. She's told dozens of lawmakers there needs to be a pathway into fifth grade, just like there is for fourth grade.
Last year, Haley decided to let Myleigh go for tutoring during the fourth grade. At the time, she didn't realize not meeting the adequate growth formula would result in retention.
Haley knows Myleigh's reading and English scores are on par now based on her Aimsweb, a progress monitoring system in schools based on continuous student assessment of reading, math, spelling and writing. Her mother wishes her progress throughout the year mattered more than the TCAP testing, which is just one day out of her school year. And if Myleigh doesn't score what she needs on TCAP, Haley feels it would stunt her academics.
TCAP is just two weeks away, starting April 15.
"Have they even thought about straight-A or A-B students who would be taught the same curriculum? Haley said. "What is she going to benefit from? That's one of my main things. If nothing changes and they retain her — and we didn't have the option to pull from public school — they are going to teach her the same thing? I mean, that is insane."
So far, fourth grade retention remains unchanged during this legislative session.
Lawmakers put forth language to do away with it entirely in the House version of crafting a bill to implement vouchers across Tennessee, which would use public tax dollars for private school education.
The Senate and House can't agree on the bill, and there's a possibility that language could get lost by the end of legislative session.
Where are the fourth graders at risk?
Throughout the year, the number 12,000 floated around of fourth graders at risk.
So I wanted to know: what districts had the most fourth graders who could be retained?
I filed a request with the Tennessee Department of Education and they provided the numbers for each school district in the state.
NewsChannel 5 covers 51 districts in our viewing area in Tennessee. In the map below, you will see what counties have the most kids on the bubble.
How did you start reporting on this?
I have been following the Third Grade Retention Law since it was enacted.
In 2023, so many parents contacted our newsroom wanting to share their frustrations about what was happening with their kids.
This year, families were equally — if not more — frustrated with the fourth grade piece of the law, which has no pathways to fifth grade sans hitting an adequate growth number.
Many parents have contacted me since I have been writing on this topic and following what is happening policy-wise.
If you're a parent with questions or want to share your story, my email is emily.west@newschannel5.com.
Is my child at risk of repeating fourth grade?
The adequate growth formula is now approved, so school districts will address with families and kids what attainment they need to reach.
If your child appealed and was successful, your student doesn't need to worry about fourth grade retention. The same goes for kids who went to summer school prior to fourth grade.
However — if your student only went through fourth grade tutoring and didn't appeal — your student could be one of nearly 12,000 facing a repeat of the fourth grade if your kid doesn't score high enough on the April TCAP test. Those in that circumstance would have scored below or approaching for reading and English on the third grade TCAP test.
The TCAP is administered this year between April 15 to April 30.
NewsChannel 5 reached out to 10 districts in Middle Tennessee.
Their advice?
Keep communicating with the local district. State officials said all information will come on a localized level, and that it will not come directly from the Tennessee Department of Education.