NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Around the state, anxious parents of third graders who just missed the cutoff for the TCAP reading exam can now file an appeal.
The parent appeal form went live on the Tennessee Department of Education's website on Tuesday. Appeals are accepted through June 30.
The online appeals process begins with an overview of the appeal, then a few messages, including who is eligible. Only students who received an "approaching" score on the TCAP can appeal. If every student that is eligible applied, that would account for about one out of every three third graders in Tennessee.
On the form itself, parents fill out their contact info, the school and district the student attends, the student's state ID which can be found on a report card and finally the reason for the appeal.
There are only two acceptable reasons for an appeal: A student either scored at or above the 40th percentile on their spring universal reading screener or a catastrophic situation affected their performance on the TCAP ELA test. According to the state, a catastrophic situation could be a death in the immediate family, loss of a family home, or a significant medical diagnosis. Other situations will also be considered.
Since there isn't a place to argue that a student received good grades during the school year, signing up for summer school while they still can is probably a good idea.
Most summer learning programs close registration the day they start. Many begin on Monday.
Metro Nashville's summer school program starts Thursday. The district is expecting more than 3,800 third graders, which is more than a third of last year's K-8 total.
The state says not making a plan for your student will more than likely result in them being held back.
Meanwhile, if an appeal is approved, the student might be promoted to fourth grade, but not prioritized next year for learning supports, like free tutoring.
