Wait for third grade reading scores continues for Tennessee parents. Here's what to expect
Thousands of parents of third graders across Tennessee are still awaiting test results that will set off off a fast-moving timeline to determine if their children will be held back or not.
The raw scores for the English language arts portion of the Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program, also known as TNReady, for third graders, were released late Friday afternoon, well after school let out for many. Students who scored as below or approaching proficiency will need to retest to up their scores, or opt into summer school, tutoring or both, depending on the results. Retests begin as soon as Monday in some districts.
According to a spokesperson, the state education department did not publicly release the raw scores since they contain protected, student-level data. Rather, it sent them directly the districts to then process and relay to families.
The lack of publicly available data and frantic timeline for districts to communicate with parents make it difficult to pin down the number of families affected.
The afternoon delivery of the scores compounded an already-anxious wait for parents and students. Jessica Jarrett, whose 9-year-old son may face retention, said she spent the day anxiously refreshing her email.
"It’s that rollercoaster of emotions going through the waiting process," she said as the clock ticked past 4 p.m. "At this point, it’s laughable."
Around 4:15 p.m. Jarrett got an email from Metro Nashville Public Schools saying scores would not be available Friday but that parents should expect to see them Monday.
MNPS spokesperson Sean Braisted said the district received the scores around 3:30 p.m. The state education department confirmed that data was out to all schools by around 4 p.m. and that emails had been sent to all directors of schools.
"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," Braisted said in an email.
Inside the 'waiting game' : Thousands of Nashville third-graders wait to find out who may be held back
School districts around the state indicated they intended to move as quickly as possible once they received the data to notify families.
Knox County Schools reported that roughly 40% of third graders fell below the state threshold and notified parents Friday night, giving them until Sunday evening to decide on retakes.
Numbers from others districts were not available as of Saturday afternoon.
"School and district staff will work quickly and diligently through the weekend to analyze the data, communicate with families, and make preparations to allow students who scored below or approaching expectations the opportunity to retest before the last half day of school on Wednesday," Clarksville-Montgomery County School System spokesperson Anthony Johnson said in an email Friday. "We are facing a very tight turnaround, but CMCSS employees are prepared to support students and families."
The impact of the law could be enormous. Last year, around 65% of third graders statewide did not meet the threshold during TCAP testing.
The total number of students at risk for retention will decrease as exemptions are factored in for those who are still learning English, were previously held back or have a disability that impacts their reading. Parents and legal guardians can also file an appeal with the state within 14 days of a retention notification.
The entire process hinges on a reading and retention law, passed in 2021, that took effect for this year's class of third graders.
Tennessee third-grade reading law: What parents need to know about tests, rules, appeals
How Metro Nashville Public Schools is handling third grade TCAP scores, next steps
MNPS has provided a template for each school to directly communicate with families, Braisted said. That may include phone calls, backpack letters and other forms of communication.
"Schools have already been notifying families if they were exempt from the retention law for reasons such as EL status, reading disability or having previously been retained," Braisted said Friday.
As of Friday, a total of 16,418 students had enrolled in Promising Scholars, the free summer program offered by MNPS. Roughly 23% of those are third graders, who make up 3,707 of the enrollments.
While MNPS is doing everything it can to assure all third graders move on to fourth grade, Braisted said each school can move third and fourth grade teachers around as needed to offset varying class sizes next school year.
How other Tennessee school districts are guiding third graders, families
The Tennessean team reached out to several districts statewide as raw scores were released. Here is what they said.
We will update this section as more information becomes available.
Cheatham County School District
Cheatham County School District spokesperson Tim Adkins said the district had plans in place to directly call parents to relay information. He said the district had to move its test retake date from May 22 to May 23 as the wait for raw scores extended into Friday afternoon.
Notifications to families will go out Monday, according to Adkins.
The district has 385 students enrolled in summer school, including 68 third graders. Adkins said that may change based on retake results. Summer school runs from June 5-June 27, with two make-up days for third-grade students on June 28 and June 29.
The district does not anticipate staffing issues next year because it believes many third-grade families will opt for free summer school or tutoring, as needed.
Clarksville-Montgomery County School System
Johnson, the Clarksville-Montgomery County School System spokesperson, said the district will notify parents through a mass notification system using emails, texts and phone calls, but did not say when those notifications would begin.
The district is also ready to receive hundreds of third graders for summer school. As of Friday, 811 third graders are enrolled. Summer school is set for June 12-July 20 across seven sites.
Dickson County School District
Dickson County School District spokesperson Danny Weeks said plans are set to send letters to parents on Monday. Retesting is on May 23.
Summer school kicks off on June 5 with around 600 elementary and middle schoolers enrolled, including roughly 135 third graders. Weeks said the district is confident the majority of third graders will be promoted if they follow the state's prescribes steps.
"We are working closely with families and have had many forms of communication throughout the school year with to help prevent retention," Weeks told The Tennessean in an email.
Knox County Schools
Along with reporting initial estimates on how many children fell short of the threshold and notifying parents, Knox County Schools said information on retakes will be available by May 26.
Knox County Schools: Nearly 4 in 10 KCS third graders did not pass TCAP reading test
Maury County Public Schools
A spokesperson for Maury County Public Schools said the district did not anticipate releasing any information to families Friday but hopes to do so next week. The delay may be due in part to furloughs being in effect, along with a high demand for test scores.
Memphis-Shelby County Schools
"We're working to support the families of our third grade students over the next few days as they prepare for retests, appeals, our MSCS Summer Learning Academy and end of year celebrations," a Memphis-Shelby County Schools spokesperson said Friday.
Retest dates are set for May 24-26, with results available within 48 hours.
More information can be found at scsk12.org/commitment.
Robertson County Schools
Robertson County Schools spokesperson Jim Bellis said the district had plans to send letters out to each parent as the scores came in Friday.
Rutherford County Schools
Rutherford County Schools spokesperson James Evans said the district planned to send phone and email messages to all third grade parents telling them to expect a letter next week about what is needed, if anything.
Retakes are set for next week, while summer school will run throughout June. The district will not cap how many third grade spots are available in summer school to accommodate as many as needed.
Rutherford County Schools: Parents of 3rd graders impacted by test score law will be notified about summer camps
Williamson County Schools
Williamson County Schools spokesperson Cory Mason also said the district was poised to act quickly and reach out to all third grade families as scores rolled in Friday.
The district summer school program runs from June 6-29. As far as adjusting staffing for next school year, Mason said some elementary school teachers may need to shift grade levels.
Wilson County Schools
Wilson County Schools spokesperson Bart Barker said the district will work to turn around information as quickly as possible so families know what to expect, and that the process began Friday evening after scores arrived.
The district's summer learning camp runs from June 5-29.
“Summer is a very busy time for teacher recruitment, so we are hopeful to receive applications for any openings that are available for the start of next school year,” Barker said, regarding possible staffing impacts for next year's third and fourth grade class sizes.
What happens once the raw TCAP scores are released?
The Tennessee Department of Education has mapped out several steps for students who fall below the threshold to avoid being held back.
First, there are several exceptions that allow students to move on to fourth grade without any further actions, including:
English language learners who have received less than two years of English language arts instruction
Those who were held back in a previous grade
Students with disabilities or suspected disabilities that impact their literacy development
After exemptions are factored in, the remaining children who scored below the threshold will be subject to the following guidelines.
Children who score as approaching proficiency must complete one of the following to move on to fourth grade:
Retest and score on grade level, with a retest window of May 22-June 5, which may vary by district
Enroll in summer school, meet 90% attendance and show adequate growth
Have a free state-provided tutor for the entirety of fourth grade
Those who score as below proficiency have the following options to move on:
Retest and score on grade level, with a retest window of May 22-June 5, which may vary by district
Enroll in summer school with 90% attendance rate and have a free state-provided tutor for the entirety of fourth grade
Notably, the raw scores expected Friday do not delineate between children who scored as approaching or below proficiency. The state education department said that information will be sent out May 26.
Parents or legal guardians of students who score as approaching proficiency can also appeal retention decisions over the summer, according to the state education department. Students who scored in the 40th percentile or higher on a spring reading screening assessment or faced hardships during the days leading up to the TCAP can also appeal.
The appeal window is open from May 30-June 13.
Other key dates
June 7: All third-grade retake scores will be available on June 7. Some districts, like MNPS, said they will provide scores within two days of a retake.
June 13: Summer school post-tests open on June 13.
June 24: A final retention decision for families with students who did not participate in any interventions, like summer school, will go out by June 24. This applies for schools starting July 24. For schools that start later, families will be notified at least 30 days before the first day of school.
July 24: For families with students who did participate in interventions, the final retention decision will be made on July 14. This is for schools starting on July 24. For schools that start later, a retention decision will be made at least 10 days before the first day of school.
More information on the third grade retention law from the Tennessee Department of Education can be found at tn.gov/education/top-links/learning-acceleration.
See the timeline for yourself below.
Third Grade Promotion Timeline by USA TODAY Network on Scribd
Legislators amend retention law, but not in time for this year
Gov. Bill Lee signed amendments to the third grade retention law in May. The changes add another assessment and widen the number of third graders who can either appeal or be exempt from retention, among other measures.
However, the amendments will not take effect until the 2023-24 school year.
The changes to the law include:
Another required benchmark test that will factor into retention decisions
Permission for students who score as approaching proficiency on the TCAP and in the 50th percentile of the additional benchmark test to move on to fourth grade, as long as summer school and tutoring are in place
Required tutors for children retained in grades K-3
A streamlined retention appeals process that also allows schools to assist parents and guardians
Required tracking of summer school, tutoring and retention data to allow the state to measure the policy’s success
Permission for the Tennessee Department of Education to contract with up to three qualified tutoring agencies to ensure enough tutors are available
However, Braisted said the benchmark test noted in the amendment is different from another state-approved test MNPS and many other school districts use. For the purposes of this year's class of third graders, Braisted said he believes the other benchmark is acceptable to use in the appeal process.
"The amendments to the law may allow us to better assist families in the appeal process, but otherwise, there were not significant substantive changes," Braisted, the MNPS spokesperson, said.
Adkins, the Cheatham County Schools spokesperson, sees the amendments as helpful.
"A decision of this magnitude should not be defined by one test score from an 8-year-old student," Adkins said. "We believe the amendments to the law are appropriate and needed."
Rutherford County Board of Education chairman Tammy Sharp supports the goal of the law.
"To me, this shouldn't be looked at as a punishment," Sharp said. "This should be looked at as tutoring to help your student catch up or excel. Reading is foundational and fundamental to a good education."
Areena Arora, Micaela Watts, Andy Humbles, Scott Broden, Kenya Anderson, Sarah Best and Jay Powell contributed to this story.
Reach children's reporter Rachel Wegner at RAwegner@tennessean.com or find her on Twitter @RachelAnnWegner.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Tennessee third grade TCAP scores released May 19; districts set plans
