Sixty percent of Tennessee’s third graders are not proficient in English Language Arts.
The Tennessee Department of Education released average test scores on Monday from the Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program, or TCAP. In Nashville, however, students scored significantly higher: Only 40% of students did not pass.
The news arrives as many third grade parents are outraged over a new state law that requires third graders who do not meet the state’s standards in language arts to attend a summer program and/or seek out additional tutoring.
First, students will have the opportunity to re-test. But those re-tests are beginning this week — just days (or in some cases, the same day) after families learned of results.
The DOE released scores to Tennessee districts last Friday. While some districts immediately forwarded these results to parents, others did not. Metro Nashville Public Schools said that they didn’t receive the data until after elementary schools had been dismissed, leaving parents waiting over the weekend to hear about their student’s fate.
From there, schools within districts took different routes to deliver this news to families.
Lucy Kells, the parent of an MNPS third grader, said she was upset about the process.
“I’m still very angry about the way it was rolled out,” she said. “It’s painful to hear that some schools were being communicated with and some weren’t.”
But, Kells said, the inconsistencies have been present since the law was introduced.
“It wasn’t just today. It’s been throughout the school year. Some principals were having town halls. And some principals were sending emails, and some weren’t,” Kells said. “Some schools had tutoring. Some schools didn’t.”
The lack of standardization is part of what motivated legislators to pass the law in the first place. But some parents feel like the “standard” has not been executed well.
Katherine Bike, a Knox County school board member, said she feels like legislators have not been hearing the outcries of parents.
“People are devastated. Families are devastated. This is terrible. I’ve heard some parents say that when a legislator does actually get back to them, they say, ‘Well, we need standards,’” Bike said. “It feels like they don’t actually know what they’re doing, what standards are or what reading comprehension is.”
Bike is also the parent of a third grader. Despite his “A” grade in his ELA class, he did not score “proficient” on the ELA portion of the state assessment.
The third grade cohort has experienced a rollercoaster ride of elementary school so far. The COVID-19 pandemic hit during the latter half of their kindergarten year, and many experienced virtual schooling for much of 1st grade.
“This was their first ‘normal’ year of school, and I think they are all doing pretty well. The last thing I thought would’ve happened was to say, ‘Let’s fail them all!’ You know?” Bike said.
For students like Bike’s son, retesting is happening this week, just as the end of the school year is approaching. MNPS is offering retests May 22-24 (their last day is May 25). Promising Scholars, Metro’s summer school program, begins June 1.
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