Tennessee is releasing third grade TCAP scores. Here’s what to know for students at risk of being held back.

Tennessee’s Department of Education is set to release scores Friday that determine whether third graders can automatically move on to fourth grade.

A state law taking effect this year requires students who do poorly on the English language arts portion of the Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program, or TCAP, to participate in tutoring and/or summer camp. Otherwise, they risk being held back.

A majority of the state’s third graders are expected to score less than proficient. There are several exemptions to the law, like students with disabilities that affect their reading and certain English language learners. Students also have the option to re-test. And families of students who score “approaching” on TCAP will have the option to appeal.

In Metro Nashville Public Schools, nearly 60% of third graders have already registered for summer camp. MNPS has encouraged families to sign up preemptively to give students a better shot at getting to fourth grade. And the district will continue allowing third graders to enroll through the end of the school year, May 25. MNPS plans to offer TCAP re-testing May 22 through May 24.

More information about summer learning camps

Many students will need to do summer camp in the coming weeks to go to fourth grade.

James Guthrie is a researcher with the Tennessee Education Research Alliance. He has been studying Tennessee’s post-pandemic summer learning camps.

“We found that those were a positive experience for the teachers who worked in the camps, for the students who attended the camps,” Guthrie said.

Researchers even found a positive effect on math scores for camp attendees compared to those who didn’t participate. But Guthrie said the research did not find that same positive impact when it came to English test scores.

Looking ahead to this summer, Guthrie said that could change.

“We might see more of a focus on literacy during the summer camps that leads to better impacts there.“

But that may also alter the overall vibe of summer camp. In previous years, families could choose whether their kids participated, without such high stakes.

“It will also be interesting to see as we evaluate the camps this summer, whether that positive atmosphere is something that we can replicate in a very different context, where… many of the students attending now face the threat of repeating a grade.“

The law specifies that students must maintain 90% attendance at camp. And even after attending, some students will need to show “adequate growth” on a post-test to move on to fourth grade. Other students will need to show growth on next year’s TCAP to be promoted to fifth grade.

Still, much remains unclear about how the law will work. The Tennessee Board of Education is finalizing what “adequate growth” means during a meeting Friday. They’re expected to approve a policy setting that standard at 5% improvement. It will take at least a couple of months before we know exactly how many third graders will get held back. A Department of Education timeline states families should get the final word on whether their kids are held back no later than 10 days before the start of the next school year.