In 2021, the Tennessee General Assembly revised the state’s law regarding the promotion of students from 3rd grade. These changes require students to achieve an “on-track” or “mastered” score on the 3rd grade English Language Arts (ELA) TCAP assessment or they may be retained in the 3rd grade. Students will take the TCAP in April. This assessment is an important measure of your child’s performance with English Language Arts (ELA) content and their ability to demonstrate that they have learned the necessary 3rd grade ELA standards.

This information is subject to change pending state legislation.

Approaching or Below Scores on the ELA TCAP

If a student does not pass the third grade section of the ELA TCAP (a student who receives an “approaching” or “below” score), Wilson County Schools will provide the following supports to ensure they are ready for grade level ELA lessons in fourth grade.

• TCAP Retake: Option to retake the reading portion of the TCAP Retake testing will be held at your student’s home school sometime between May 22-June 5.  
  • Scores will be reported within 48 hours.
  • If they receive a score of “on-track” or “mastered”, they may be promoted to 4th grade
• Attend Summer Learning Camp (June 5-29)
  • Must have 90% attendance rate
  • Make adequate progress (as determined by pre- and post-assessment)
• Receive reading tutoring at school during their 4th grade year
  • Must show adequate growth on the 4th grade ELA portion of the TCAP, as determined by the department, before the student may be promoted to the fifth grade but a student may not be retained in the fourth grade more than once

If a student’s family does not wish to take advantage of these supports, the student will be retained to third grade to ensure that they receive an additional year of instruction and can participate fully during their fourth grade ELA classroom moving forward.

Students will not be retained if any of the following are true:

Screening Assessments and Support

Wilson County Schools understands that 3rd grade is a crucial year for future literacy success. We give students a universal screening assessment three times a year to determine how students are performing on a norm-referenced assessment that compares all 3rd grade students across the country. We will use the universal reading screener in December and May, along with other data sources, to make our best prediction of whether or not your student is likely to fall into the below or approaching categories on TCAP.

For more information about assessments and support throughout the year, visit the WCS Third Grade Promotion/Retention Timeline.

Family Appeal Process

A family of a student scoring “approaching expectations” (or Level 2) can choose to appeal the decision for retention. (This option is not available to students who score at a level of “below expectations.”) Students and families who have experienced a catastrophic personal situation also may be eligible to file appeals. Information required for submitting appeals support a review of how students have demonstrated growth in Basic Skills and Tennessee ELA standards.

Is My Student Eligible to Appeal a Retention Decision? 

If the 3rd grade student received an “approaching” score on the TCAP ELA test, their parent or guardian may complete the appeal form to request the student’s promotion to 4th grade. Note: If the appeal is approved, then the student may be promoted to the next grade but would not necessarily receive any additional learning supports that may benefit them.

The department may grant an appeal for promotion to the 4th grade if: 

• The student received a score above the 40th percentile on their spring universal reading screener; OR
  
  
• A catastrophic situation occurred during the days leading up to the TCAP test that impacted the 3rd grade student’s ability to perform on the test or the retake. Examples of a catastrophic situation include, but are not limited to, a death in the immediate family, loss of a family home, or significant medical diagnosis.

Pursuant to the law, all appeals must be filed by the student’s parent or guardian. Schools should help support families seeking to appeal a retention determination by providing relevant data required to complete and submit an appeal to the department.

Your child’s school will share the link to the online Appeal Form once it becomes available by the state. Please know that your child’s teacher and principal can assist you in gathering the needed information and data to submit the appeal.  Appeal forms must be submitted by June 30. Only forms that are complete and filed on time will be considered by the department.

If you need additional information, please reach out to your child's teacher or school principal.

The TCAP state assessment has four performance levels that describe how well a student has met the expectations of the content area based on Tennessee Academic Standards:

Wilson County 3rd Grade FAQ

WCS 3rd Grade Promotion/Retention Parent Presentation

3rd Grade Promotion FAQ - TDOE

3rd Grade Promotion Policies - TDOE

3rd Grade Promotion Timeline - TDOE

TCAP Parent Resources

TCAP Family Portal

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