Current third graders missed three months of kindergarten and large portions of first grade due to the pandemic. Now, 3rd grade student scores from the English Language Arts (ELA) portion of the Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program (TCAP) will be the standard by which those children are retained or promoted. 

While the ELA TCAP does evaluate reading skills, it also evaluates student skill levels in writing, vocabulary, and grammar. Additionally, this is the first TCAP test that our children will take since there is no state testing in K-2. According to a former 3rd grade teacher, children often struggle to bubble in the answer sheets properly which ultimately results in lower scores. 

Yet, according to the law, if an 8-9 year old child does not score well on this one test that is taken on one day during the 180 days of instruction, the state will assume they cannot read on grade level. They will be required to repeat 3rd grade or attend summer school for 30 days with a 90% attendance rate and pass a test at the conclusion of summer school. Additionally, students who scored in the lowest range will be required to attend tutoring through TN ALL Corps during their 4th grade year and pass the ELA TCAP in order to move to 5th grade. 

In the eyes of a 9-year-old, that’s a pretty harsh punishment for not doing well on a test.

Our children’s academic success is more than one single data point, and it should be evaluated holistically - by the parents and teachers who spend every single day with them.