NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Friday morning, school districts may finally learn how to get their fourth graders to the next grade.
This all started with the new third grade retention law that was implemented last year. Students and teachers worked hard to improve their skills in order to move from the third grade to the fourth, but now that same retention law could keep them from continuing to move forward again.
School districts told NewsChannel 5 how frustrated they were about not having a set benchmark for students to work towards as a way to indicate they are ready to move on to the next grade.
The third grade retention law required students who did not do as well on the Reading and Language Arts portion of the TCAP test to take summer classes, be tutored throughout fourth grade, or appeal the decision.
However, now it is almost time to take the standardized tests again, and students who were tutored throughout the fourth grade need to show enough growth from their third grade test scores to their fourth grade scores.
More than 12 thousand fourth graders across the state could be at risk.
Friday, the Tennessee Department of Education will decide what will be the marker of this growth for students. The meeting starts at 9 a.m. and districts said they will let parents know more information as soon as possible.
TCAP testing starts April 15.
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