3rd Grade Retention

If you've been following the news about the new Tennessee 3rd Grade Retention law, you may be scratching your head like so many parents across the state are right now. What the state has done is slightly insane. The short version is, no matter how well a student has done in their third grade year, if they don't pass one certain state test, they could be prevented from moving on to the fourth grade.

According to Governor Bill Lee and Lt. Governor Randy McNally, It's all good.
“I think we see how this works going forward,” Gov. Bill Lee (R-Tennessee) said. “I’m comfortable with where it is.”
 
“There could be some fine-tuning, but as far as the general direction of the law, I’m satisfied with it,” Lt. Gov. Randy McNally (R-Oak Ridge) said.

Unlike many school systems across the state, who have thousands of third graders caught in trap, both Loudon County and Lenoir City school students did well on the state test.

Loudon County is ranked 29th in the state for proficiency levels at Met or Exceeded expectations on 3rd grade ELA on TCAP. This puts Loudon County in the top 20% in the state. We are one of the highest districts in the East region. 

Loudon County is ranked 13th in the state for proficiency levels at Met or Exceeded expectations on 3rd grade ELA on TCAP for all county school systems. 

We are proud of all the students and teachers who worked hard each day throughout the year to be able to reach this level of achievement. 

At this time we expect to have very few if any 3rd grade students that will be retained. We will continue to strive for all students to reach the Met or Exceeded expectations in their coming years.  We have many support programs in place to help them achieve that mark, for example: summer school and tutoring etc. 
 

Matthew Tinker
Assistant Director
Loudon County Schools 

Lenoir City Schools is pleased that 93% of our third-grade students are on a state-approved pathway for promotion to fourth grade. 

We are working with families of some students who qualify to take a re-test to determine their pathway. 

Of the few students we continue to work with, it is interesting to note that most of those students missed 10 or more days of school this past school year.  We believe attendance matters.

Jeanne Barker
Director Of Lenoir City Schools

Both the Loudon County commission and the Loudon County Board of Education sent letters of opposition to state legislators to change this law.

Ms. Barker even testified before legislators to change the law.

Nearly every local legislative body and school board across the state sent opposition letters to legislators. Obviously, they were all ignored.

In this case, it wasn't the children who failed, it was Governor Lee and all the legislators who forced their dictate on local schools, who failed and failed miserably.

Here's an idea, when state legislators have there special session in August, how about the governor all of them take the test and see how many of them could pass it.

Here’s how East Tennessee’s school systems performed in proficiency:
 
  • Alcoa City Schools: 40.28%
  • Anderson County Schools: 44.32%
  • Blount County Schools: 37.04%
  • Campbell County Schools: 31.27%
  • Claiborne County Schools: 31.16%
  • Clinton City Schools: 55.03%
  • Cocke County Schools: 27.51%
  • Cumberland County Schools: 34.42%
  • Fentress County Schools: 30.98%
  • Grainger County Schools: 46.23%
  • Hamblen County Schools: 40.92%
  • Hancock County Schools: 32.35%
  • Jefferson County Schools: 38.57%
  • Knox County Schools: 42.9%
  • Lenoir City Schools: 31.79%
  • Loudon County Schools: 46.94%
  • Maryville City Schools: 74.68%
  • McMinn County Schools: 32.71%
  • Monroe County Schools: 26.67%
  • Newport City Schools: 54.69%
  • Oak Ridge Schools: 58.74%
  • Oneida Special School District: 32.76%
  • Roane County Schools: 40.96%
  • Scott County Schools: 40.55%
  • Sevier County Schools: 35.27%
  • Sweetwater City Schools: 42.42%
  • Union County Schools: 22.48%

 

 

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5/29/23