The Tennessee Department of Education released district-level TCAP average scores for third grade ELA from the spring 2023 TCAP administration. Access the 2023 TCAP ELA average scores for each district here.
On Monday, May 22nd, the department released statewide averages for third grade TCAP ELA scores ahead of previous years’ timelines, highlighting historic gains in third grade reading after the launch of a new, comprehensive K-3 literacy strategy for Tennessee public schools. The department also shared multiple pathways to support student promotion to fourth grade.
“Providing districts, schools, and families with data about how their students are performing is essential,” said Commissioner Penny Schwinn. “I appreciate the dedication and ongoing efforts of Tennessee districts and schools as they work with families to help them choose the best pathway for their children and their future success.”
On Friday, May 19th, individual student ELA scores for third graders were shared with Tennessee school districts, which are responsible for communicating with families about their student’s score and pathways to fourth grade promotion, including the TCAP retake opportunity, parent appeal free summer camp and/or tutoring in the upcoming school year.
Third grade students who scored “below” or “approaching” are eligible and will be prioritized for these supports, although some students may meet certain exceptions outlined in the law.
Thanks to legislation passed by Governor Bill Lee and the Tennessee General Assembly, the grades eligible for all summer learning camps has been expanded to rising kindergarten through 9th grade students, which are meant to support students who will benefit from additional learning supports and meet the participation requirements for promotion to fourth grade. In the coming weeks, districts and schools will work with families to determine the best pathway for their student.
Families of students scoring “approaching” on the TCAP or TCAP retest also have the option to request an appeal of a local retention decision on behalf of their third grade student. The form to submit an appeal for the department’s consideration will be on this webpage and opens May 30, 2023 and closes June 30, 2023.
Families can find critical timeline information posted on the department’s website and should coordinate with their student’s school to ensure they can make informed decisions about their student’s education. The annual, full TCAP release, including all grades and subjects for state-level and district-level results, will be released in separate announcements later this summer.
“We are disappointed with our results from the Third (3rd) Grade English-Language Arts TCAP Exams, but know that this is a process for our students and not an end result,” said William Freddy Curtis, Director, Cannon County Schools. “This is not an indicator of the total academic progress that our children have made, and is nothing more than a ‘snapshot’ of students on a particular day, and our sample size (117 students) is much smaller than other school districts. Our Summer Program will begin the first week of June and will address these issues in major ways. I appreciate the work of ALL of our Teachers and the motivation and skill set of our students. We will continue the work with high quality instructional materials and assessments to monitor the progress of our learners, while working with our parents/guardians to see increased success with all of our students.”
District Name: Cannon County Schools
Percentage Below = 33.33%
Percentage Approaching = 38.74%
Percentage Meets = 26.13%
% Exceeds = 1.8 %
Total Proficiency % = 27.93%
For additional information about Tennessee’s third grade acceleration strategy, visit https://www.tn.gov/education/learning-acceleration. For more information on Reading360, visit https://www.tn.gov/education/reading-360.html.