One day, one test: Suburban superintendents wary of retention law
Collierville Schools Superintendent Gary Lilly greets students at Tara Oaks Elementary on the first day of school year in August 2019. State legislators passed a bill in January 2021 to combat pandemic-related learning loss. “The goal is admirable,” Lilly said. “The implementation needs to be tweaked and districts need to be given more latitude.” (Patrick Lantrip/The Daily Memphian file)
One day, one test
Thousands of third-grade students in traditional public and charter schools in the Memphis area could be held back in the summer of 2023 as a result of a new Tennessee law focused on standardized reading tests. But similar laws in states across the country have shown mixed results. And in Tennessee, the law gives more power to a testing system whose methodology is widely questioned, whose approach largely ignores children with learning disabilities and emotional and socioeconomic challenges, and whose approach to scoring leaves experts frustrated and confused.
Read the full series:
New reading retention law goes into effect this month
Suburban superintendents wary of retention law
Why some children struggle to read
Learning from the Mississippi Miracle
How the new retention law overlooks children with learning disabilities
Students entering third grade this month have one measurement to decide if they can advance to third grade: the English Language Arts score of their TCAP test.
One day. One test. One score.
“When they said kids are reading poorly because they did poorly on a TCAP test, that’s one test,” Bartlett City Schools Superintendent David Stephens said.
State legislators passed a bill in January 2021 to combat pandemic-related learning loss. Any student scoring below grade-level in the English language arts may retest, but if they haven’t improved enough, they must attend mandatory summer camp and take another test at the end.
If students are not on track, they will be held back. Students just slightly below grade level have the option of the summer camp or high-dosage tutoring in fourth grade. There are some exceptions for students previously retained — those who have an individualized education plan due to a disability and English language learners. Parents may also file an appeal.
Lawmakers passed the bill in an effort to tackle illiteracy among Tennessee’s youngest students. Students learn reading skills through third grade, then they are expected to read to learn. According to the most recent TCAP data, nearly 35% of third-graders had met or exceeded expectations in the ELA portion of the test. So, about 65% of rising fourth graders are not on track in ELA.
“The goal is admirable,” Collierville Schools Superintendent Gary Lilly said. “The implementation needs to be tweaked and districts need to be given more latitude.”
Many educators note TCAP tests ELA standards, which are different from whether students can adequately read.
“Are we talking about literacy or are we talking about a standards-based assessment?” Germantown Municipal School District Superintendent Jason Manuel said.
GMSD had 74% of its third-graders score proficiently in English Language Arts, according to data from the spring TCAP tests. The number is the highest in the state, but it doesn’t reflect literacy levels. The STAR, a nationally-recognized early literacy assessment, shows 87% of GMSD’s first- through third-grade students are reading on grade level.
| Third graders proficient in ELA 2021-22 | Third graders proficient in ELA 2020-21 | |
| Arlington | 66.4% | 67.6% |
| Bartlett | 44.6% | 39.2% |
| Collierville | 69.1% | 60.1% |
| Germantown | 74.1% | 72.5% |
| Lakeland | 58.3% | 59.1% |
| Millington | 32.3% | 17.1% |
“We are retaining (holding back) students based on a standards-based assessment which was not the discussion when this moved through the legislature,” Manuel said.
Many educators view retention as a last resort. Studies show retention is a top reason students drop out of high school.
“It’s not only determining how a student will be viewed and what their school experience will be like the next 1½ years, but it makes a high-stakes test even higher,” said Lakeland School System Superintendent Ted Horrell.
Lilly does not believe a “blanket retention policy” is the best course of action, and noted students individually have different needs to help them excel in the classroom.
Stephens expressed concern about those just slightly below grade level.
“The cut scores when they look where a kid is approaching (grade level) it’s a pretty wide range,” he explained. “They are taking kids that are maybe one or two points from being there and they have to go through an appeal process.”
“We are a data-driven state,” Millington Municipal Schools Superintendent Bo Griffin said. “We take a lot of pride in that. The data does not prove retention benefits the student. … It actually hinders their success.”
All districts use benchmark testing throughout the year to determine what students have mastered, interventions that might be needed or information that should be reviewed. During the 2022 legislative session, which concluded in May, state Rep. Tom Leatherwood, R-Arlington, proposed a bill allowing inclusion of benchmark testing as a factor in determining a third grader’s risk of retention. The bill never made it out of the House committee.
Lilly is hopeful legislators might suggest similar legislation in early 2023, but superintendents note the test already has high stakes as it holds districts accountable. The stakes only increase with the law impacting third graders.
“TCAP is a one-shot, one-time test, and that’s a lot riding on that. (Since Leatherwood’s bill didn’t pass) we are stuck looking at TCAP to determine what students are in danger of retention,” Lilly said.
Collierville tested its second graders and about 55% had a grasp of ELA standards. Lilly plans to work with parents so they can adequately reinforce the standards taught in schools and help their students appropriately.
However, notifying families in a time-efficient manner could be challenging. Districts don’t receive data on individual students until mid-July. School leaders hope the individual student data is given to districts earlier next year so they can adequately communicate.
Lakeland superintendent Ted Horrell said he wished there were more data points “considering whether students are reading on grade level.” (Lucy Garrett/The Daily Memphian file)
“We wish there were more data points considering whether students are reading on grade-level,” Horrell said. “We’ve had some time to get our heads wrapped around it, and we are certainly preparing to get students (on track).”
There are some concerns students may have external factors that cause them to perform poorly on the test. However, the score determines what interventions are needed. If the students score too low, summer reading sessions are the only option.
“You have kids that perform day-to-day at an acceptable grade level rate but then for whatever reason they perform poorly on the test. This is really going to define more than ever where they’re going next,” Arlington Superintendent Jeff Mayo said.
The lack of data points is causing districts to focus on those students who are at risk of retention, and implement a myriad of resources to help students in ELA. Lakeland has added an assistant principal at its elementary school so the instructional supervisor can hone in on student improvement, including third grade literacy metrics. Many districts have implemented more tutoring with a fewer number of students, so the methods can be individualized.
“It will be very important for us to clearly identify students making sure we are very prescriptive with high-dosage tutoring to support them throughout the year,” Mayo said. “There’s got to be a real heavy focus to identify them.”
“We want students to read as they are moving on, but the concern has always been that we have supports and remedies by law in place,” Manuel said, a sentiment many superintendents expressed.
“It is what it is,” Stephens said. “This is where we’re at so now we have to make sure kids are performing at the best of their ability. We are where we are.”
Griffin noted the state’s new funding model, The Tennessee Investment in Student Achievement (TISA), which takes effect in the 2023-24 school year, is based on the individual student. He noted if the state is concerned about each student, that mindset should apply to other aspects of education, not just funding.
“Holding the child back doesn’t show it will benefit them in the long-run to be successful,” Griffin said. “All students learn at a different level, we know that. Just because you cannot read at a certain level does not mean you can’t be successful in life.”
Read the full series:
New reading retention law goes into effect this month
Suburban superintendents wary of retention law
Why some children struggle to read
Learning from the Mississippi Miracle
How the new retention law overlooks children with learning disabilities
Keeping score isn’t as easy as 1, 2, 3
Topics
TCAP third grade retention Jason Manuel Jeff Mayo Gary Lilly Bo Griffin Ted Horrell Arlington Community Schools Collierville Schools Germantown Municipal School District Lakeland School System Millington Municipal SchoolsAbigail Warren
Abigail Warren is an award-winning reporter and covers Collierville and Germantown for The Daily Memphian. She was raised in the Memphis suburbs, attended Westminster Academy and studied journalism at the University of Memphis. She has been with The Daily Memphian since 2018.
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