State lawmakers’ plan to hold back third graders struggling with reading is concerning to Shelby County’s six suburban school superintendents.

The law crafted by Gov. Bill Lee’s administration was approved during January’s special session focused on education, but would not take effect until 2023. The goal is to help young students develop critical reading skills by the time they exit third grade. The state has wrestled with reading issues after third grade.

TNReady requirements concern suburban superintendents

“I have never seen anything that will hurt students as bad as what they are proposing,” Germantown Municipal School District Superintendent Jason Manuel told the suburb’s Board of Education in a recent meeting.

Students’ TNReady scores are given one of four designations: below, approaching, on track or mastered. The threshold for each category changes slightly each year. Beginning in 2023, students will repeat third grade if they do not achieve the “on track” or “mastered” designation on the English language arts portion of the TNReady testing. 

Based on 2018-19 testing data, nearly 63% of students across Tennessee did not meet the on-track or mastered thresholds. The test was not administered in the 2019-20 school year due to COVID-19 closures.

Literacy is a skill and standards-based assessments – like TNReady and TCAP testing – don’t measure skills, educators point out. 

“The legislation is attempting to address third graders who can’t read at grade level, but the TCAP test doesn’t test to see if students can read at grade level,” Lakeland Superintendent Ted Horrell said.

He hopes to work with legislators before the retention piece goes into effect in a couple years. He’d like to see more control at the district level and flexibility to submit a plan that suits the needs of Lakeland students.

“It doesn’t allow local discretion,” Millington Superintendent Bo Griffin said of legislators efforts. “The more discretion we can have, the better.”

Districts perform tests throughout the year to see how students are progressing. That approach sometimes provides better data than “a day of high-stakes testing,” Griffin said.

“The spirit of the third grade retention bill misses the mark” of its intent, Arlington Superintendent Jeff Mayo said.

Superintendents are critical of wresting control from local leaders based on a single metric when the law takes effect in 2023. If students have a rough testing day, they could be held back under the plan.

Manuel said while it had good intentions, legislators have “lost sight” of efforts already in place.

“We are working with students every day and (retention and intervention) is mandated by law,” Manuel said, citing reinforcements the district provides. Students struggling in reading receive “direct hands-on support.” 

Manuel said legislators are harming students by their support for the legislation.

“If we are one of the highest achieving districts in the state – and we are – I can only imagine the impact it is going to do across the state,” he added.

TNReady 2019: Five suburban districts have Reward schools

He also stressed concern that it looks at one metric and doesn’t provide a true picture of a student’s success, an issue with which Mayo also is concerned.

“Retaining a student is a decision not taken lightly by schools and districts, and it can have a lasting negative impact on students and their families if not done correctly and with purpose and reason,” Mayo said.

In Arlington, 26% of third graders did not reach the on-track or mastered ELA standard in 2019.

“In Arlington, our teachers and local administrators look at the whole child and take into account many factors when making a retention decision,” Mayo added. “The third grade retention bill looks at one test, in one sitting, and it goes against the TDOE’s theme of ‘educating the whole child.’ 

“I have a difficult time wrapping my mind around how deciding retention based on this one assessment embodies that theme. Retention should be a local, multi-faceted decision made by those who know the child the best.”

About 32.5% of Collierville third-graders would be retained based on the 2018-19 data. Collierville Superintendent Gary Lilly did not want to comment on the matter.

In Bartlett, 80% of those third-grade students who scored below the state-set threshold in 2019 were in the “approaching” category, the district noted. Those students are projected to score near the ACT “College Ready” benchmark as they get older. District leaders believe students will improve with more instructional time. 

“TCAP is not the best measure of students reading on grade level,” said Jason Sykes, Bartlett City Schools communications coordinator, noting they use other measures throughout the year.

There are some exceptions for students previously retained in earlier grades and those who have been “English learners” for two years or less.

Arlington, Germantown, Lakeland along with Shelby County Schools signed a resolution opposing this and other legislative measures aimed at education.

As part of the bill, districts must provide mini-camps for one hour in addition to six-hour camps for grades K-5 and four hour camps for grades 6-8 in 2021 and 2022. The camps will focus on reading and math.

Beginning in 2023, there will be six-hour camps for K-8 students. The state, as it struggles to find enough teachers, plans to hire tutors for the camps. If students who meet the retention requirements have 90% attendance at the camp, they could advance to fourth grade, but district leaders note that makes it hard for families to plan for summer break.

Additionally, students will take a test at the beginning and end of camp. If growth is shown, they may advance to fourth grade, but the details of what determines growth are still murky.

Sen. Brian Kelsey (R-Germantown) chairs the senate education committee and filed an amendment allowing parents or guardians to appeal a mandated retention.