Intervention without Retention

Tennessee’s new third grade retention law is adding undue stress on parents and grade school children. The new retention law hinges on the English Language Arts section of TCAP / TNReady testing. Third graders who score below or approaching proficiency face possible retention. Students who do not meet the required score on the state test must go to summer school and have a tutor for the entirety of fourth grade. Those students must then hit a specific growth goal the next year to move on to the fifth grade. If a parent believes their child does not need to be held back they can attempt to get an appeal.