More than half of Tennessee third graders at risk of retention because of their reading scores took another test this week to try to advance without summer school or tutoring.
The good news for Hamilton County Schools is that 40% of its third graders are reading at or above grade level, up 4% from 2022, and can move up to fourth grade.
Tennessee’s third-grade reading proficiency rate jumped by more than 4 percentage points to 40%, while up to three-fifths of the class could be at risk of being held back, according to early data.
A 2021 reading and retention law requiring ‘adequate growth’ for Tennessee third graders to advance now has a definition of what that means, thanks to the state Board of Education.
Administrators say they're providing all the necessary support for students, but parents feel otherwise. They want applied behavior analysis therapy.