Updated April 2024
How can my student be promoted to 4th grade if they receive “approaching expectations” or “below expectations”?
Students who score “approaching expectations” will be promoted to 4th grade if they attend Promising Scholars and have 90% attendance from May 30 – June 28. Students must also demonstrate adequate growth on the 4th grade ELA TCAP.
Students who score “below expectations” on the English Language Arts (ELA) section of the 3rd grade TCAP must attend Promising Scholars with 90% attendance May 30 – June 28 and participate in Accelerating Scholars tutoring for the entirety of their 4th grade year. Students must also demonstrate adequate growth on the 4th grade ELA TCAP.
Who determines whether an individual student meets one of the exceptions in relation to retention?
Schools in conjunction with MNPS personnel must determine whether an individual student meets one of the circumstances that exempts the student from retention. All decisions regarding exemptions must be made on a case-by-case basis considering the unique needs and circumstances of the individual student and documented in the student’s file.
What is adequate growth?
Adequate growth is defined by the Tennessee Department of Education (TDOE) using a complicated formula that indicates whether student is on track to master the rigorous educational standards established by the state. The lower a student's third grade score, the more growth is required.
The difference between meeting and not meeting the growth standards can be one or two questions on the ELA TCAP test.
Students who do not meet the growth targets identified by the TDOE will be required to repeat the fourth grade in the next school year.
We do not anticipate that we will know which students are identified as meeting their adequate growth requirement until sometime after the initial 2024 TCAP scores are publicly released (typically in late May), as additional calculations must be made by the TDOE.
Are there resources available that may help with TCAP preparation?
You can access TCAP Resources to review with your child.
How can 3rd grade MNPS students at risk of retention be promoted?
If scoring approaching, attend Promising Scholars held May 30, 2024 – June 28, 2024 with 90% attendance and demonstrate adequate growth at the end of the program. This option is the most secure way to ensure promotion to 4th grade. These are other options:
- Participate in Accelerating Scholars tutoring for the entirety of the fourth-grade year.
- MNPS does NOT recommend relying on this approach unless a provision above is not met.
- If relying on Accelerating Scholars in 4th grade, the student must make adequate growth on the 4th grade TCAP or reach proficiency in 4th grade ELA.
- You may appeal if you score at or above 40th percentile on the MNPS FastBridge screener
- You may appeal if you score at or above the 50th percentile on the state screener: AIMSweb
Is there an appeal procedure available for a 3rd grade student who has been determined to not be proficient in ELA and therefore may not be promoted to the next grade level?
Yes, for students who have achieved the performance level of “approaching” on the ELA portion of the TCAP. Pursuant to T.C.A. § 49-6-3115(d), the State Board of Education promulgated rules to establish an appeals process, to be administered by the department, for a student who is identified for retention in 3rd grade based on the student’s achieving a performance level rating of “approaching” on the ELA portion of the student’s most recent TCAP test. The law and subsequent rules require that if an appeal is filed, the filing must be made by the student’s parent or guardian or authorized school personnel (principal, teacher, guidance counselor or other administrators) with written consent from parent.
How does an LEA make a promotion decision for a 3rd grade student who does not have a score on the ELA portion of the TCAP?
Based on the language of T.C.A. § 49-6-3115 (a), if a 3rd grade student does not take the TCAP or generate a score on the ELA portion of the TCAP and does not qualify for an exemption described in question #2 above, the student should be treated as if the student is not proficient in ELA. The law states, “Beginning with the 2022-2023 school year, a student in the 3rd grade shall not be promoted to the next grade level unless the student is determined to be proficient in English language arts (ELA) based on the student’s achieving a performance level rating of “on track” or “mastered” on the ELA portion of the student’s most recent Tennessee comprehensive assessment program (TCAP) test.”
If a student elects to attend Promising Scholars as a condition to being promoted to 4th grade and does not attend at least 90% of the days of the program, will they automatically be retained?
The law requires a student to maintain a 90% attendance rate as a condition of being promoted to the next grade. However, MNPS is determining how to offer make up services as needed in the event a student falls below 90% through no fault of their own.
What are the dates for Promising Scholars?
Promising Scholars will be held from May 30 to June 28. Visit the Promising Scholars page for additional information for Promising Scholars.
What does the TCAP retake entail and when will it be available?
The TCAP retake assessment will be multiple choice/multiple choice select to allow for immediate scoring of the assessment. It will be administered on a computer and pre-equated, to allow for a scale score to be produced for the LEA within two (2) business days. The retake window will take place between May 22, 2024 and May 31, 2024.
TCAP retakes for MNPS will begin May 22, 2024 at the students’ current school. The last day of school in MNPS is May 23, 2024. Schools will coordinate testing dates and times between May 22, 2024 – May 31, 2024.
What information is available regarding the pre-test and post-tests for summer programming?
The TCAP will serve as the “pre-test” for summer programming. The “post-test” will be comprised of TCAP-aligned items and is designed to take less than one hour to complete. The assessment will be administered online and will allow for accommodations. The post-test administration will begin June 10, 2024 at the Promising Scholars Site.
Should an English learner (EL) who has received more than two (2) years of English instruction, but is not considered to be proficient in the English language according to SBE Rule 0520-01-19, be retained?
An EL should be never be retained based solely on a lack of English language proficiency. The law reinforces this by providing that an EL who is deemed not proficient in ELA may be promoted if the EL has received less than two (2) years of ELA instruction. However, an EL who has received more than two (2) years of ELA instruction may still not be retained if it is determined that the EL is not proficient in ELA based solely on a lack of English language proficiency. Local education agencies (LEAs) must determine whether an individual EL should be retained, based on the EL’s individual needs. All decisions regarding the retention of an EL must be made on a case-by-case basis by the LEA or public charter school considering the unique needs, circumstances, and linguistic ability of the individual EL and documented in the EL’s file. Most of the 3rd grade retention decisions will be easily and quickly determined by an LEA based on the EL’s Individual Learning Plan (ILP) and other educational records, but some will require a more in-depth analysis that will need to include conversations among parents and local educators with knowledge of language acquisition and knowledge of the EL after a review of all the individual EL’s records. The law is intended to identify students who have a deficiency in reading that is not caused by a disability or lack of English language proficiency and to provide those students with additional general supports to improve their reading proficiency before they are promoted to the 4th grade.
What data and information should be considered when making 3rd grade retention decisions for ELs?
The following data and information should be taken into consideration when discussing possible retention of ELs: years of schooling in the U.S., language proficiency scores, EL’s stage of language acquisition, ILPs, input from classroom teachers, cultural and linguistic factors, EL’s access to scaffolds, interventions, and level of parental involvement.
If I have additional questions, what do I do?
Please email our staff. Someone will respond to your question within 48 hours.