State lawmakers enact third grade reading gate

The result could be a large increase in third graders being held back

 

October 6, 2022

By Katelin Carroll,

Reporter

In January of 2021, Tennessee senators passed a law that would require third grade students to score a certain proficiency level on the English Language Arts portion of their TNReady test before they can move onto fourth grade.

The controversial law will require kids who score below "proficient" to be held back. It is aimed at improving the state's low reading scores on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). This test is like a national report card for fourth graders and eighth graders. Tennessee has historically scored below proficient in reading.

Lewis County Director of Schools Tracy McAbee said that when he looked at the scores of last year's third graders, approximately 68 percent did not pass the reading portion of the TNReady test. This problem is not unique to Lewis County schools; about two-thirds of Tennessee's third graders, about 50,000 kids, did not pass.

What makes this law difficult for students and teachers

The law has raised several concerns for students, parents and teachers alike. The largest concern is the decision being based on one test.

"The TCAPs are not adequate measures of a third grader's ability to read," said Dr. McAbee. "The English Language Arts portion of the TCAP is not a reading test. It does have passages that students must read, but it doesn't accurately measure a student's ability to read. It is an assessment that asks other types of questions like, 'find the predicate of the sentence', and 'where would you place the comma in the following sentence'."

Some have also raised questions about adequate space for an increased amount of third graders and an adequate amount of teachers. After all, teachers can be hired but adequate space for classrooms may be an issue in Lewis County Schools.

While the law does omit children in special education from being held back due to their learning disabilities, it does not account for those who go undiagnosed.

"Kids who flunk third grade reading assessments generally are kids with learning disabilities, either diagnosed or undiagnosed," wrote David Waters for the The Institute.

It is important to note that learning disabilities range in severity and are not an indicator of intelligence, but are an indicator of a need for different learning support and strategies. Only one in 16 public school kids qualify for special education. It is estimated that as many as one in five students have a learning or attention disability.

Another concern is simply that third grade is hard. Third grade is when abstract ideas and subjects such as history, math and sciences are introduced in a whole new way.

Additionally, the children who are in presently enrolled in third grade went into kindergarten the year Covid-19 hit. "The kids in Lewis County are fortunate in that they did not stay out of school like the rest of the world did, but they still have not had what we would call a 'normal' school year,"said Dr. McAbee.

Another concern is that wide-scale standardized tests do not accurately measure a child's knowledge.

It's not all downhill from here

Senator Joey Hensley, who supported the law, said that those who focus on the rentention of third graders are focused on the wrong aspect of the new law.

"The law is intended to provide help to kids who struggle with reading proficiency. We didn't pass this law because we wanted to retain third graders. What we were doing wasn't working. The state's reading scores have been low for many years now with no improvement," said Senator Hensley. "With this law, we added opportunities children and their parents can take advantage of to move onto fourth grade that all involve the child getting help. No child should have to be held back unless the parent refuses the extra help."

When taking the TCAP test, kids scores are measured by levels. The lowest is 'Below' which is a failing score, the next is "Approaching" which means the child was close to passing, "Proficient" which means they have a good grasp on the subject and "Mastered" which means he or she has an advanced understanding of the subject.

Children who do not meet the benchmark, their parents can appeal and possibly retake the test.

If a child scores "Approaching," they have two options that will allow them to move onto the fourth grade. The first is to complete a four-week Learning Loss Bridge Camp that will take place in the summer. The second option will allow kids to enjoy their summer, but will make having a tutor in the fourth grade mandatory.

If a child scores "Below" in reading, they will have to both complete the Bridge Camp and have to consent to tutoring in order to move on to fourth grade.

The tutors would cost an estimated $500 per tutor, and would be at no cost to school systems. The money has been accounted for in the state's education budget, according to Senator Hensley. The number of tutors allocated to each school would be based on the need of each school and how many kids were in need of a tutor.

Senator Hensley added that he, along with the state lawmakers, are open to hearing the feedback of educators, parents, etc.

"We have to go back and change many laws we have passed due to unforeseen consequences," said Senator Hensley, "We may need to look into the test, change what's on it and amend the law. This law is intended to be a starting place for positive change in reading proficiency."

The history, research and data behind the law

Since the No Child Left Behind Act was signed by President George W. Bush in 2002, similar laws have been enacted in 37 states. Twenty of them required students be retained if they flunked the reading test.

Tennessee was one of those states. Its first law that required children be retained was passed in 2011, but was hardly ever enforced and contained vague wording.

Other important states who signed similar education reform bills to Tennessee's most recent were Florida and Mississippi. Both benefitted from dramatically increased reading scores on the NAEP. However, both have some of the highest recorded retention percentages in the country.

Forida was the first in 2002 with Governor Jeb Bush signing a law that required schools to hold back their third graders if they failed the state's reading test. Their testing scores increased by seven points since 2003.

Mississippi eventually followed suit with Gov. Phil Bryant who passed four education reform bills in 2013, one being a law that strengthened their third grade retention requirement. From 2017-2019, their fourth grade reading score rose four points which was more than any other state at the time.

Skeptics of the law point out that Mississippi also has the highest rate of third grade retention in the nation at close to 10 percent. Similarly, Florida retained 14 percent of its kids the first year and has since leveled off to 8 percent.

What you can do to help your child read better and what Lewis County Schools is doing

When assessing your own child's ability to read, it is crucial to remember that just because he or she scored poorly on their TCAP exam does not mean that they do not have the ability to read.

If your child does fail and needs to be retained, one thing that is extremely important to keep in mind is how stressful being retained academically is to children. According to a study conducted by experts with the Journal of Applied School Psychology, first, third and sixth graders were asked to rate the stressfulness of twenty different life events. The study found that academic retention was feared third only behind going blind and losing a parent.

Some reasons for this being so stressful in the mind of a child is that they are taken away from a group of peers they have grown up with. Some studies suggest that it causes children to have a negative self-worth. It is important to not add onto the stress your child is experiencing. Keep in mind that there are ways around being retained. Being retained is not the end of the world; try to appeal, attend the Bridge camp and/or opt for a tutor.

Not all parents and/or grandparents have the ability to read with their children every day because of working a strenuous job, maybe working two jobs for a single parent and more.

You may be able to figure out ways to motivate your child to read on their own. Find out what your child is interested in and find books on that subject, ask a teacher what some books of high interest are for kids the same age as yours, and last but not least, make reading fun by giving your child rewards for reading a book. Some ideas include letting your child stay up a few minutes past their curfew if they use it to read.

Dr. McAbee suggested the website textproject.org as a great resource for parents, teachers and students which houses free resources for vocabulary instruction, texts for students to read and more.

"This law is not supported by the Lewis County Board of Education, nor by me, but we must follow the laws of the state of Tennessee." Director of Lewis County Schools Dr. McAbee. So they have already taken action, as much as they can, against the new law.

At last month's Board of Education meeting, a resolution was signed and sent to the state that requested state lawmakers consider letting the schools decide if a third grader should be held back which would take the issue out of the hands of one portion of one test.

Dr. McAbee said that he was hopeful state lawmakers would reconsider as several other school districts signed similar resolutions.

 

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