3rd Grade Promotion & Retention / Info for Families

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In 2021, the Tennessee General Assembly updated state law to ensure all 3rd grade students have the support they need to read and perform on grade level. For some 3rd grade students in Tennessee, this updated law requires the student and their family to make some important decisions.

Beginning in the 2022-23 school year, 3rd grade students who do not perform well on the English Language Arts (ELA) section of the TCAP assessment are able to get important learning supports from their school for free to ensure they are ready for grade-level lessons in 4th grade.

Third grade students are eligible for those free supports if they scored “approaching” or “below” on the ELA section of their TCAP test.

If a student’s family does not wish to take advantage of these supports, the student will be retained to 3rd grade the following school year and would not be promoted to 4th grade. 

Your student’s school will notify you if your student is identified for retention and will provide information to you about the pathways that are available to your student to be able to move to 4th grade, including free summer school and/or tutoring supports.

What If I Don’t Want My Student to Be Retained in 3rd Grade?

Retaining a student in the 3rd grade is intended to provide an additional year of classroom instruction to prepare them for a successful academic experience in 4th grade, however parents of eligible students may submit this appeal form to the Tennessee Department of Education to request the student be promoted to 4th grade without any additional learning supports. By submitting this appeal form, a family will waive a student’s right to receive free tutoring and/or summer school programming to support their academic success.