The Tennessee General Assembly seems to believe that the problem with their third grade retention law is that people are calling it a “retention law,” rather than an “achievement law.” Regardless of what they want to call the law, the impact of the law is massive retention of third graders.
Legislators who promised to listen to parents are now backpedaling, reportedly due to pressure from Governor Lee, who strongly wants to retain over half of our third graders this year.
Legislators are set to consider bills to amend the law on March 7th, so it is urgent that you contact members of the House and Senate Education committees right now.
The Editorial below is from TPEC and can be read in The Tennesseean, here:
Retention in third grade is a controversial policy that involves holding back students who fail to meet minimum ELA proficiency standards.
Four arguments against third-grade retention
While the intention behind this policy is to improve student achievement and ensure they are adequately prepared for later grades, there is evidence to suggest that retaining students in third grade may have negative impacts that outweigh any potential benefits. Here are several arguments against third grade retention for poor ELA test scores:
- Lack of evidence for effectiveness: Research has shown that retention in early grades is not an effective solution for improving student achievement in the long-term. In many cases, students who are held back in early grades end up performing worse than their peers in later grades.
- Damages student confidence: Retention can lead to feelings of shame and frustration. When students are held back in early grades, they may feel as though they have failed and are not smart enough, damaging their motivation to learn and their future academic success.
- Widens achievement gaps: Retention can contribute to the widening of achievement gaps between students from different socioeconomic backgrounds. Children from low-income families are more likely to be retained in early grades due to limited access to high-quality early childhood education and support at home. This reinforces a cycle of poverty and underachievement.
- Increased risk of dropping out: Research has shown that students who are retained are more likely to drop out, with serious implications for their future academic and career prospects.
High quality tutoring and summer learning opportunities can be beneficial, but there is little to no evidence that either Tennessee’s summer school program (Learning Loss Bridge Camps) or the tutoring program (Tennessee Accelerating Literacy and Learning Corps) established by the law are effective at improving student achievement. Both programs were thrown together quickly after the passage of the law. There have been no independent evaluations of how effective these programs actually are.
A better approach would focus on very early evaluation for struggling readers, and a robust program of academic supports and interventions beginning in kindergarten and continuing as long as needed. Retention should be limited to Pre-K, kindergarten or possibly first graders; third grade is too late.
While the intention behind retention is to improve student achievement, third and fourth grade retention is likely to add another trauma to the ACEs already experienced by children. Retention is likely to undo any potential good that might result from Learning Loss Bridge Camp or the Tennessee Accelerating Literacy and Learning Corps programs.
Contact your Tennessee legislators and ask them to invest in academic supports and interventions for our youngest school children and to leave retention decisions to teachers and parents, where they belong.
Signed by members of the Tennessee Public Education Coalition.
- Josh Anderson-Anderson County
- Joe Fink- Anderson County
- Terri M. Gilbert- Anderson County
- Susan Fowler- Anderson County
- Ann Gann- Anderson County
- Larry Gann- Anderson County
- Lori C. Houck- Anderson County
- Marsha Livingston- Anderson County
- Liz McGeachy- Anderson County
- Carolynne Moss- Anderson County
- Robert Moss- Anderson County
- Maria Orlando – Anderson County
- V. L. Stonecipher – Anderson County
- Patsye Thurmon- Anderson County
- Karlene Richter- Anderson County
- Mary Fell- Anderson County
- Florence Plemmons- Anderson County
- Theresa Venale- Anderson County
- Gloria Caton- Anderson County
- Pat Petrie- Anderson County
- Diane Alsop- Anderson County
- Sandy Christen- Anderson County
- Melanie Harles- Anderson County
- Miriam Wankerl- Anderson County
- Kari Iwanski – Anderson County
- Mary Elizabeth Alexander- Anderson County
- Patricia H. Aldridge- Blount County
- Ginny Ayers- Blount County
- Brenda Bell- Blount County
- Katy Chiles- Blount County
- Douglas Gamble- Blount County
- Nina Gregg- Blount County
- Dustin Park- Blount County
- Lo Starck- Blount County
- Marjorie Stewart- Blount County
- Dan Lawson- Bradley County
- Wm Tom Chadwell-Campbell County
- Elena Roser- Cheatham County
- Martha Wettemann – Cheatham County
- Alesandra Bellos- Davidson County
- Caryn Clopton- Davidson County
- Pam DeMatteo-Linn- Davidson County
- Romy Frank-Davidson County
- Amy Frogge- Davidson County
- Lucy Kells- Davidson County
- Karen McIntyre for Davidson County
- Cara Meissner- Davidson County
- Jill Speering- Davidson County
- Mary Holden- Davidson County
- Dr. Sarah Parker- Davidson County
- Nancy Stetten- Davidson County
- Jack Willey- Davidson County
- Pattye Post- Dickson County
- Larry Proffit- Dickson County
- Jerry Anderson- Greene County
- Alison Anderson- Hamilton County
- Alysia Comerford- Hamilton County
- Allie Beukema- Hamilton County
- James Hill- Hamilton County
- Amy Packer- Hamilton County
- Nathan Packer- Hamilton County
- Jane Boyd – Hawkins County
- Juanita Mitchell – Hawkins County
- Candace Bannister- Knox County
- Travis Donoho- Knox County
- Dave Gorman- Knox County
- Bob Kronick- Knox County
- Caroline Mann- Knox County
- Lance McCold- Knox County
- Jennifer Owen- Knox County
- Jane Skinner- Knox County
- Jennifer VanTol- Knox County
- Douglas E. Veum- Knox County
- Olivia Cook- McMinn County
- Austin Sauerbrei- McMinn County
- Dr. Patricia Waters- McMinn County
- Rosa Ponce- Montgomery County
- Martha Deadrick- Roane County
- Patricia Aramayo- Roane County
- Dorothy Jones- Roane County
- Darlene Johnson- Roane County
- Steven Rogers- Scott County
- Jerri Green- Shelby County
- Peg Watkins- Shelby County
- Carlista Barttels- Sullivan County
- Amy Collette- Sullivan County
- Charlotte Hoover- Sullivan County
- Susan Lodal- Sullivan County
- Angelo Pellitteri- Sullivan County
- Marsha Pellitteri- Sullivan County
- Candace Sass- Sullivan County
- Jennifer Schmitz- Sullivan County
- Chae Wells- Sullivan County
- Roberta Senzer- Sumner County
- Vanessa Sheehan- Sumner County
- A.H. Trask- Washington County
- Mary H. Stewart- Washington County
- Ellen Finney- Williamson County
- Kent Fourman- Williamson County
- Tammy Lipsey- Williamson County
Decisions are not being based on achievements under poor conditions third graders have endured. As first graders, schools were closed completely in the middle of March. As second graders, they went to school for awhile, they did the virtual with chromebooks and zoom meetings which had little to no effect on retention of material, and then would go a week or two with no schooling because the closure of schools did not allow time for Chrome books to be sent home! Now, basically they had a snowball chance in hell, they are expected to achieve a mastery level of “approaching expectations” in order to be promoted to 4th grade. I don’t think so. Teachers, administrators, parents, and grandparents are the individuals to make that decision. Not a percentage score on a test that lacks approximately 6 months of in school learning!