A Tennessee law that took effect in the 2022-23 school year will continue to determine if a third-grade student will move on to fourth grade; need to attend summer school to move on to fourth grade; or must repeat third grade.
Based on Tennessee law, T.C.A. 49-6-3115, passed in 2021, third-grade students who do not show proficiency on the English Language Arts (ELA) section of the Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program (TCAP) may have requirements related to summer school and/or tutoring to be promoted to fourth grade. That means current WCS third-grade students who score “Below Expectations” or “Approaching Expectations” on TCAP this school year may be required to participate in summer school to move to the fourth grade.
“Williamson County Schools remains committed to ensuring that all students are prepared to meet the grade level standards set forth by the Tennessee Department of Education. If any student is below those expectations, we work together with their families to make progress. WCS uses a variety of tools to determine this and we consider the TCAP indicator one of those tools,” said Assistant Superintendent of Elementary Schools Dr. Juli Oyer. “The TDOE Promotion Pathways allow us to provide students the interventions they need to reach success following their 3rd grade assessment. We look forward to partnering with families to meet the needs of all students.”
Summer school will take place for four weeks in June 2026. Students who attend summer school must have a 90 percent attendance rate at summer school according to the law.
Even though WCS is recognized as a top-performing district in the State in grades three through eight on the 2025-2026 TCAP, 30 percent of WCS third-grade students were impacted last year by this law.
Families can learn more about the law on the district website.
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