Third Grade Retention
Welcome to our Third Grade Literacy Law Parent Communication page. Each parent of a 3rd-grade child received a welcome to 3rd-grade ELA letter at the beginning of the school year. In addition, this page will cover information that will help you better understand the 3rd-grade retention law passed by our Tennessee lawmakers in 2021 and how it may affect your child.
Based on Tennessee law, T.C.A. 49-6-3115, passed in 2021 that took effect in the 2022-2023 school year, third grade students who do not show proficiency on the ELA section of TCAP may have requirements related to summer school and/or tutoring to be promoted to the fourth grade.
That means current BCS third grade students who score "Below Expectations" or "Approaching Expectations" on TCAP this school year will be required to participate in summer school and/or after school tutoring to move on to fourth grade. It's possible a student may have passing grades in ELA at the end of the school year but may not be considered proficient on the statewide test.
Summer School will take place for four weeks in June 2024. Student who attend summer school must have a 90 percent attendance rate at summer school and show adequate growth on their post test according to the law.
If you have questions, we encourage you to contact your child’s teacher or principal.
| March 25 - April 12 | Summer Camp Student Registration | Priority Students Notified |
| April 12 | Bus transportation registration deadline | |
| April 15 - April 26 | 2023 - 2024 Spring TCAP Testing Window | |
| April 29 - May 10 | Universal Screener Window for ELA and Math | Used to identify 3rd grade students that are eligible for appeals. |
| May 22 - May 31 | 3rd Grade ELA TCAP Retake Window | Retakes will be scheduled by school administration. |
| May 10 - May 20 | Appeals due to Central Office from parent | Parent to fill out link to give BCS permission to file an appeal with the State based on Universal Screener score |
| May 28 - June 28 | Parent Appeal Window | Students that scored a performance level of approaching on the 3rd grade ELA TCAP test may be eligible for an appeal based on their Universal Screener score. |
| May 30 - June 27 | BCS Summer Learning Camp | Monday - Thursday |
| June 19 | Juneteenth Holiday | No Summer Learning Camp |
