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 2025. 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.

Bartlett City Schools Summer Learning Camp and Third Grade Retention Timeline

March 26 - April 15	Tentative Summer Camp Student Registration	Priority Students Notified
April 20 – May 1	2025 - 2026 Spring TCAP Testing Window
May 4 - May 19	Universal Screener Window for ELA and Math	Used to identify 3rd grade students that are eligible for appeals.
May 22 - May 29	3rd Grade ELA TCAP Retake Window (BCS Retakes will take place on May 21-22)	Retakes will be scheduled by school administration.
May 9 - May 22	Appeals due to Central Office from parent	Parent to fill out form to give BCS permission to file an appeal with the State based on Universal Screener score.
May 28 - June 26	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 27 - June 25	BCS Summer Learning Camp	Monday - Thursday
June 18	Juneteenth Holiday	No Camp

Final Retention notification for families will be given prior to the beginning of the next school year. Below are communications that have been provided by Bartlett City Schools and/or the State of Tennessee Department of Education regarding the Third Grade Retention Law.

TDOE Resources for Early Literacy