Local Education Agencies

Plain English Breakdown

The bill summary does not provide details about how tutoring services will be funded and provided by the department of education.

Third Grade Promotion Rules

This bill adds a new pathway for third grade students who scored 'approaching' on their English test and have an A or B overall grade but did not attend a learning loss bridge camp to be promoted to fourth grade if certain school officials recommend it.

What This Bill Does

• Adds a seventh pathway for third graders scoring 'approaching' in ELA on the TCAP test to be promoted to fourth grade based on a majority decision of participants at a meeting convened by their LEA or public charter school.
• Requires local education agencies or public charter schools to hold a meeting with parents, teachers, and principals if a student scores 'approaching', has an A or B overall grade but does not attend a learning loss bridge camp.
• Ensures that students promoted through this pathway receive tutoring for their entire fourth-grade year.

Who It Names or Affects

• Third graders who scored 'approaching' in ELA and have an A or B overall grade but did not attend a learning loss bridge camp.
• Local education agencies and public charter schools that must convene meetings to decide on student promotion.
• Parents, teachers, and principals involved in the decision-making process.

Terms To Know

TCAP test

Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program test used to measure students' academic performance.

LEA

Local Education Agency, which refers to a school district or other local authority responsible for providing public education.

Limits and Unknowns

• The bill does not specify what happens if the student is retained in third grade more than once.
• It's unclear how tutoring services will be funded and provided by the department of education.

Official Summary Text

Present law generally prohibits the promotion of a student from third to fou
rth grade unless the student
is determined to be proficient in English language arts (ELA) based on the student's achieving a performance level rating of
"
on track
"
or
"
mastered
"
on the ELA portion of the student's most recent TCAP test
; provided, however,
a student may be promoted without meeting the general ELA proficiency requirement by completion of one of a series of a pathways to promotion. Present law provides six pathways to promotion for a
student who
scores "approaching"
on the ELA portion of the
student's most recent TCAP test
.

This bill adds a seventh pathway to promotion for a
student who
scores "approaching"
on the ELA portion of the student's most recent TCAP test
.. Under this bill, any such student may be promoted if a
majority of the c
ategories of participants in a conference convened by the student's LEA or public charter school recommends that the student be promoted.
This bill requires a
n LEA or public charter school
to
convene a conference to determine whether a student who achieve
d a performance level rating of "approaching" on the ELA portion of the student's most recent TCAP test must be promoted to fourth grade or retained in third grade if the student has earned an overall letter grade of A or B in the student's third grade EL
A
class, and the student's parent or guardian has elected for their student not to attend a learning loss bridge camp
as a pathway to promotion
. The conference must be attended by the following categories of participants: the student's parent or guardian,
the student's ELA teacher, and the student's school principal. The recommendation made by a majority of the categories of participants in the conference determines whether the student must be promoted to the fourth grade or retained in the third grade; p
r
ovided, that a student must not be retained in the third grade more than once. A student who is promoted to the fourth grade pursuant to this
bill
must be assigned a tutor for the entirety of the student's fourth-grade year based on tutoring requirements
established by the department
of education
.

Current Bill Text

SENATE BILL 746
By Yager

HOUSE BILL 707
By Travis

HB0707
000409
- 1 -

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 49,
Chapter 6, relative to student promotion.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 49-6-3115(a)(2)(A), is amended by
adding the following as a new subdivision:
(vii) A majority of the categories of participants in a conference convened by the
student's LEA or public charter school pursuant to this subdivision (a)(2)(A)(vii)
recommends that the student be promoted. An LEA or public charter school shall
convene a conference to determine whether a student who achieved a performance
level rating of "approaching" on the ELA portion of the student's most recent TCAP test
must be promoted to fourth grade or retained in third grade if the student has earned an
overall letter grade of A or B in the student's third grade ELA class, and the student's
parent or guardian has elected for their student not to attend a learning loss bridge camp
for purposes of subdivision (a)(2)(A)(iv). The conference must be attended by the
following categories of participants: the student's parent or guardian, the student's ELA
teacher, and the student's school principal. The recommendation made by a majority of
the categories of participants in the conference determines whether the student must be
promoted to the fourth grade or retained in the third grade; provided, that a student must
not be retained in the third grade more than once. A student who is promoted to the
fourth grade pursuant to this subdivision (a)(2)(A)(vii) must be assigned a tutor to
provide tutoring services to the student for the entirety of the student's fourth-grade year
based on tutoring requirements established by the department.

- 2 - 000409

SECTION 2. This act takes effect upon becoming a law, the public welfare requiring it.