Third Grade Retention Law

A Tennessee law taking effect this school year will impact all third-grade students and determine if a 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 don’t show proficiency on the English Language Arts (ELA) section of the Tennessee Comprehensive 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 next grade.