Putnam County School System officials are currently working with families to navigate state-mandated promotion pathways for third-graders following the return of recent TCAP results.
Data and Testing Supervisor Jason Stickler said the district is focused on identifying the best options for students who did not meet the expected cut scores on their original or retake exams. Stickler said Tennessee law requires third-grade students to demonstrate proficiency in English Language Arts to be promoted to the fourth grade.
“For those students who do not show proficiency on that assessment, there are several pathways to help them get to fourth grade if they score in what is determined as either the approaching or the below category,” Stickler said.
Stickler said the transition from second to third grade marks a shift from learning basic letter sounds and phonics to engaging with more complex informational text and comprehension. Stickler said this phase of education is vital for future academic success. Stickler said the district utilizes a raw score system from the TCAP to determine proficiency, typically looking for a range of 30 to 31 points out of a possible 52.
“As we move up through the grade levels, the complexity of the text, the, what students are going to be asked to do with that text, it just becomes a little bit, a little bit more rigorous,” Stickler said. “And so we want students to be able to perform in ELA appropriately as they move up through the grade levels.”
Stickler said students who fall into the approaching category have approximately five or six different pathways available to reach the fourth grade. Stickler said these options include participating in tutoring during their fourth-grade year or using scores from a recently administered retest.
“And then we can look at some other data as well to determine if we can get them a pathway into fourth grade based on some other data like their reading screener data at the end of the year,” Stickler said.
Stickler said the district is also reviewing end-of-year reading screener data as an additional metric for promotion decisions. Stickler said the school system is prioritizing individual student needs during these discussions to ensure long-term academic success.
“You know, we just want what’s best for students,” Stickler said. “And so that’s our focus right now and I think everybody’s just really buckled down on making sure that we have the appropriate pathways for students.”
Stickler said the district does not have an official date for the public release of specific statistics, as the state will go through an accountability process over the summer. Stickler said the school system expects to be able to share district and school proficiency rates by mid-August.
“We are so incredibly proud of our community and the job that our students do each day,” Stickler said. “And again, just really blessed to have teachers and administrators that are committed to student success.”