Since the Tennessee Learning Loss Remediation and Student Acceleration Act was signed into legislation in 2021, the FSD has endeavored to enact related support and informational components. In particular, we continuously develop support and informational pieces to ensure parents, staff, and students are well-informed about the law, particularly the section mandating retention for third-grade students who do not demonstrate proficiency in the English Language Arts (ELA) portion of the Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program (TCAP) test. In some cases, this provision impacts certain fourth-grade students as well. We are proud to say that in the two years this act has been in place, the FSD has promoted all third- and fourth-grade students. Several students and their families have utilized options or combinations of options as outlined by the state pathways to promotion, such as attendance at the FSD Summer Learning Camp, the TCAP ELA retake test, no-cost tutoring, and parent appeals.

Throughout the school year, parents receive letters explaining the third-grade retention law and how it impacts their child. Further, these communications delineate ways in which FSD educators provide exemplary instruction to all students, including skilled teachers, high-quality instructional materials (HQIM), and interventions as needed. Last year, several FSD Teaching and Learning (T&L) team members created informational videos about the third-grade retention law, its ramifications, and how Franklin Special supports students toward promotion to fourth grade. We emailed the video links directly to parents of third-grade students and posted the entire video series on the district website; you can view the videos here.

In our quest for continuous improvement, this year we added the Retention Roadmap: Third Grade Edition Family Engagement Events. In mid-September, two sessions were offered on the same day at the PAC lobby, from 11:00-1:00p.m. and from 4-5:50p.m. T&L members developed and staffed the events and put in place several “stations” through which parents could rotate to learn more and to ask questions. Station topics included:

• The Tennessee Learning Loss Remediation and Student Acceleration Act, Pathways to Promotion, and Exemptions
• Third-grade adopted textbooks
• i-Ready ELA digital resource (parents could view the program on laptops, see sample questions, and learn more about how to understand their child’s progress)
• What the third-grade TCAP ELA test covers (including sample released questions)
• Resources to take home for more information (how to access the FSD’s single sign-on platform, Clever, at home, as well as literacy tips for families and Williamson County Public Library programs and reading resources)

Further:

• A parent liaison was present at each session to serve Spanish-speaking families
• A children’s reading corner for young children, and light refreshments were provided
• Donated literacy-themed giveaways were offered (pencils, pens, notepads, notebooks, small tote bags, keychains, computer multi-port adapters, etc.)

We are pleased that 24 parents attended one or both sessions, and all five elementary schools were represented! Our sincere hope is that we were able to provide not just facts but also reassurance. During these engagement sessions, we heard from several parents that the third-grade retention law is a subject of playground conversation for FSD kindergarten-third-grade students, so the more clarity and support we can furnish, the better.