Third Grade Promotion Legislation Overview
The state of Tennessee has had a student promotion and retention law in place since 2011. During the 2021 Special Session, the Tennessee legislature updated that law to ensure that all students have the support to read and perform on grade level no later than the 2022-23 school year. If a student does not pass the third grade section of the ELA TCAP (a student who receives an approaching or
below score), they will be provided support to ensure they are ready for grade level ELA lessons in fourth grade. If a student’s family does not wish to take advantage of these supports, the student will be retained to third grade to ensure that they receive an additional year of instruction and can
participate fully during their fourth grade ELA classroom moving forward.