The good news for Hamilton County Schools is that 40% of its third graders are reading at or above grade level, up 4% from 2022, and can move up to fourth grade.
The not-so-good news, according to preliminary Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program (TCAP) scores, is that 23% of district third graders need additional educational intervention before it’s determined whether they can move up.
But perhaps the most interesting news is that the remaining 37% of third graders will move up to fourth grade — with exemptions. They either have a disability or suspected disability that affects reading, they have been previously held back, or they have less than two years of instruction in English language arts, according to a district news release.
It’s the last group that concerns us the most. Clearly, for one reason or another, they have trouble with their English language arts skills. But they’re not being held back. We feel for their fourth grade teachers.
Back to the good news. The 40% who will move up a grade based on their TCAP scores means the county is on par with the state average, which increased more than four percentage points to 40% on this year’s state tests. That marks the highest percentage of third grade students who met or exceeded proficiency in English language arts statewide in at least six years.