MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Sunday, ABC24 learned how many Memphis Shelby County School third graders will be held back for the 2023-2024 semester after scoring poorly on the TCAP reading test.
According to the school district, of the 7,100 third graders, 70 students will repeat that grade.
One mother told ABC24 she still doesn’t know if her daughter will be in 3rd or 4th grade when she shows up for school Monday.
“She's good at her reading,” says Mika Johnson, who’s daughter attends Alcy Elementary. “That's why I'm confused as to why no one has communicated what her test scores were or if she had to go to the Summer Learning Academy or anything like that because I haven't heard anything.”
Leaving her daughter wondering which classroom she ends up in.
“I mean, it's ridiculous because the communication is horrible,” Johnson says. “I’m up to the point where I'm possibly going to pull her out of Shelby County Schools anyway, and just do straight home school.”
Amanda Collins has spent over 20 years working as a school psychologist and has seen the mental and educational impact retention can have on the older students.
“You have the opportunity for increased behavioral issues around being bored, being asked to perform work that they have already performed satisfactorily,” she says.
As they are spread throughout the system, she says this will also put more pressure on teachers to accommodate the older retained students and the new third graders.
“If you’ve ever had a sibling that’s a year or two older or younger than yourself, it’s going to be trying to navigate that same balance except on a scale (where) you have 30 kids in your classroom,” Collins explained.
Collins says students need support from their parents at this time more than ever.
“Trying to support them as they're having to navigate some of that self doubt and discouragement and a social stigma,” she says.
After more than 70 percent of MSCS third graders failed the reading portion of the TCAP, Collins says that holding this many students back won’t make things any better.
”There is clearly a systemic issue related to that reading literacy development issue,” she says. “We are penalizing individual people for a problem that is bigger than them.”
MSCS released the following statement:
"All parents have been notified of their children's next steps. In addition to weekly website updates and four live stream specials, we sent 25 text messages, robocalls, and emails to families between the end of the TCAP in April and the end of summer break in August regarding the Pathways to 4th Grade. We're VERY pleased with how well our parents and students responded to our Summer Learning Academy and tutoring enrollment, and we thank them for their support.”