Cocke Co. Schools Hosting ELA Meeting Tonight…Affects Third Grade Students

A meeting being held tonight in Newport should interest all those with young children, especially those currently in the second or even more so the third grade. The Cocke County school system is hosting the meeting at the Cocke County School Auditorium. The meeting is being done to go over with parents a new law that affects current third graders, but also effects those as young as kindergarten. The law is “The Tennessee Learning Loss Remediation and Student Acceleration Act”. Basically what that law says beginning with the current school year, students in the third grade will not be allowed to move on to the fourth grade unless the student has an acceptable ELA score…or English Language Arts. Those students who meet or exceed expectations on the ELA portion of the most recent Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program test…or TCAP…will move on to the fourth grade. However, if a student does not take the TCAP test, or if they take the test and score non-proficient in ELA, that student will not be allowed to leave the third grade. There are four levels of performance in the ELA portion of the TCAP test. Levels 3 & 4 are the meet or exceed levels. Level 2, it is a school system decision to advance the student. Level 1, the student stays in the third grade unless they attend summer school and have a 90% attendance. All of this and what parents need to know will be covered in this meeting. Parents with children from kindergarten through second grade are also encouraged to attend so they can be informed. That meeting tonight at the Cocke County Auditorium is set for 6pm.