New Rules Holding Back Some 3rd Graders
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Parents across the state are outraged by the new rules leaving some West Tennessee 3rd grade students behind. Christine King said she wants to know why her son failed the reading test. “I would like to know what it was, what was on the test, what we can do at hone to help him study better,” said Christine King. On the last day of school, King’s son came home with a letter stating he had scored below basic on his 3rd grade reading test. “The option is to have four weeks of summer school or hold him back to the 3rd grade and I would much rather do the four weeks of summer school but they have no dates for the summer,” said King. According to the Gibson County School District all of their 3rd graders were expected to pass. However, three percent of 3rd grade students did receive a rating of below basic. “Actually, we were surprised our students did score below basic. Our earlier projection didn’t show these particular students scoring at this level,” said Dolores Wilson, supervisor of instruction for Pre-K to 4th grade. Now, parents have to take their kids to a fou- week summer intervention program at Dyer School. King wants her son, Carson, to know that he is going to be okay. “I don’t want him to think he isn’t smart because he is. I’m fighting to let him know hard work does count and he does work hard,” said Christine King. King said when summer school does start, she will be with her son, Carson, all the way through.
