The preliminary test results show that Putnam County third graders are improving their reading skills.

Initial calculations of the English Language Arts (ELA) TCAP Raw Scores released late Friday afternoon reveal 42% of Putnam County School System third graders met or exceeded expectations for the test. The Putnam County scoring average is 30.5, higher than the Tennessee average of 29.5.

Students who have been previously retained, have identified (or suspected) learning disabilities in reading, or meet criteria for English language limitations are exempt from the retention requirements. Based on these criteria, approximately 17% of Putnam County students will qualify for an exemption. When these exemptions are factored in, preliminary results indicate that approximately 59% of Putnam County third graders will be promoted to the fourth grade without any required interventions. This means approximately 41% of PCSS third-grade students must attend summer learning camp, have tutoring in the fourth grade, or must repeat third grade.

“Putnam County students continue to score above the state average and in line with districts with similar demographics as PCSS,” said Director of Schools Corby King. “We are proud of the hard work of our students and teachers.”

According to the third-grade retention law passed by the General Assembly, students scoring “below” expectations are required to enroll in Summer Learning Camp and participate in reading tutoring during their fourth-grade year, to be promoted. Students participating in Summer Learning Camps and fourth-grade reading tutoring must make adequate academic growth during the fourth-grade year, as defined by the Tennessee Department of Education.