Sumner County director-designate, staff outline timelines and parent outreach for proposed third-grade retention law

Dr. Langford, the school district's director-designate, told the Sumner County Board of Education the district is preparing communications and operational plans tied to the state's proposed third-grade retention requirements and will keep parents informed as legislative details firm up.

"There's the things we know, there's the things we know we don't know, and there are the things that we don't know we don't know," Dr. Langford said, framing the presentation and turning the update over to Miss Sassen, who described the district's home literacy reports and assessment timeline.

Miss Sassen explained the two measures the state is using to screen students for retention: EasyCBM (the district's normed universal screener given three times a year) and TNReady. She said Tennessee released a formula to combine EasyCBM sub-scores into a composite score and that the district also uses MasteryConnect benchmark projections aligned with TNReady.

"Students need to have a composite score in the fortieth percentile or higher in EZCBM," Miss Sassen said, and she noted current amendment language under discussion would also set a MasteryConnect threshold (discussed at about 50% in draft amendments).

District staff told the board that home literacy reports went to parents earlier in the year (a winter benchmark notice was sent Feb. 3) and that a composite report was distributed on March 30; staff said the state's guidance sets May 26 as the date by which parents should receive final notification if their child is a candidate for retention.

Board members asked when the spring EasyCBM that will count for retention would be administered. Miss Sassen said districts have flexibility within the state window and gave the statewide EZCBM window as April 10'May 12; TNReady testing is scheduled to begin April 17.

The district estimated roughly 400 students could be identified as at risk before exemptions (special education, English-learner status, prior retention) are applied. Dr. Langford said the district prefers to concentrate summer scholars at larger elementary sites to avoid opening multiple new sites and to limit additional custodial and nursing needs.

Board members pressed staff about tutoring logistics required by the law. Dr. Langford and staff said the tutoring model in the bill (written at a 3-to-1 ratio twice a week for 30 minutes) would require a very large number of tutors and that online tutoring appears necessary to run the program at scale. Staff also said they have heard, though not yet seen in writing, that the state may give districts flexibility to provide tutoring during the school day.

On appeals, Dr. Langford said current draft amendments would allow schools to obtain parent permission and submit appeals on a family's behalf; families would remain free to appeal independently. "Anyone letter that their child's at risk is also gonna get a letter to say, hey, if you'll give us permission, we will appeal for you," he said.

Staff said they plan layered outreach to families (Remind, letters, phone calls, parent nights and a scripted video plus a Facebook Live Q&A) and will provide guidance for summer programming and tutoring options once the legislature and the state board finalize details. Dr. Langford said the district is preparing budget estimates for summer programming and expects to present funding recommendations to the county commission in May.

The board received the update as an informational item; staff said they will return with any new written guidance from the legislature or state board and with a more detailed budget plan at a later meeting.