MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Community members canvassed the Westwood neighborhood on Saturday, informing Memphians about the TCAP exam and pushing to get more parents involved ahead of the upcoming school year.
Members of the Memphis Interfaith Coalition for Action and Hope (MICAH) said more investment locally from city council and others earlier in a student's academic journey could help prevent some of the low-test results.
"If we can make it tangible and make it real — show them the path to power, then people are going care a lot more and be a lot more invested," MICAH Memphis organizer Ron Davis said.
Local organizers are mobilizing to educate parents on steps they can take to ensure their third graders do better on the TCAP.
According to the Tennessee Department of Education only 8 percent of Memphis-Shelby County Schools' third graders improved their scores on the recent TCAP retakes, a test where over 70 percent failed the reading portion.
"It's very imperative that we continued intervention support," English language teacher Khalilah Spencer said.
Sharay Hicks, the grandparent of a first grade student, said she worries her grandchild won't be ready.
"I feel that the curriculum that she's being taught may not prepare her for when she gets promoted to the third grade and when she takes that English part of the TCAP."
While MSCS summer learning academy has needed help, these parents and educators are advocating for more proactive and local investment in literacy ahead of the next school year.
"We believe that the city mayor — the City of Memphis can also provide more funding to help different nonprofit organizations to partner with school districts to go ahead and bridge that gap for those children," she said. "[School districts then should] teach them first to read, and let them know that, when you're reading, you're reading to learn something. 'What did you learn?'"
In May, Tennessee governor Bill Lee signed an amendment to the states third grade retention law — the changes let students get up to three chances to take other state tests potentially scoring better to avoid repeating the grade. It sets up an appeal process for parents to ask for a waiver.