Tipton Co. students to take TCAP tests while recovering from tornado

COVINGTON, Tenn. (WMC) - More than 1,200 Mid-South students who have been recovering from an EF3 tornado for nearly a month will have to buckle down for high-stakes testing that will begin on Wednesday.

Although they have been out of school for two weeks and counting, tutoring has been available to them until their temporary schools are built.

But Tuesday, children in grades 3 through 8 will report to Charger Academy and Covington High School for mandatory TCAP Testing.

“Although our students and staff at these two schools are facing many challenges, we know how resilient they are and we are confident that they will be successful on the state test during these next few days,” Dr. Rebekah Byrd with Tipton County Schools said.

But the stakes are much higher for students this time. Third-graders who don’t pass could be held back.

Parents and state officials have requested a waiver for students affected by the March 31 storms.

Governor Bill Lee denied the waiver.

Congressman Steve Cohen shared his concern about rushing students who are still recovering from the storm damage.

“Providing as much time as possible to allow these students to recover and readjust to their new learning environments will help them put their best foot forward when taking this standardized test in the future,” he said.

According to Tipton County Schools, every impacted student in Tipton County will be eligible for an appeal to the third-grade testing result.

“We will continue to pursue these options that are available to us with the assistance from the state department.” Dr. Byrd said.

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