MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Tennessee Governor Bill Lee will be holding a special legislative session on education on January 19 to make literacy a top priority among other initiatives for the 2021-22 school year.
The state reported preliminary data projects an estimated 50% decrease in proficiency rates in 3rd grade reading and a projected 65% decrease in proficiency in math. Lee said this loss has exacerbated issues prior to the pandemic, where only one-third of Tennessee third graders were reading on grade level.
“We know that the COVID-19 pandemic has caused immense disruption for Tennessee’s students, educators, and districts, and the challenges they face must be addressed urgently,” Lee said. “Even before the virus hit, and despite years of improvement, too many of our state’s students were still unable to read on grade level. I’m calling on the legislature to join us in addressing these serious issues so we can equip our hardworking educators and districts with the resources and supports they need to set our students on the path to success.”
He wants to address these issues before the general legislative session, so policies can ideally be implemented before the end of this school year.
"It’s not just a concerning data point," Lee said. "These are consequences. Severe lifelong consequences for our kids if we don’t take swift corrective measures."
He reiterated the pandemic, which has forced most students to learn from home, has not been beneficial in helping children learn.
"Covid-19 has actually exposed how poorly Tennessee students read particularly our youngest students," Lee said.
Dr. Penny Schwinn, the commissioner of Tennessee's Department of Education, also reiterated the importance of long-term goals for bettering students' reading levels.
"Literacy and helping our kids read has been a priority in Tennessee for a while now," Schwinn said.
She said now is the time to utilize federal funding and the literacy program "Reading 360" to create policies to better the state's education system. Schwinn said more information will be shared about "Reading 360" on Monday, but it will require a comprehensive approach from teachers, districts, and families.
"I think now we have the opportunity to leverage one-time federal funding and federal grant funding to invest in our kids and certainly in our state," Schwinn said.
Lee said other discussions during the special legislative session will include teacher pay and funding for school districts.