Local Education Agencies

Plain English Breakdown

The official source material does not provide specific details about the exact impact of the bill on education budgets and student services, leaving room for interpretation.

Changes to Third-Grade Promotion Rules

This bill allows local education agencies and charter schools in Tennessee to be exempt from providing certain tutoring services for third-grade students who are not proficient in English language arts if state funding is insufficient.

What This Bill Does

• Allows local education agencies (LEAs) and public charter schools to avoid assigning a tutor through the Tennessee Accelerating Literacy and Learning Corps (TALLC) for third-grade students who are not proficient in English language arts if there isn't enough money from the state.

Who It Names or Affects

• Third-grade students who are not proficient in English language arts
• Local education agencies and public charter schools

Terms To Know

Tennessee Accelerating Literacy and Learning Corps (TALLC)

A program that provides tutoring services to help third-grade students improve their reading skills.

Learning loss remediation and student acceleration program

A state program designed to help schools provide extra learning opportunities for students who are behind in their studies.

Limits and Unknowns

• The bill does not specify how much funding is needed or when it will be available.
• It's unclear what the exact impact on education budgets and student services will be without more details about state funding levels.

Official Summary Text

Present law generally prohibits the promotion of a student from third to fourth grade unless the student
is determined to be proficient in English language arts (ELA) based on the student's
achieving a performance level rating of
"
on track
"
or
"
mastered
"
on the ELA portion of the student's most recent TCAP test
; provided, however, a student may be promoted without meeting the general ELA proficiency requirement by completion of one of a seri
es of a pathways to promotion.

One of the six pathways to promotion for a
student who
scores "approaching"
on the ELA portion of the student's most recent TCAP test
is being
assigned a tutor through the Tennessee accelerating literacy and learning corps
(TALLC) to provide the student with tutoring services for the entirety of the upcoming school year based on tutoring requirements established by the department
of education.

One of the four pathways to promotion for a
student who
scores "below"
on the EL
A portion of the student's most recent TCAP test
is
attend
ing
a learning loss bridge camp before the beginning of the upcoming school year and maintains a
90
percent attendance rate at the camp, and
being
assigned a tutor through the TALLC to provide the s
tudent with tutoring services for the entirety of the upcoming school year based on tutoring requirements established by the department
of education
.

If the state does not appropriate sufficient funds to allow an LEA or public charter school to assign a
tutor through TALLC to provide a student with tutoring services
, then this bill excuses
the LEA or public charter
from being
required to provide the pathways to promotion
that require assignment of a TALLC tutor.

This bill also makes participation in the

learning loss remediation and student acceleration program
contingent on the
state appropriating sufficient funds for each LEA to participate in
the program. Generally, the
learning loss remediation and student acceleration program
requires that LEAs par
ticipate by implementing and conducting
after-school learning mini-camps
,
learning loss bridge camps
,
and summer learning camps
.

Current Bill Text

SENATE BILL 506
By Powers

HOUSE BILL 503
By White

HB0503
001734
- 1 -

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 49,
relative to remedial education.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 49-6-3115(a), is amended by adding
the following as a new subdivision:
(4) If the state does not appropriate sufficient funds to allow an LEA or public
charter school to assign a tutor through TALLC to provide a student with tutoring
services for the entirety of the upcoming school year for purposes of subdivision
(a)(2)(A)(v) or (a)(2)(B)(iv), then the LEA or public charter is not required to provide the
pathways to promotion in subdivision (a)(2)(A)(v) or (a)(2)(B)(iv).
SECTION 2. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 49-6-1503(b)(1), is amended by
deleting "Each LEA" in the subdivision and substituting "Subject to the state appropriating
sufficient funds for each LEA to participate in the learning loss remediation and student
acceleration program, each LEA" and deleting "Subject to available funding, providing" in
subdivision (C) and substituting "Providing".
SECTION 3. This act takes effect upon becoming a law, the public welfare requiring it.