Sen. Joey Hensley
The General Assembly passed major legislation during the week of Jan. 18 to address unprecedented student learning losses as a result of COVID-19 related school closures and time spent away from the classroom. It was the 62nd Extraordinary Session in the history of the state.
Tennessee Learning Loss Remediation and Student Acceleration Act – Research data estimates a 50% decrease in proficiency rates in 3rd grade reading and a 65% decrease in proficiency rates in math due to the effects of COVID-19 on student learning. Senate Bill 7002 helps struggling students by providing after-school learning mini-camps, learning loss bridge camps and summer learning camps beginning this summer. It also creates the Tennessee Accelerated Literacy and Learning Corps to provide high-quality tutoring throughout the school year.
State lawmakers returned to Nashville on Tuesday to begin a special legislative session on education called by Gov. Bill Lee. In a joint convention of the House and Senate, the governor laid out his legislative initiatives for the lawmakers.
In his speech, Lee pointed to learning loss, low literacy rates and administering state assessments as some of the biggest obstacles schools in our state have grappled with since the start of the pandemic. To help schools overcome these challenges, House Republican leaders introduced four pieces of legislation this week.
Increasing the student literacy rate has been a priority for legislators in the General Assembly for many years. Currently in Tennessee, only one in three 3