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 series 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 ELA portion of the student's most recent TCAP test is attending 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 student 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 participate by implementing and conducting after-school learning mini-camps, learning loss bridge camps, and summer learning camps.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: 49-6-3115(a), 49-6-3115, 49-6-1503(b)(1), 49-6-1503