Comptroller’s Office Releases First Review of Literacy Success Act
The Tennessee Comptroller’s Office of Research and Education Accountability (OREA) has completed its first annual review of the implementation of the Tennessee Literacy Success Act (LSA).
Passed during the General Assembly’s 2021 Special Session on Education, the LSA seeks to ensure that students in early grades are on track to become proficient readers by the end of 3rd grade. The Comptroller’s Office has been tasked with reviewing the implementation of the LSA’s provisions and reporting its findings to state education leaders.
The Comptroller’s review found that overall, the Tennessee Department of Education (TDOE) and local districts and charter schools are implementing the major directives of the Literacy Success Act. A few items remain in progress. A small sample of districts and schools contacted by OREA suggested some improvements, but they were generally positive about implementation of the LSA’s requirements.
Key requirements of the LSA include:
State-approved universal reading screeners are to be administered to all K-3 students three times each year. TDOE made a free reading screener available beginning in 2021-22 and all districts and charter schools reported students’ screener results to TDOE using one of the state-approved screeners.
All K-5 teachers are to complete one...