• TDOE, UT System Establish Tennessee Reading Research Center: A Reading 360 Initiative

    Monday, March 07, 2022 | 12:29pm

    Knoxville, TN— Today, the Tennessee Department of Education and the University of Tennessee System announced the launch of the Tennessee Reading Research Center, a Reading 360 initiative, to evaluate and independently analyze how the state’s over $100 million investment of optional literacy supports and grants are improving student literacy rates, increasing the use of sounds-first instruction in Pre-K-3 classrooms, increasing the use of high-quality instructional materials, and preparing future educators for literacy instruction. Additionally, the center will analyze the implementation of the Tennessee Literacy Success Act.

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  • Tennessee Celebrates Literacy Month During March

    Tuesday, March 01, 2022 | 03:40pm

    Nashville, TN— Today, the Tennessee Department of Education announced throughout the month of March, the state is celebrating Tennessee Literacy Month, highlighting how Tennessee’s educators, families, and community partners are focusing on improving literacy experiences for early learners through strategic investments and optional, free resources. Additionally, the department is excited to announce 98 districts have been recognized as Reading 360 Districts for their commitment to teacher training, leader support networks, and focused work on early literacy.

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  • Gov. Lee, Commissioner Schwinn Unveil Tennessee Investment in Student Achievement Act

    Thursday, February 24, 2022 | 11:05am

    Nashville, TN- Today, Tennessee Governor Bill Lee and Tennessee Department of Education Commissioner Penny Schwinn released the details of the Tennessee Investment in Student Achievement (TISA) Act (SB2396/HB2143) that would transition Tennessee’s K-12 public schools to a student-based funding approach. Starting in the 2023-24 school year, the TISA would invest an estimated $9 billion in education funding for the state, including state and local funds, which includes $1 billion in new recurring state funds and $750 million in one-time state funds this year.

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  • 1,800+ Students Across Tennessee Now Preparing for College with Free, Online AP Classes

    Tuesday, February 22, 2022 | 11:18am

    NASHVILLE - Today, AP Access for ALL, a partnership between the Tennessee Department of Education and the Niswonger Foundation, announced its enrollment numbers for the 2021-22 school year, with over 1,800 students from 192 high schools statewide now enrolled in AP Access for ALL classes- helping students prepare for college, skip introductory classes, and earn college credit while still in high school. Additionally, students are encouraged to register for fall 2022 AP Access for ALL classes, which open on March 1.

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  • TISA Legislation Launches on Feb. 24 with Presentation from Gov. Lee and Commissioner Schwinn

    Wednesday, February 16, 2022 | 02:02pm

    NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Tennessee Governor Bill Lee and Tennessee Department of Education Commissioner Penny Schwinn will share legislation for the new student-based funding formula, known as the Tennessee Investment in Student Achievement formula (TISA), on Thursday, February 24. Tennesseans will have access to a livestream presentation that breaks down key aspects of the legislation and funding proposal. Details about the presentation will be announced next week.

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  • TDOE Announces 67 Best for All Districts and #BestForAllDay to Recognize Strategic Spending on Student Achievement

    Friday, February 11, 2022 | 07:00am

    Nashville, TN- Today, the Tennessee Department of Education announced the 68 districts that have received statewide recognition as Best for All Districts for significantly investing federal COVID-19 stimulus funding to drive student achievement and improving academic outcomes. The department is celebrating these districts today for #BestforAllDay through a statewide livestream event from 9-10:30 a.m. CT, accessible here.

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  • Gov. Bill Lee’s 4th State of the State Agenda Proposes +$1 Billion New Recurring Funding for K-12 Public Education

    Monday, January 31, 2022 | 07:30pm

    Nashville, TN— Today, Governor Bill Lee proposed more than $1 billion new recurring funding for K-12 public education in Tennessee during his fourth State of the State Address, including a proposal for a new student-based public education funding formula, innovative school models in middle and high schools, new school buildings to get classrooms out of floodplains, and a $125 million increase for teacher compensation.

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  • TDOE  Announces Approval of  All Tennessee Districts’  ESSER Plans 

    Wednesday, January 26, 2022 | 01:53pm

    Nashville, TN— Today, the Tennessee Department of Education announced all 147 Tennessee school districts have received approval on their required ESSER (Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief) plans to spend more than $3.5 billion in federal COVID-19 relief funding to benefit K-12 public school students in their districts. Per U.S. Department of Education guidelines, all districts were required to develop plans that outlined their local spending strategies for their portion of the historic amount of federal funding.

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  • Tennessee Releases Pre-Pandemic Projected Student Performance Data to Inform Strategic Decision-Making & Continue Addressing Learning Loss

    Monday, January 24, 2022 | 10:45am

    Nashville, TN—Today, Gov. Lee and the Tennessee Department of Education, in partnership with the SAS Institute, released pre-pandemic projected data compared to student’s actual TCAP scores to help measure the pandemic’s impact on student achievement via the Tennessee Value-Added Assessment System (TVAAS) public site, which is used annually to measure overall student growth. The results of this additional annual analysis from SAS show the negative impact of COVID-19 on student achievement and bright spots for schools that have outperformed expectations.

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  • Over 1,300 Public Comments Submitted on Potential Student-Based K-12 Public Education Funding Formula

    Wednesday, January 19, 2022 | 03:11pm

    Nashville, TN- Following months of strong engagement and conversations about public education funding in Tennessee, today the Tennessee Department of Education announced over 1,300 public comments have been submitted on a potential student-based K-12 public education funding formula in Tennessee. Comments and input have been submitted by hundreds of parents, educators, superintendents, elected officials, business and community leaders, and citizens from across the state.

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  • Tennessee Pioneers Permanent Program to Become a Teacher for Free, First State to Sponsor Registered Teacher Occupation Apprenticeship

    Thursday, January 13, 2022 | 03:30pm

    Nashville, TN— Paving the way for teaching and educator workforce development nationwide, the Tennessee Department of Education announced today it has pioneered a new way to develop teacher pipelines, and is the first state to be approved by the U.S. Department of Labor to establish a permanent Grow Your Own model, with Clarksville-Montgomery County School System and Austin Peay State University's Teacher Residency program becoming the first registered apprenticeship program for teaching in the country.

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  • Tennesseans Invited to Respond to  Draft Public School Funding  Framework by Tuesday, January 18th at Noon CT 

    Tuesday, January 11, 2022 | 06:30pm

    Nashville, TN-  After months of strong engagement and conversations about public education funding in Tennessee and years of consistent feedback, today the Tennessee Department of Education released an initial draft overview of a potential student-based funding formula, informed by input of thousands of Tennesseans-- parents, educators, superintendents, elected officials, business and community leaders, and citizens from across the state-- and is encouraging all Tennesseans to send feedback on this draft framework by an extended deadline of Tuesday, January 18th at noon CT. Comment should be sent to tnedu.funding@tn.gov.

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  • TDOE Releases 2020-21 ACT State Results and Participation Rate Data

    Wednesday, December 15, 2021 | 01:16pm

    Nashville, TN—Today, the Tennessee Department of Education released the ACT state results and participation rate for the 2021 graduating class. Participation in the ACT decreased slightly from 97% with 62,564 graduates in 2019-20 to 96% with 60,865 graduates in 2020-21. The state average composite ACT score showed a decline from 19.9 for the class of 2019-20 to 19.1 for the class of 2020-21.

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  • Four Schools in Achievement School District to Return to Shelby County Schools for 2022-23 School Year

    Monday, December 13, 2021 | 12:57pm

    Memphis, TN– Today, the Tennessee Department of Education, Achievement School District (ASD), and Shelby County Schools (SCS) announced that four schools– Frayser Achievement Elementary School, Corning Achievement Elementary School, Georgian Hills Achievement Elementary School and Whitney Achievement School– will return to Shelby County Schools following the 2021-22 school year.

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