State legislators are filing a flurry of bills as filing deadlines loom. To get a look at what education issues are coming up, WPLN News sat down with two lawmakers to talk about their priorities for the session.
There’s one subject that’s top of mind when it comes to education: holding back third graders who struggle to read.
“I think you got to have a line in the sand there,” said Rep. Scott Cepicky. “You’ve got to reach a point that we just can’t keep pushing the kids forward.”
The Culleoka Republican will serve as chair of the education instruction subcommittee this session.
What the third grade retention law means
The law he’s referencing could hold back a significant portion of Tennessee third graders. It would retain children who score less than proficient on the English Language Arts portion of the TCAP exam, unless they participate in specific programs to get caught up on reading.
Students who score “approaching” can attend a summer learning loss camp, or commit to tutoring through Tennessee ALL Corps for the full next school year. Third graders who score “below” would need to participate in both to move on to the fourth grade. And they’ll need to show adequate growth on the ELA section of the fourth grade TCAP before they can move on to fifth.
While some Republican colleagues have expressed second thoughts about the law, Cepicky said he’s interested in expanding it.
“Is third grade too late?” Cepicky said. “Do we need to have more interventions, summer school, tutoring at the earlier grade levels to get the kids that are behind, get them caught up?”
Across the political aisle, Senate minority leader Raumesh Akbari, D-Memphis, says Democrats would rather pump the breaks on the law, which is set to take effect this school year.
“Bottom line is: We’re going to have to do something, whether that’s moving the date back or making some tweaks and adjustments so that our school districts feel more comfortable implementing it,” Akbari said.
In Nashville, the Metro School Board is pushing for changes. Last week, the board unanimously approved a resolution urging the state to return the final say on holding kids back to local districts.
Other education priorities
In other education issues, Rep. Cepicky said he’ll be looking at policies to address student mental health. He’s also interested in helping shore up teacher vacancies.
“We have got to get a better pipeline of teachers,” Cepicky said. “I think a lot of it has to do with pay.”
Cepicky is co-sponsoring a bill that would more than double the money teachers get to buy instructional materials, which range from pencils and crayons to classroom technology.
Meanwhile, Sen. Akbari says she’ll be crafting legislation about exclusionary discipline for students, such as out of school suspension.
“They’re not learning anything by being sent home for three days or five days,” Akbari said. “I want to make sure the kids are in school if they can be, and that teachers and schools have the resources they need.”
Akbari says she wants to talk with teachers and principals about ways to keep students engaged in the learning process.
More bills are still coming
The filing deadlines are just a few weeks away: Jan. 31 for the House and Feb. 6 for the Senate.
So far, Tennessee legislators have submitted dozens of proposals. Among them is one that would expand eligibility for school vouchers. Another would open the possibility for school employees across the state to bring a concealed weapon to work.
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