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Tennessee Literacy Success Act (TLSA)

Kindergarten students and teacher using digital tablets

During its 2021 Special Session on Education, the Tennessee General Assembly passed the Tennessee Literacy Success Act (TLSA) to ensure that students in early grades are on track to become proficient readers by the end of grade 3.

This collection of publications addresses various aspects of the TLSA.

TLSA Implementation Evaluations

In 2022, the General Assembly passed a law requiring the Comptroller’s Office to annually review the implementation of the TLSA and report its findings to the chairs of the Senate and House education committees and the State Board of Education by November 1 of each year. These reports are the first and second such reviews. The second year review includes the third annual review of district and charter school foundational literacy skills plans required by the TLSA.

Foundational literacy skills instruction is an evidence-based method of teaching students to read that includes phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. The Tennessee Literacy Success Act (TLSA) requires this type of instruction to be the primary form of English language arts instruction for students in grades K-3.

The TLSA requires school districts and charter schools to develop a foundational literacy skills plan (FLSP) for students in grades K-5 and submit it to the TDOE by June 1, 2021. (School districts and charter schools are required to submit a revised plan every three years beginning July 1, 2024.)

The TLSA requires the Comptroller to review the FLSPs submitted to TDOE to ensure the plans comply with the requirements established in law and the rules set by the State Board of Education.

This legislative brief is the first review of FLSPs by the Comptroller. Subsequent reviews can be found in the annual reviews of the TLSA’s implementation that are included in this collection.

In 2021, the General Assembly passed legislation updating 4th grade promotion requirements for 3rd graders. Under the new law, 3rd graders who do not achieve grade-level proficiency on the English Language Arts (ELA) portion of the spring TCAP assessment are identified for possible retention.

This legislative brief examines recent retention legislation in Tennessee, considers the experiences of other states that have also passed retention requirements, and identifies the variables that will influence how many 3rd graders are likely to be retained in 2023.

The Tennessee Literacy Success Act requires all school districts and public charter schools to adopt and use English Language Arts (ELA) textbooks and instructional materials from the 2019 state-approved adoption list by January 1, 2023. State law requires the Comptroller’s Office of Research and Education Accountability (OREA) to review the ELA textbooks adopted and used by districts and charter schools to assess compliance with state law. OREA’s review found that most school districts and charter schools are compliant with state law.