Adolescent Literacy: Tennessee’s Efforts to Address Literacy for Adolescent Learners
March 2010
Author: Kim Potts
The ability to read and comprehend increasingly difficult material is key to K-12 students’ educational development. National and state data indicate, however, that many students in grades 4 through 12 cannot read at grade level and some read far below grade level. This mismatch of reading ability and complex material raises concerns at a time when many states – including Tennessee – are upgrading educational standards to prepare students for the demands of college and the workplace. In May 2009, the Southern Regional Education Board released a report urging state leaders to “make middle grades and high school reading the highest immediate priority in education.” In August 2009, the Tennessee Department of Education, based on an analysis of the state’s reading data, announced a renewed focus on reading comprehension for middle and high school grades, along with the creation of a new Office of Reading Information and Proficiency. This brief discusses adolescent literacy generally; considers how states can effectively address the needs of struggling readers in upper elementary, middle, and high school grades; and profiles recent actions the Tennessee Department of Education and the State Board of Education have taken to improve adolescent literacy, identifying potential challenges the state faces in undertaking this effort.