Read on Twitter
I'm in Tennesse's Senate Education Committee session with @bystellayu_tnsn where @TNedu Commissioner Penny Schwinn is currently addressing lawmakers.
Follow along for updates and highlights!
Follow along for updates and highlights!
Schwinn immediately addresses literacy and ensuring Tennessee's youngest learners can read, as well as launching intervention programs this summer.
Schwinn is going to take the committee through the proposed bills backed by @GovBillLee.
Schwinn said the issues that are central to the special session are issues the department is hearing from educators across the state.
The proposed legislation, the Tennessee Learning Loss Remediation and Student Acceleration Act, calls for after-school learning mini-campus, bridge camps and summer learning loss camps starting in the summer of 2021.
The initial camps will be either four or six weeks in duration depending on grade level and after two years would establish a permanent bridge program for students.
The bill also establishes a tutoring corps.
Background: Former Gov. Bill Haslam and his wife, Chrissy Haslam, established their own Tennessee Tutoring Corps last year to tackle COVID-related learning loss. https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/2020/05/12/governor-bill-haslam-tutoring-school-closures-coronavirus/3109206001/
Background: Former Gov. Bill Haslam and his wife, Chrissy Haslam, established their own Tennessee Tutoring Corps last year to tackle COVID-related learning loss. https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/2020/05/12/governor-bill-haslam-tutoring-school-closures-coronavirus/3109206001/
The learning loss bill also addresses the proposed "third grade reading gate" which would retain students who are not reading on grade level to repeat the third grade.
. @SenMikeBell asks if the summer camps ("let's just call it summer school") will be fully-funded by the state, if they'll be optional for districts and/or families and what the overall fiscal impact will be for the permanent programs.
Schwinn said the summer programs will be funded through both state and TANF funding (for those who are eligible for TANF). She says it will be funded for 40% but I'm not sure what that regards too.
The 2021 and 2022 programs will be optional for families, but districts are required to offer students the option.
For the permanent bridge program beginning in 2023, that program will also be funded by state and TANF dollars and districts might eventually determine students that are required to participate in it.
Bell asks for clarification - "It's somewhat dangerous to fund a recurring program with what's considered one-time dollars [TANF]."
Bell also asks if other measures will be considered at the district-level when determining if a third grader should be retained beyond TCAP scores.
IMPORTANT: Currently the bill only allows for TCAP/TNReady scores to determine whether or not a third grader is retained.
So basically if a student scores below grade level on TCAP, they would need to be retained.
So basically if a student scores below grade level on TCAP, they would need to be retained.
^^^ Again, nearly 2/3 of Tennessee's third graders would have fallen into this bucket last year.
Bell also asks if there are any provisions for districts to retain students earlier than third grade (K-2). Currently, that is a district-level decision, Schwinn said, BUT if a student is retained earlier than 3rd then they cannot be retained again in third.
So to clarify: A child would only be retained once from K-3 if they were treading below grade level.
This is to ensure students are still progressing forward, Schwinn said.
This is to ensure students are still progressing forward, Schwinn said.
Current legislation doesn't require teachers providing these extra supports (after-school, summer) to be "licensed" but Sen. Rusty Crowe requests they remove that "or" option and require licensed, credential teachers to provide those interventions.
Sen. Jon Lundberg asks if Schwinn anticipates seeing greater learning loss among @MetroSchools and @SCSK12Unified students since both districts have stayed mostly (or completely) virtual.
Schwinn dodges a full answer but does say that educators and the department believe that "students learn best when they are in-person."
With nearly 2/3 of students potentially being eligible for these programs, Sen. Ferrell Haile how the state could make these opportunities available to all students beyond just 44% of eligible students.
God question but Schwinn says the bill only allows for funding based on 44% estimated participation. Part of this is family interest as well as simply teacher and school district capacity (they are exhausted, she says).
Sen. Joey Hensley: "It seems like we're going to be putting a lot on these 3rd grade teachers and my fear is that teachers won't want to teach the 3rd grade anymore. ...We only have 35% proficient now. This is a large pool of students that make be starting to be held abck."
Schwinn said the state could envision more accountability measures starting in all early grades (K-3) so 75% of students aren't showing up in third grade behind (this is very paraphrased).
Next up: accountability.
The Tennessee Department of Education and @GovBillLee officially suggest holding teachers and schools harmless regarding student testing this year, but they still suggest holding testing this year.
* The bill does require districts to hit 80% participating or higher in state testing.
This is significant because some lawmakers have hypothesized it could directly target districts that are virtual and force them to return in-person in order to test.
This is significant because some lawmakers have hypothesized it could directly target districts that are virtual and force them to return in-person in order to test.
One of the reasons the state should still test, Schwinn says is because next year when making decisions if the state did not test this year, it would be using data from Spring 2019 - nearly three years old.
This bill would also be predicated on approval by the @usdoegov. The department would have to submit a waiver request from federal testing requirements for this accountability measure.
Schwinn just confirmed: Students WILL have to return in-person to test on paper this spring.
*inside baseball: The state had halted virtual testing and moved to paper for several years after multiple years of testing debacles.
*inside baseball: The state had halted virtual testing and moved to paper for several years after multiple years of testing debacles.
But the state didn't test last spring so those literal testing supplies still exist (cc: @bystellayu_tnsn).
Hensley asks a good question: Haven't students always been required to test? Why are those participation rates not closer to 100% anyways?
Sen. Dawn White asks how the state can assure parents who have kept their children home all year that all precautions are being taken and testing in-person will be a safe environment for all children?
Schwinn: #1 the testing window has been expanded to nine and a half weeks. That allows districts to spread out testing and have much smaller groups and account for social distancing procedures.
#2, per Schwinn, dropping that participation rate from 90 to 80% would allow for school districts to account for those students who might not feel safe testing in-person (basically it leaves wiggle room).
Sen. Mike Bell asks a question for Sen. Wally (who is not a member of the committee but is sitting in today): One measure that is typically used is chronic absenteeism, Bell and Wally aren't sure if truancy laws are being enforced. They ask how that is affecting schools.
Schwinn clarifies that holding a school district harmless would hold them harmless from all accountability (remember the state also looks at chronic absenteeism, ready graduates, high school graduation, etc. in addition to student achievement).
POP QUIZ: What accountability measures does the state track and report via its State Report Card? 
Note regarding earlier note: The federal government typically requires 95% testing participation.
Schwinn feels fairly certain that the state would get a federal testing waiver approved by the @usdoegov.
Schwinn feels fairly certain that the state would get a federal testing waiver approved by the @usdoegov.
Schwinn's guess is if the state submitted on Monday, it might be a month before its granted (as the Biden administration settles in) and she even predicts the @usdoegov might issue a blanket waiver for all states like it did last year.
Good question from Crowe: If 20% of a district's students don't test, then how does that impact actual results data? How do you know how many students are proficient in your district?
Crowe basically asks: If we don't know if those students are proficient, how do we apply that when we are looking at proficiency for retention.
Haile said he's got a question that is a little 'touchy.'
He asks, "What is and can be done to get @MetroSchools students back in class?"
He asks, "What is and can be done to get @MetroSchools students back in class?"
Tennessee Commissioner Penny Schwinn: "As of right now there is nothing the commissioner or the department could do to force districts to be back in-person."
That would be a different legislative conversation, Schwinn said.
Currently, it's a local control issue.
Currently, it's a local control issue.
Halie draws some of his own conclusions from Schwinn's answer and Sen. @BrianKelsey notes a bill he filed in the regular session that would allow the Governor to issue an executive order forcing schools to reopen in-person.
Background: https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/education/2021/01/13/tennessee-senate-bill-school-boards-governor-authority-open-close-schools/6637474002/
Background: https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/education/2021/01/13/tennessee-senate-bill-school-boards-governor-authority-open-close-schools/6637474002/
AAAND MY LAPTOP DIES AND OVERHEATS RIGHT WHEN WE GET TO WHY THIRD GRADE READING PROFICIENCY MATTERS.
Please hold folks.
Please hold folks.
In short: 3rd grade reading proficiency matters because it only gets harder from there. Most students who are behind in 3rd grade stay behind. This affects high school graduation, post-secondary attainment and future earnings*
Note: All this could also be said for kindergarten
Note: All this could also be said for kindergarten
^^^ That was Meghan's explanation.
The state's literacy bill (as every news outlet has already explained to you) includes: a phonics-based approach (but NOT science of reading...supposedly), using a universal screener (test to see where kids are at) that the state provides for free, (1/2)
...supporting higher ed institutions who are teaching teachers how to teach students how to read ...and something else.
Y'all. Personal note, I'm hungry.
Sen. Jon Lundberg asks Schwinn what she is hearing from teachers when talking about the phonics-based approach (this comes back to reading wars, Schwinn says).
Lundberg also notes that most of the folks in the meeting probably learned based on phonics.
Lundberg also notes that most of the folks in the meeting probably learned based on phonics.
90s kids, where you at? Who remembers Hooked on Phonics?!
Kelsey frames this phonics-based approach as a "return to the basics."
Schwinn says most teachers have a background in phonics, it just depends on how much training they got from their educator preparation insitition.
Y'all, this is so fascinating. Lawmakers are literally discussing the results of educators (practitioners) trying to figure out what works best regarding how to teach a child to read.
That's literally the origin of reading wars and differing approaches. Trial and error.
That's literally the origin of reading wars and differing approaches. Trial and error.
Senators do ask how much this phonics-based approach will change how teachers teach now and how much support they will need.
Note: Hamilton County Sen. @SenBoWatson noted during the Senate Floor Session earlier his concerns about the state needing to basically remediate current teachers based on how much training they received from their higher education insition on reading instruction.
Last but not least is TEACHER PAY (Schwinn's words).
"What we are really looking at is how do we reflect that appreciation and gratitude?" Schwinn said of teachers' hard work this year.
"What we are really looking at is how do we reflect that appreciation and gratitude?" Schwinn said of teachers' hard work this year.
. @GovBillLee has proposed an immediate 2% one-time increase that would be retroactive to January 1st.
Then, starting with fiscal year 2022, the proposal would be a recurring 4% expenditure starting July 1st.
Then, starting with fiscal year 2022, the proposal would be a recurring 4% expenditure starting July 1st.
Remember, that is a 4% increase to the state's BEP funding formula ... that does not necessarily mean a 4% raise across the board for ALL teachers.
Schwinn acknowledges this. In some districts, teachers might see less based on how many educators in that district fall outside of the BEP.
Ex) If 4/10 teachers fall outside the BEP then a 4% would have to be shared with all 10, not just the 6 covered by the BEP.
Ex) If 4/10 teachers fall outside the BEP then a 4% would have to be shared with all 10, not just the 6 covered by the BEP.
Sen. Crowe seems not to understand the problem. He asks why when the state gives funding for teacher raises it doesn't go to teachers.
Schwinn clarifies that the intent is they get an increase, it just varies based on staffing.
Schwinn clarifies that the intent is they get an increase, it just varies based on staffing.
Kelsey notes the 2019 report out of the Comptroller's Office regarding teacher salaries in Tennessee.
More on that here: https://comptroller.tn.gov/news/2019/4/25/comptroller-s-office-studies-teacher-salaries-in-tennessee.html
More on that here: https://comptroller.tn.gov/news/2019/4/25/comptroller-s-office-studies-teacher-salaries-in-tennessee.html
Lawmakers are still trying to figure out how much teachers are actually going to get.
We need a workshop on this, y'all.
We need a workshop on this, y'all.
Also, can we do an audit on how many lawmakers' wives were former educators? Do politicians purposefully marry teachers so they can use this line or does it just happen?
I'm curious (cc: @natalie_allison, @duanegang, @ByJasonGonzales)
I'm curious (cc: @natalie_allison, @duanegang, @ByJasonGonzales)
^^^ This sounds like a good Chalkbeat study, @kebedefaith 
Schwinn literally says "talk to your superintendent."
"We could expect of that 2% some teachers might see 1% of the 4%, teachers might see 2%."
"We could expect of that 2% some teachers might see 1% of the 4%, teachers might see 2%."
What I've learned today: No one understands how BEP funding or teacher pay works.
My perspective from years of education reporting: Districts blame lawmakers for not giving them enough money and lawmakers blame districts for not spending the money they gave them properly.
There is a whole other issue that you'll have to subscribe to The @Tennessean for more information on regarding the BEP salary schedule vs. district-specific salary schedules. (4% of a 30K salary looks different than 4% of a 32K salary).
SO lawmakers are trying to figure out how they can give ALL teachers that 2% raise that is proposed. However, without changing the BEP funding formula, if the state gives them the 2% in one-time funding, local districts would be responsible for that RECURRING cost.
^^^ Per @TNedu Deputy Commissioner Sam Piercey.
Good summary from Piercey: "We are looking at funding two different pools of teachers."
Hail wants the state to fund a 2% increase right now for all teachers covered by the BEP and all those outside the BEP.
But Piercey points out that puts that permanent 2% raise on the district.
But Piercey points out that puts that permanent 2% raise on the district.
Senators are still trying to understand the process.
Lundberg notes that the fiscal note would be much higher if the state-funded all teachers (yes) and then districts would have to match with more local dollars for the 4%.
Is anyone following? Because I'm going to pause tweeting for a minute.
Is anyone following? Because I'm going to pause tweeting for a minute.
Crowe: "When we heard the governor this afternoon it sounds like he truly intends for all teachers to get the full raise he is proposing."
I'd like to respectfully correct/disagree with Crowe: @GovBillLee's official proposal this afternoon was, "We are proposing to increase the salary component of our funding formula by 4%."
^^^ that is a direct quote
^^^ that is a direct quote
Commissioner Schwinn is wrapping up her presentation and the committee has adjourned.
The committee will meet again at 9:30 a.m. tomorrow morning.
The committee will meet again at 9:30 a.m. tomorrow morning.
