Nashville, TN – This past week, Tennessee Governor Bill Lee visited summer learning camps, which are underway in elementary schools across the state, and recognized the dedication of teachers to sharpening critical reading skills for Tennessee students.
Summer learning camps, key support offered through Tennessee’s new, comprehensive K-3 literacy strategy, are one of the multiple pathways to strengthen student achievement and promotion to the fourth grade.
“Over the past two years, summer learning camps have resulted in promising reading gains for Tennessee students,” said Governor Lee. “As we continue to prepare students for success in the classroom and beyond with a strong K-3 literacy strategy, I commend Tennessee’s dedicated teachers for providing this key support as a pathway for student achievement.”
Governor Lee and the Tennessee General Assembly convened a special legislative session in January 2021 to pass measures to mitigate learning loss and strengthen Tennessee’s K-3 literacy strategy, including summer learning camps. Summer learning camps have netted positive reading gains for students based on pre- and post-assessment data, with an improvement of 5.74 percentage points in 2021, following historic learning loss, and 2.77 percentage points in 2022.
Following the program’s success, this year, Governor Lee and the Tennessee General Assembly passed legislation to extend summer learning camps and expand the eligibility age to rising kindergarten through 9th grade.
“We have an incredible moment to learn and grow together as a state this summer by supporting students in strengthening lessons learned during the regular school year,” said Interim Commissioner Sam Pearcy. “I’m extremely grateful to the districts, educators, and staff who have made extended learning opportunities possible for students this summer.”
