2021 Tennessee Code
Title 49 - Education
Chapter 1 - State Administration
Part 9 - Tennessee Literacy Success Act
§ 49-1-903. Part Definitions

As used in this part:

1. “Department” means the department of education;


2. “Educator preparation provider” means an entity approved by the state board that is responsible for managing, operating, or coordinating programs for the preparation and licensure of teachers, school leaders, and other school personnel;


3. “Foundational literacy skills” means phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension;


4. “Foundational literacy skills instruction” means an evidence-based method of teaching students to read that includes phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension that enables students to develop the reading skills required to meet Tennessee's academic standards;


5. “Foundational literacy skills plan” means a proposal that details how an LEA or public charter school plans to provide foundational literacy skills instruction to students and reading interventions and supports, which may include interventions provided pursuant to Tennessee's response to instruction and intervention framework manual, to students identified as having a significant reading deficiency;


6. “Home literacy report” means a report provided to a student's parent by the LEA or public charter school describing the student's progress in foundational literacy skills;


7. “Parent” means a child's parent or guardian; a person who has custody of the child; or a person designated as the child's caregiver with the power of attorney for the care of the minor child pursuant to the Power of Attorney for Care of a Minor Child Act, compiled in title 34, chapter 6, part 3, who is authorized to enroll the child in public school pursuant to § 49-6-3001;


8. “Significant reading deficiency” means:
   
   
   1. For students in kindergarten through grade three (K-3), that a student's score on a universal reading screener is within the range of scores determined by the department to demonstrate a lack of proficiency in foundational literacy skills; and
   
   
   2. For students in grades four (4) or five (5), that a student scored below proficient in English language arts on the Tennessee comprehensive assessment program (TCAP) test most recently administered to the student;


9. “State board” means the state board of education;


10. “Tennessee universal reading screener” means the universal reading screener provided by the department; and


11. “Universal reading screener” means a uniform tool that screens and monitors a student's progress in foundational literacy skills.