'The state failed our children' Letters, calls and emails go unanswered by TN lawmakers

[Jilly_in_VA]

To date, Statewide Organizing for Community eMpowerment group members, parents, teachers, and community members sent more than 2,900 letters to the state legislature telling lawmakers the third-grade retention law was a bad idea.

Additionally, SOCM also distributed a petition that garnered more than 3,000 signatures from third-grade parents.

Two people who wrote letters, sent emails, and placed phone calls to lawmakers were Katherine Bike, from Knox County, and Jennifer Fagg, from Blount County.

"When I wrote the letter, I specifically wrote it to the representatives on the K-12 Subcommittee," Fagg said. "My biggest disappointment is I didn't hear back, not even an acknowledgment of my concerns."

Meanwhile, the state of Tennessee and the State Board of Education is calling the rollout of the third-grade retention law a "historic gain." Scores on the ELA portion of the Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program exam improved from last year by 4.3%.

https://www.wbir.com/article/news/education/tcap-rollout-third-graders-held-back/51-d8e3d2f5-8731-4f0c-ae4a-e1de87ae7e74

When 60% of kids do not score "proficient", that is not a "historic gain". Answer up for what you did, guys.