Amends TCA Title 49.

Present law requires the department of education to develop and submit to the state board of education for approval, foundational literacy skills standards for use by all educator preparation providers for the instruction of candidates seeking a license to teach students in kindergarten through grade three. Beginning August 1, 2022, educator preparation providers must provide to candidates seeking licensure to teach students in kindergarten through grade three training on reading instruction focused primarily on the foundational literacy skills standards. Effective August 1, 2023, a candidate for licensure, including renewal of licensure, to teach students in kindergarten through grade three must provide: (1) A certificate documenting the candidate's passage of a Tennessee reading instruction test developed or identified by the department and approved by the state board that tests the candidate's knowledge of foundational literacy skills instruction; or (2) Provide evidence documenting the candidate's completion of a foundational literacy skills instruction course pursuant to the Tennessee Literacy Success Act within the previous year. By August 1, 2024, and by each August 1 thereafter, this bill requires the department, in consultation with the state board to report to the education committees of the senate and house of representatives the number and percentage of persons licensed to teach students in kindergarten through grade three who are employed in Tennessee schools; trained with the foundational literacy skills standards; and who earned, for the immediately preceding school year, an individual growth score or an equivalent measure of student growth as determined by the state board, of "significantly above expectations," "above expectations," "at expectations," "below expectations," and "significantly below expectations." The full text of this bill specifies five data components that the report must include. The department must publish the report on the department's website. Effective August 1, 2023, this bill requires the state board to revoke an educator program provider's approval if the educator preparation provider fails to reach or exceed the expected annual reduction in the percentage of program completers scoring "below expectations" or "significantly below expectations". An educator preparation provider may regain state approval if the provider successfully implements program improvements approved by the department of education. This bill authorizes the state board to promulgate rules as necessary to effectuate this bill's reporting requirements. ON MARCH 24, 2022, THE SENATE ADOPTED AMENDMENT #1 AND PASSED SENATE BILL 2181, AS AMENDED. AMENDMENT #1 rewrites this bill's preamble, changes references to "growth scores" in this bill to "overall performance evaluation level scores" for purposes of the annual report required by this bill, deletes the requirement that the reports include semester-by-semester letter grade distributions for professional education courses taken by K-3 public school teachers, replaces this bill's requirement that the state board revoke an educator program provider's (EPP) approval if the EPP fails to reach or exceed the expected annual reduction in the percentage of program completers scoring "below expectations" or "significantly below expectations" with authorization for the state board to place on probationary status or revoke the approval of an EPP or any other Tennessee educator issuing entity if the program fails to meet the standards established by the state board of education, and specifies that any rules promulgated by the state board pursuant to this bill must be promulgated in accordance with the Uniform Administrative Procedures Act.