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

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.