Of all the areas of society COVID-19 impacted in 2020-2021, education may very well be the most important.  Because students had different access points to learning in 2020-2021, proficiency across the state, especially in reading and math, suffered.  

In order to address learning loss, the state of Tennessee implemented Tennessee Accelerating Literacy and Learning Corps (TN ALL CORPS).  This intensive tutoring program is being funded for three years and will help students receive equitable learning opportunities to make up for learning loss during the 2020-2021 school year.

Haywood County Schools (HCS) is one of 79 school districts in the state of Tennessee to implement TN ALL CORPS tutoring in their school system.  By taking advantage of this program, students in HCS will have the opportunity for extra learning from certified teachers through an extended learning day or meeting before school.   

Corey Currie, Executive Director of Equity, Learning Loss, and Stakeholder Engagement for HCS, has woven TN ALL CORPS and 21st Century Community Learning Center (21stCCLC) together to form a program where intensive tutoring can take place in an effective and efficient way.

“TN ALL CORPS tutoring will be provided through an extended day and/or before school utilizing the model of 21stCCLC,” Corey explained.  “This model will allow the current 21st Century program to blend TN ALL CORPS students with 21st Century students and provide both groups access to high dosage tutoring.”

The tutoring for TN ALL CORPS will be provided by classroom teachers and will have a 1:3 teacher/student ratio.  This small ratio allows for personal, intensive tutoring between teachers and students in order to maximize the learning taking place.

“In order to best serve our students, there is a great need for teachers to invest time in the before and after school programs.  The time can even be flexible according to the needs of the teachers who want to invest that time, and the funds to compensate them for that time are available, too,” said Gina Rawson, Deputy Superintendent of HCS.  

Students in Haywood County have access to after-school programs as well as in-depth tutoring through TN ALL CORPS.  Both programs can help bridge the learning loss gap that occurred during COVID-19.

“HCS is committed to serving as many of our students as possible in both English/Language Arts and Math through these tutoring services,” Corey said.  “HCS will continue to monitor data in order to review progress and recommend students who show they are in greater need of extra support, while also keeping in mind the loss of learning opportunities experienced by all students in HCS.”

While all learning that was lost during COVID-19 cannot be made up in a short amount of time, TN ALL CORPS is committed to the investment in the persistent process of intensive tutoring.  This will allow all students to receive the intensive learning that was lost during the height of the pandemic.

Part of the vision for TN ALL CORPS states, “Beginning in the 2020-21 school year through summer 2024, the Tennessee Department of Education is investing in TN ALL Corps tutoring through a grant matching program available to both school districts and community partners. Combining funding that is available at the state, district, and community levels, Tennessee can dramatically increase the amount of learning time children have access to—helping to mitigate learning loss and accelerate student achievement.”

Because of this investment, HCS students are able to access vital opportunities for extra support in learning.