Over the past decade, Tennessee has led the nation in academic gains for students. Districts are using high-quality instructional materials in both reading and math to increase the daily rigor in classrooms. Teachers are using a research-based approach to foundational literacy focused on helping more Tennessee students develop strong phonics-based reading skills. Students are building their phonological and phonemic awareness, phonics skills, and the ability to make connections through practice in and out of text-based context. (author abstract)