School Vouchers

Plain English Breakdown

Checked against official source text during the last sync.

Tennessee Education Savings Account Pilot Program

This bill changes the assessment requirements for students participating in Tennessee's education savings account and individualized education account programs.

What This Bill Does

• Removes the requirement for participating students to take specific TCAP tests each year.
• Requires participating students to take the same assessments as public school students in their grade or course subject.
• Specifies that 11th-grade participants must take an exam assessing readiness for postsecondary education.
• Requires K-3 participants to be tested with Tennessee universal reading screeners during specific windows.

Who It Names or Affects

• Students participating in the Tennessee education savings account and individualized education account programs.
• Parents of students in these programs who must ensure their children take required assessments.

Terms To Know

Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program (TCAP)

A set of standardized tests used to measure student achievement in Tennessee public schools.

Individualized Education Account (IEA) program

A program that provides funding for students with disabilities to receive individualized education services outside of traditional public school settings.

Limits and Unknowns

• The bill did not pass and therefore has no legal effect.
• It is unclear how the changes will impact student performance or educational outcomes.

Official Summary Text

TENNESSEE EDUCATION SAVINGS ACCOUNT PILOT PROGRAM

As a condition of participating in the
Tennessee education savings account pilot
program,
present law requires
participating students in grades
3-11
to
be annually administered the Tennessee comprehensive assessment program (TCAP) tests for math and English language arts, or successor tests authorized by the state board of education for math and English language arts.
This bill removes these pro
visions and requires, instead, a
s a condition of participating in the program:



Participating students must be annually administered the TCAP tests, or successor tests authorized by the state board of education, that are administered to a public school student in the same grade or same course subject as the participating student
.



Participating students in 11
th

grade
must be administered the examination that is administered to public school

students
in 11th grade to assess student readiness for postsecondary education.



Participating students in grad
es
K-3

must annually be administered each of the three Tennessee universal reading screeners, or universal reading screeners approved by the state board of education, during each of the three administration windows established by the department of education
.

INDIVIDUALIZED EDUCATION ACCOUNT PROGRAM

For students in grade
s
3-8 participating in an individualized education account (IEA) program, present law requires a parent to ensure that the student is annually a
dministered either a nationally norm-referenced test identified by the department
of education
or the TCAP tests or any future replacements of the TCAP tests. The tests should, at a minimum, measure learning in mathematics and English language arts. This

bill removes these provisions and r
equires
, instead, that
a parent ensure the
ir
student adheres to
the above outlined
testing schedule. However, students with disabilities who, under present law, would have participated in the alternate assessment, as determined on the student's IEP, remain exempt from this requirement.

Current Bill Text

SENATE BILL 1132
By Yarbro

HOUSE BILL 1213
By Johnson

HB1213
002043
- 1 -

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 49,
relative to student assessments.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 49-10-1403, is amended by deleting
subsection (e) and substituting:
(e)
(1) A parent of a participating student:
(A) Shall ensure that the participating student is annually
administered all Tennessee comprehensive assessment program (TCAP)
tests, or successor tests authorized by the state board of education, that
are administered to a public school student in the same grade or same
course subject as the participating student;
(B) In grade eleven (11) shall ensure that the student is
administered the examination that is administered to public school
students in grade (11) pursuant to § 49-6-6001(b)(1); and
(C) In any of the grades kindergarten through three (K-3) shall
ensure that the participating student is annually administered each of the
three (3) Tennessee universal reading screeners, or universal reading
screeners approved by the state board of education, as described in § 49-
1-905(c) during each of the three (3) administration windows established
by the department of education pursuant to § 49-1-905(c)(1).

- 2 - 002043

(2) A participating student's results on the tests administered pursuant to
this subsection (e) must be reported to the parent of the student.
(3) Students with disabilities who would have participated in the alternate
assessments, as determined on the student's IEP, are exempt from the
requirements in this subsection (e).
SECTION 2. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 49-6-2606(a)(1), is amended by
deleting the subdivision and substituting:
(1) As a condition of participating in the program:
(A) Participating students must be annually administered the Tennessee
comprehensive assessment program (TCAP) tests, or successor tests authorized
by the state board of education, that are administered to a public school student
in the same grade or same course subject as the participating student;
(B) Participating students in grade eleven (11) must be administered the
examination that is administered to public schools students in grade eleven (11)
pursuant to § 49-6-6001(b)(1); and
(C) Participating students in kindergarten through grade three (K-3) must
annually be administered each of the three (3) Tennessee universal reading
screeners, or universal reading screeners approved by the state board of
education, as described in § 49-1-905(c) during each of the three (3)
administration windows established by the department of education pursuant to §
49-1-905(c)(1).
SECTION 3. This act takes effect July 1, 2025, the public welfare requiring it.