HB1881 • 2026

Education

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 4; Title 9; Title 12; Title 48; Title 49 and Title 67, relative to education.

Education

Active

The official status still shows this bill as active or still awaiting another formal step.

Sponsor: Slater, Johnson
Last action: 2026-04-08
Official status: Placed on s/c cal Finance, Ways, and Means Subcommittee for 4/14/2026
Effective date: Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The official summary does not provide details on specific updates or the extent of changes to other titles beyond removing references to literacy practices reporting requirements.

Education Changes

This bill removes an old reporting requirement for the Tennessee Department of Education about literacy practices.

What This Bill Does

Removes outdated rules that required the state education department to report on certain literacy programs and standards.

Who It Names or Affects

The Tennessee Department of Education

Terms To Know

Tennessee Code Annotated: A collection of laws for the state of Tennessee organized by subject.
Literacy practices: Methods and standards used to teach reading, writing, and language skills.

Limits and Unknowns

The bill does not specify new requirements or changes beyond removing the old reporting rules.
It is unclear how many school districts will be directly affected by this change.

Amendments

These notes stay tied to the official amendment files and metadata from the legislature.

HA1025

Amendment 1-0 to HB1881

Plain English: The amendment changes requirements for students receiving Education Savings Accounts (ESAs) by adding annual testing and reporting rules.

Students in grades three through eleven who receive ESAs must take a standardized test or TCAP tests each year, as determined by the state board's rules.
Participating schools must provide test results to parents and report them annually to the Office of Research and Education Accountability (OREA) starting June 30, 2027.
The OREA will analyze the data and submit an annual report on ESA student performance to relevant education committees.

Some technical details about how schools must provide test results are included but may be complex for a general summary.

SA0787

Amendment 1-0 to SB1585

Plain English: The amendment changes requirements for students receiving Education Savings Accounts (ESAs) by adding new testing rules and reporting requirements.

Students in grades three through eleven who receive ESAs must take either a nationally standardized test or the TCAP tests for math and English language arts each year.
Participating schools must provide test results to parents annually.
The state department will sample participating students' academic performance data from grades three through eight, who took TCAP tests in the previous school year.
Schools providing ESAs must report test results to OREA by June 30 each year starting in 2027.

The amendment text does not specify all details about how schools will implement these changes or what specific rules the state board will create.

Bill History

2026-04-08 Tennessee General Assembly
Placed on s/c cal Finance, Ways, and Means Subcommittee for 4/14/2026
2026-04-01 Tennessee General Assembly
Assigned to s/c Finance, Ways, and Means Subcommittee
2026-04-01 Tennessee General Assembly
Rec. for pass. if am., ref. to Finance, Ways, and Means Committee
2026-03-25 Tennessee General Assembly
Placed on cal. Education Committee for 3/31/2026
2026-03-24 Tennessee General Assembly
Rec for pass if am by s/c ref. to Education Committee
2026-03-23 Tennessee General Assembly
Sponsor(s) Added.
2026-03-23 Tennessee General Assembly
Re-refer to S. Cal Comm
2026-03-20 Tennessee General Assembly
Placed on Senate Regular Calendar for 3/23/2026
2026-03-18 Tennessee General Assembly
Sponsor(s) Added.
2026-03-18 Tennessee General Assembly
Placed on s/c cal K-12 Subcommittee for 3/24/2026
2026-03-18 Tennessee General Assembly
Recommended for passage with amendment/s, refer to Senate Calendar Committee Ayes 7, Nays 0 PNV 0
2026-03-17 Tennessee General Assembly
Action Def. in s/c K-12 Subcommittee to 3/24/2026
2026-03-12 Tennessee General Assembly
Placed on Senate Education Committee calendar for 3/18/2026
2026-03-12 Tennessee General Assembly
Sponsor(s) Added.
2026-03-11 Tennessee General Assembly
Placed on s/c cal K-12 Subcommittee for 3/17/2026
2026-03-11 Tennessee General Assembly
Action deferred in Senate Education Committee to 3/18/2026
2026-03-10 Tennessee General Assembly
Action Def. in s/c K-12 Subcommittee to 3/17/2026
2026-03-05 Tennessee General Assembly
Placed on Senate Education Committee calendar for 3/11/2026
2026-03-04 Tennessee General Assembly
Placed on s/c cal K-12 Subcommittee for 3/10/2026
2026-02-25 Tennessee General Assembly
Assigned to s/c K-12 Subcommittee
2026-02-25 Tennessee General Assembly
Ref. to Education Committee
2026-02-02 Tennessee General Assembly
P2C, caption bill, held on desk - pending amdt.
2026-01-22 Tennessee General Assembly
Intro., P1C.
2026-01-21 Tennessee General Assembly
Filed for introduction
2026-01-14 Tennessee General Assembly
Passed on Second Consideration, refer to Senate Education Committee
2026-01-13 Tennessee General Assembly
Introduced, Passed on First Consideration
2026-01-12 Tennessee General Assembly
Filed for introduction

Official Summary Text

Abstract summarizes the bill.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

SENATE BILL 1585
By Johnson

HOUSE BILL 1881
By Slater
HB1881
010172
- 1 -

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 4;
Title 9; Title 12; Title 48; Title 49 and Title 67,
relative to education.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 49-1-908, is amended by deleting the
section.
SECTION 2. This act takes effect upon becoming a law, the public welfare requiring it.