Plain English Breakdown
The official source material does not provide details on the exact measures or criteria for school and district performance without end-of-course tests.
Changing State Tests for High School Students
This bill requires Tennessee's Department of Education to request changes from the U.S. Department of Education to remove end-of-course tests and allow high school students to take the ACT, SAT, or another approved test each year.
What This Bill Does
- Requires the Tennessee Department of Education to submit a request to the U.S. Department of Education to amend Tennessee's ESSA plan by removing all end-of-course assessment requirements for grades nine through twelve.
- Allows students in grades nine through twelve to take the ACT, SAT, or another postsecondary readiness assessment approved by the commissioner annually.
- Uses student performance on these assessments for accountability purposes.
Who It Names or Affects
- High school students (grades nine through twelve) who will no longer have end-of-course tests but may take the ACT, SAT, or other approved tests instead.
- Schools and districts whose performance is measured based on student test scores.
Terms To Know
- Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA)
- A federal law that sets rules for how schools should be run and tested.
- End-of-course assessment
- Tests given at the end of a school year or course to see what students have learned.
Limits and Unknowns
- The bill does not specify exactly how schools will be measured without end-of-course tests.
- It is unclear if and when the U.S. Department of Education will approve Tennessee's request.