Title 49, Education

(a) No state-mandated test shall be conducted earlier than grade three (3), except that when the first and second grade tests provided for in chapter 434, § 7 of the Public Acts of 1997 are available, these tests shall be conducted. (b) The commissioner of education shall establi…

A comprehensive writing assessment shall be conducted in at least one (1) grade within each of the following grade spans: elementary, middle grades and high school, as determined by the state board of education.

Beginning with the 2016-2017 school year, the state board of education shall approve appropriate computer science courses that every candidate for a full high school diploma may enroll in and complete to satisfy the elective focus requirement for graduation. As used in this secti…

A special education diploma shall be awarded to students who have satisfactorily completed an individualized education program and who have satisfactory records of attendance and conduct, but who have not met the proficiency testing requirements established under § 49-6-6001.

(a) No later than July 15 of each year, the department of education shall post on its website information about state mandated tests that shall be administered in the upcoming school year. The information shall include the name of the test, the purpose and use of the test, the gr…

(a) Beginning with the 2016-2017 school year, the department of education shall provide LEAs with access to their students' Tennessee comprehensive assessment program (TCAP) and end-of-course assessment items and the students' answers on such assessments. (b) Upon request, LEAs s…

(a) Beginning with the 2016-2017 school year, the department of education shall annually release the Tennessee comprehensive assessment program (TCAP) and end-of-course state assessment blueprints and scoring methodology to LEAs and post such information to the department's websi…

Any course work successfully completed in accordance with rules of the state board of education in a summer program of a school approved by the commissioner of education under § 49-1-201 is fully transferable to any other approved school.

(a) (1) A student who earns a composite score of nineteen (19) or higher on the ACT, or an equivalent score on the SAT or Classic Learning Test (CLT), and earns a capstone industry certification as promoted by the department of education, shall be recognized as a Tennessee Tri-St…

(a) Notwithstanding any other law, the department of education and the state board of education are prohibited from mandating any statewide assessments for any grades or subjects beyond those assessments required as of the 2016-2017 school year until the 2020-2021 school year. Th…

(a) Notwithstanding any law to the contrary, no adverse action may be taken against any student, teacher, school, or LEA based, in whole or in part, on student achievement, student performance, or student growth data generated from:(1) The 2017-2018 TNReady assessments; or(2) The…

Tennessee comprehensive assessment program (TCAP) tests administered in the 2019-2020 school year must be administered in paper format. Before TCAP tests are administered in the 2020-2021 school year, each LEA shall participate in an online verification test conducted by the depa…

Tennessee comprehensive assessment program (TCAP) tests, which include, but are not limited to, TNReady assessments, English learner assessments, alternate TCAP assessments, and end-of-course examinations, shall not be required in the spring of the 2019-2020 school year. This sec…

(a) Tennessee comprehensive assessment program (TCAP) tests may be administered to students in a timed format. The department of education shall establish the required time limit for each TCAP test and an optional additional time period that may be added to the required time limi…

(a) An LEA or the department of education shall provide any testing materials or proposed testing materials that are in the LEA's or department of education's possession to a member of the general assembly upon the member's request to inspect and review the materials. (b) The sta…

(a) As used in this section:(1) “Credit exam” means a comprehensive assessment designed by an LEA or public charter school that is aligned to the Tennessee academic standards for an eligible course;(2) “Eligible course” means a course identified by the department of education, an…

(a) There is established the assessment review board for the Tennessee comprehensive assessment program, to annually review, under the direction of the department of education, the Tennessee comprehensive assessment program (TCAP) tests administered to students in the most recent…

(1) The state departments of education, mental health and substance abuse services, and disability and aging shall take the following actions to improve and coordinate services for behavioral/emotionally disordered children. Any policy change required as a result of these actions…

(a) This section shall be known and may be cited as the “Parent Educational Participation Act.” (b) (1) It may be the duty of the board of education of each school district to develop a program for the voluntary participation of parents in the educational and teaching process at …

(a) This section shall be known and may be cited as the “Parent-Teacher Partnership Act of 1989.” (b) It is the duty of the board of education of each school district to develop a program whereby parents or guardians and appropriate faculty members may meet at least two (2) times…

(a) The board of education shall adopt and file in its official operating policy pamphlet its policy on inspection of school instructional materials by parents or legal guardians of students enrolled in that LEA. (b) The policy shall provide that a parent or legal guardian is ent…

(a) As used in this section, “parent” means the parent, guardian or person who has custody of the child or individual who has caregiving authority under § 49-6-3001. (b) LEAs are encouraged to develop and implement parental involvement contracts with parents of students. These pa…

(a) As used in this section, “parent” means parent, guardian or legal custodian who is required under § 49-6-3001 to enroll the child in school. (b) LEAs are authorized and encouraged to partner with individuals, community and faith-based groups and organizations and nonprofit an…

(a) The department of education shall establish, administer and monitor a system of competitive grants and technical assistance for eligible organizations providing after school educational programs consistent with the Constitution of Tennessee, Article XI, § 5. The grants and te…

(a) In accordance with rules and regulations promulgated by the state board of education and on the recommendation of the commissioner of education, grants and technical assistance shall be awarded to public and not-for-profit organizations that provide, or propose to provide, af…

The state board of education, on the recommendation of the commissioner of education, is authorized to promulgate rules and regulations to effectuate this part. The rules and regulations shall be promulgated in accordance with the Uniform Administrative Procedures Act, compiled i…

(a) As used in this section, unless the context otherwise requires:(1) “ACT” means the ACT assessment administered by ACT;(2) “CLT” means the Classic Learning Test administered by Classic Learning Initiatives, LLC;(3) “CLT10” means a college preparatory examination administered b…

Costs incurred by the department in administering the programs established by this part that provide a system of competitive grants and technical assistance for eligible organizations providing after school educational programs consistent with the Constitution of Tennessee, Artic…

Programs funded under this part shall be subject to the school administered child care rules established under § 49-1-302(i).

This part is known and may be cited as “The Learning Pod Protection Act.”

(1) As used in this part:(1) “Learning pod” means a voluntary association of parents who are choosing to group their children together at various times or places to participate in, or enhance, their child's kindergarten through grade twelve (K-12) education, regardless of whether…

The purpose of this part is to allow parents to voluntarily participate in or associate with learning pods to advance the parents' children's kindergarten through grade twelve (K-12) education without being subject to regulation.

(a) The state, a local government, or an LEA shall not regulate or control a learning pod. Notwithstanding another law to the contrary, a learning pod is exempt from state and local regulation pertaining to education or educational facilities in this state, including, but not lim…

(1) The following burdens of proof apply to administrative or judicial hearings or other actions regarding this part:(1) Questions regarding compliance with any law, rule, policy, guideline, or standard of this state, a local government, or an LEA, and questions regarding any oth…

This part shall be known and may be cited as the “Tennessee School Employee Religious Liberty Act of 1999.”

(a) The general assembly finds the following:(1) Judicial decisions concerning religion, free speech and public education are widely misunderstood and misapplied;(2) Confusion surrounding these decisions has resulted in needless litigation and conflicts;(3) The supreme court of t…

(1) As used in this part, unless the context otherwise requires:(1) “Establishment clause” means the portion of the first amendment to the United States constitution that forbids laws respecting an establishment of religion;(2) “Free exercise clause” means the portion of the firs…

(a) A school employee shall have the right to carry out an activity described in any of subdivisions (b)(1)-(4); provided, that the school employee:(1) Does not interfere with the rights of other school employees;(2) Does not disrupt the educational process;(3) Does not harass ot…

(a) Nothing in this part shall be construed to affect, interpret or in any way address the establishment clause. (b) The specification of religious liberty or free speech rights in this part shall not be construed to exclude or limit religious liberty or free speech rights otherw…

Nothing in this part shall be construed to support, encourage or permit a school employee to lead, direct or encourage any religious or antireligious activity in violation of that portion of the first amendment of the United States constitution prohibiting laws respecting an esta…

This part shall be known and may be cited as the “Schools Against Violence in Education Act” or the “SAVE Act.”

(a) The commissioner of safety shall establish a state-level safety team, which shall assist LEAs and schools with compliance with this part as reasonably necessary. As part of the assistance, the state-level safety team shall publish a template for use by districts in preparing …

The state-level safety team shall be directed by the commissioner of safety.

(a) Each LEA, and to the extent applicable, each public charter school, shall adopt a comprehensive district-wide school safety plan and building-level school safety plans regarding crisis intervention, emergency response, and emergency management. The plans must be developed by …

(1) At a minimum, the template prepared by the state-level safety team shall include:(1) The designation of an emergency response team;(2) Policies and procedures for communication with law enforcement officials, parents and guardians in the event of emergencies and incidents of …

(a) Each district-wide school safety team shall be appointed by the district's director of schools and shall include, but not be limited to, local law enforcement officials, representatives of the school board, representatives of student, teacher, administrator and parent organiz…