Current through September 24, 2024
(1) The Tennessee
state academic standards approved by the State Board shall be used for all
courses grades kindergarten through twelve (K-12).
(2) All textbooks and instructional materials
adopted and purchased shall be aligned with state academic standards.
(3) All courses listed in State Board's
Approved High School Courses Policy 3.205 may be offered for credit in grades
nine through twelve (9-12). Additional details about approved courses shall be
included in the Correlation of Course and Endorsement Codes database managed by
the Department of Education.
(4)
LEAs may offer special courses in addition to the courses listed in the State
Board's Approved High School Courses Policy 3.205. Such special courses shall
be approved by the Department of Education and the State Board. Each special
course approved by the Department shall be recommended to the State Board for
an approval period of one (1), three (3), or six (6) years.
(5) Each school shall evaluate and report in
writing to the parent or legal guardian each student's progress in each
subject, at least every nine (9) weeks, in accordance with the local school
board's grading policy.
(6) LEAs
shall implement the Response to Instruction and Intervention
(RTI²) framework adopted by the State Board.
RTI² shall include high-quality instruction and
interventions tailored to student need where core instructional and
intervention decisions are guided by student outcome data. Tiered interventions
in the areas of reading, mathematics, and/or writing shall occur in the general
education setting depending on the needs of the student. If a student fails to
respond to intensive interventions and is suspected of having a Specific
Learning Disability as defined in State Board Rule
0520-01-09-.02, then the student
may require special education interventions.
(7) LEAs shall award high school credit to
students who successfully complete college-level courses aligned to a
graduation requirement course, including general education and elective focus
courses.
(a) Local high schools shall accept
postsecondary credits as a substitution for an aligned graduation requirement
course, including general education and elective focus courses for those
students who take and pass dual enrollment courses at a postsecondary
institution for credit.
(b) Local
boards of education may adopt policies providing for college-level courses to
be offered during the school day on the high school campus. Such courses must
be taught by a licensed high school teacher or credentialed postsecondary
faculty member approved by the local school system and partnering postsecondary
institution. These courses are to be considered part of the high school
program, with content and instruction subject to the supervision of the school
principal and local board of education.
(8) Coursework successfully completed in an
LEA, public charter school, or Category I, II, or III private school, including
coursework completed during a summer school operated or offered by these
entities, is fully transferrable to any other approved school. All summer
school teachers at a summer school operated or offered by an LEA or public
charter school shall be licensed and hold endorsements in the subject areas in
which they are teaching.
(9) LEAs
may offer Work-Based Learning (WBL) experiences that allow students to apply
classroom theories to practical problems and to explore career options. All WBL
experiences shall align to the State Board's Work-Based Learning Framework set
forth in State Board High School Policy 2.103.
(10) State-mandated student testing programs
shall be undertaken in accordance with procedures published by the Department
of Education.
(a) State-mandated assessments
shall be given for grades three through eleven (3-11).
(b) End-of-course examinations shall be given
in English I, English II, Algebra I, Geometry, Algebra II, Integrated Math I,
Integrated Math II, Integrated Math III, U.S. History, and Biology I.
(c) A comprehensive writing assessment shall
be conducted in at least one (1) grade within elementary, middle grades, and
high school as part of the state-mandated assessment program.
(d) The Department of Education shall provide
raw score data from the end-of-course examinations to each LEA for the purpose
of including student scores on the examinations into a student's final grade
for the course. The weight of the examination on the student's final average
shall be determined by the LEA from a range of not less than fifteen percent
(15%) and not more than twenty-five percent (25%). If an LEA does not receive
its students' end-of-course examination scores at least (5) instructional days
before the scheduled end of the course, then the LEA may choose not to include
its students' examination scores in the students' final average.
(e) Each local school board shall adopt a
policy that details the methodology used and the required weighting for
incorporating students' scores on end-of-course examinations into final report
card grades.
(f) Local school
boards shall adopt a policy regarding security of test administration,
consistent with Department of Education guidelines.
(g) The Department of Education shall
annually report to the State Board the number and percentage of students who
scored below but were promoted to the next grade level by the LEA. This data
shall be disaggregated by subgroups similar to those required for federal
reporting.
(11)
Beginning in the 2023-24 school year, all students in grade eight (8),
including students with an Individualized Education Program (IEP), shall begin
the development of the high school and beyond plan in accordance with the State
Board's Middle Grades Policy 2.102 and High School Policy 2.103.
(12) Each local board of education shall
adopt a credit recovery policy, aligned to the State Board's High School Policy
2.103, to provide standards-based extended learning opportunities for students
who have previously been unsuccessful in mastering the standards required to
receive course credit or earn promotion.
(a)
Each credit recovery policy shall address, at a minimum:
1. Admission to and removal from credit
recovery programs;
2. Instruction;
and
3. Grading and awarding of
credit.
(13)
High School Equivalency Credentials.
(a)
Pursuant to T.C.A. §
4-3-1422, the Tennessee Department
of Labor and Workforce Development (Department of Labor) is required to make
recommendations to the State Board for approval of assessments or criteria
leading to the award of a high school equivalency credential. A high school
equivalency credential is recognized as being equivalent to a traditional high
school diploma.
(b) The Department
of Labor shall oversee the issuance of high school equivalency credentials to
individuals who meet the criteria established in subparagraphs (c) and (d) of
this Rule.
(c) An individual shall
be eighteen (18) years of age before being eligible to obtain a high school
equivalency credential. However, a seventeen (17) year old who is not currently
enrolled in school or who is currently enrolled in a Tennessee public school
may be eligible to obtain a high school equivalency credential upon receiving a
signed recommendation from the director of schools (or the director's designee)
of the LEA having jurisdiction over the individual. A seventeen (17) year old
enrolled in a private school or church-related school may be eligible to obtain
a high school equivalency credential upon receiving a signed recommendation
from the leader of the private school or church-related school where the
student is currently enrolled, The director of schools or leader of the private
school or church-related school may require written documentation from the
individual to support this recommendation. A seventeen (17) year old who is
independently home schooled by their parent or legal guardian may be eligible
to obtain a high school equivalency credential upon receiving a signed
recommendation from the individual's parent or legal guardian.
(d) In addition to meeting the requirements
set forth in subparagraph (c), a high school equivalency credential may be
obtained by meeting the requirements of any one (1) of the following pathways:
1. Pathway 1: High School Equivalency Test
(HiSET).
(i) The HiSET test shall be operated
in accordance with the policies established by the Department of
Labor.
(ii) The HiSET test consists
of five (5) subtests that count twenty (20) points each. In order to pass, the
total composite score on the HiSET test shall be forty-five (45) or higher, and
the minimum score on each subtest shall be eight (8) or higher.
2. Pathway 2: General Educational
Development Test (GED).
(i) The GED test shall
be operated in accordance with the policies established by the Department of
Labor.
(ii) The GED test consists
of four (4) subtests that count 200 points each. In order to pass, the score on
each subtest shall be 145 or higher.
3. Pathway 3: Multiple Measures.
(i) Demonstrating subject matter competency
by achieving passing subtest scores in math, reading, writing/language,
science, and social studies. Passing scores can be demonstrated through a
combination of HiSET, GED, Test of Adult Basic Education (TABE), CASAS GOALS,
or ACT WorkKeys subtests.
(I) All tests shall
be operated in accordance with the policies established by the Department of
Labor.
(II) The TABE test consists
of three (3) subtests in the subject areas of math, reading, and
writing/language. In order to pass the math subtest, the scale score shall be
537 or higher. In order to pass the reading subtest, the scale score shall be
536 or higher. In order to pass the writing/language subtest, the scale score
shall be 547.
(III) The CASAS GOALS
test consists of two (2) subtests in the subject areas of math and reading. In
order to pass the math subtest, the scale score shall be 214 or higher. In
order to pass the reading subtest, the scale score shall be 228 or
higher.
(IV) The ACT WorkKeys test
consists of one (1) math subtest and one (1) reading subtest. In order to pass
the math subtest, the "Applied Math" score shall be 83 or higher. In order to
pass the reading subtest, the "Workplace Documents" score shall be 78 or
higher.
Authority: T.C.A. §§
4-3-1422,
49-1-302,
49-2-110,
49-2-114,
49-6-101,
49-6-201,
49-6-3001,
49-6-3003,
49-6-3005,
49-6-3104,
49-6-3105,
49-6-6001, and
49-6-6002; and Public Chapter 652
of 2020.
