Tennessee § 49-1-228 - School grading system — State report card — Implementation — Notice.

§ 49-1-228. School grading system — State report card — Implementation — Notice.

The department of education shall develop a school grading system that annually assigns A, B, C, D, and F letter grades to schools based on: Student performance on the Tennessee comprehensive assessment program (TCAP) tests or end-of-course exams; Student growth as indicated by Tennessee Value-Added Assessment System (TVAAS) data or data from other measures of student growth; and Other outcome indicators of student achievement that the department finds to be reliable measures of school performance. The department of education shall include each school's A, B, C, D, or F grade on the state report card. Implementation of the school grading system shall begin in the 2017-2018 school year; provided, however, prior to implementation, the state board shall review the grading scale developed by the department. The department shall provide notice of the adopted grading scale to each LEA prior to the start of the 2017-2018 school year. Notwithstanding subsection (a), student performance and student growth data from the TNReady assessments administered in the 2017-2018 school year shall not be used to assign a letter grade to a school pursuant to this section. Notwithstanding subsections (a)-(c), student performance and student growth data from the 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, administered in the 2019-2020 school year shall not be used to assign a letter grade to a school, unless the use results in a higher letter grade for the school. Acts 2016, ch. 680, § 1; 2018, ch. 881, § 3; 2020, ch. 652, § 5. Compiler's Notes. Acts 2018, ch. 881, § 5 provided that for the 2017-2018 school year, LEAs shall not base employment termination and compensation decisions for teachers on data generated by statewide assessments administered in the 2017-2018 school year. For the Preamble to the act concerning severe weather, tornadoes and the COVID-19 threat, see Acts 2020, ch. 652. Acts 2020, ch. 652, § 13 provided that: “(a) The department of education shall promptly seek a waiver from the United States Department of Education, or seek to amend Tennessee's Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) Plan, as necessary and appropriate to implement chapter 652 of the Public Acts of 2020. “(b) The state board of education shall promptly revise the high school graduation requirements for the 2019-2020 school year to ensure that high school seniors who were affected by school closures during the spring of the 2019-2020 school year do not fail to receive a high school diploma for which the student was on-track and otherwise eligible to receive on or before April 2, 2020. “(c) The state board of education shall consult with the department of education, Tennessee higher education commission, and public institutions of higher education to develop guidance, resources, and opportunities for high school students who were enrolled in dual credit or dual enrollment courses during the spring of the 2019-2020 school year, and who were adversely affected by school closures due to COVID-19. “(d) Notwithstanding Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 4-5-208(a): “(1) The state board of education may promulgate emergency rules as necessary to address any issues created by school closures due to the outbreak of COVID-19 during the 2019-2020 school year. The rules must be promulgated according to the Uniform Administrative Procedures Act, compiled in title 4, chapter 5; and “(2) The Tennessee student assistance corporation and public institutions of higher education may promulgate emergency rules to protect the financial aid and credit opportunities for high school students who were enrolled in dual credit or dual enrollment courses during the spring of the 2019-2020 school year, and who were adversely affected by school closures due to COVID-19.” Amendments. The 2020 amendment added (f). Effective Dates. Acts 2020, ch. 652, § 14. April 2, 2020.