Tennessee: College and Career Policies

This includes:
-1.5 credits of of physical education and wellness;
-0.5 credits of personal finance;
-2 credits of foreign language (May be waived for students not going to a University to expand and enhance the elective focus);
-1 credit of fine arts (May be waived for students not going to a University to expand and enhance the elective focus); and,
-3 credits consisting of Math and Science, Career and Technical Education, Fine Arts, Humanities, Advanced Placement (AP) or International Baccalaureate (IB)

Administrators are required to acquire 60 professional development points.

Tennessee fine arts academic standards include separate sets of standards for each of the four arts: dance, music, theater, and visual art. Each set of standards is based on the national standards for that art area. Each has grade level standards for K-5, subject area course standards for grades 6-8, and course-level standards for grades 9-12. Working from the national standards, teams of educators in each area developed the state standards including Grade or Course Level Expectations (GLEs or CLEs) and Checks for Understanding.

The Tennessee State Board of Education has full authority per state law.

In July 2011, Tennessee implemented a student outcomes-based, statewide educator evaluation system: the Tennessee Educator Acceleration Model (TEAM). This implementation was a key tenet of Tennessee’s First to the Top Act, adopted by the General Assembly with bipartisan support during 2010’s extraordinary session under the backdrop of the federal Race to the Top competition. This landmark legislation established the parameters of a new teacher and principal evaluation system and committed to implementation during the 2011-12 school year

Required by law as part of its Race to the Top application, Tennessee was one of the first states in the nation to implement a comprehensive, outcomes-based evaluation system. The Tennessee Educator Acceleration Model (TEAM) requires that 40-50% of annual educator evaluations are based on student performance measures. The Tennessee Teaching Evaluation Enhancement Act (Tenn. Code Ann. § 49-1-302) adjusts the current weighting of student growth data in an educator’s evaluation to lessen the evaluation score impact of new assessments in English language arts and math (called TNReady), as well as social studies and science.

The Tennessee State Board of Education has complete jurisdiction over educator licensure.

In order to be certified as a teacher, applicants must hold a bachelor's degree, pass required examinations, and complete an approved teacher preparation program.

The Tennessee State Board of Education assesses and approves educator preparation programs.

In order to be approved, teacher preparation programs must follow 6 standards: knowledge and skills pertaining to all areas, communications, humanities and arts, social science and culture, science and technology, and mathematical concepts and applications.

Tennessee Rules and Regulations require that students whose first language is other than English and who are limited in their English language proficiency be provided with a specially designed alternative language program. [Rule 0520-1-3-.056. a. 1 and 2 ii.]

Tennessee updated the English language arts standards in 2010.

The department has terminated its statewide testing contract with Measurement Inc., effective immediately. While high school testing will continue as planned, the state will suspend grade 3-8 testing during the 2015-16 school year due to Measurement Inc.’s inability to deliver all testing materials.