HB 1043

Present law requires the department of education to develop a school grading system that annually assigns A, B, C, D, and F letter grades to schools based on (i) s tudent performance on the Tennessee comprehensive assessment program (TCAP) tests or end-of-course exams; (ii) s tudent growth as indicated by Te nnessee Value-Added Assessment System (TVAAS) data or data from other measures of student growth; and ( iii ) o ther outcome indicators of student achievement that the department finds to be reliable measures of school performance. The department of educatio n must include each school's A, B, C, D, or F grade on the state report card. EXPIRED PROVISIONS Present law required the implementation of the school grading system to begin in the 2017-2018 school year and the department to provide notice of the adopt ed grading scale to each LEA prior to the start of the 2017-2018 school year. However, student performance and student growth data from the TNReady assessments administered in the 2017-2018 school year was not to be used to assign such a letter grade to a school. Additionally, student performance and student growth data from the TCAP tests administered in the 2019-2020 school year was not to be used to assign such a letter grade to a school, unless the use results in a higher letter grade for the school. Present law provided that, i f 80% or more of an LEA's or public charter school's students enrolled in grades 3-12 participate d in the TCAP tests administered in the 2020-2021 school year, then student performance and student growth data generated from th e TCAP tests administered in the 2020-2021 school year was not to be used to assign such a letter grade to a school. However, the commissioner of education was authorized , at the commissioner's discretion, to grant an LEA or public charter school a waiver from the 80 -percent-participation requirement . Further, the department was prohibited from issuing letter grades or any other summative ratings for schools eligible for the accountability or schools that receive a waiver from the commissioner in the stat e report card for the 2020-2021 school year as long as the department provide d student performance and student growth data to LEAs, and as required by federal law. This bill removes all of the expired provisions described above.