Topic Timeline:
Key events in the development of academic standards in
Tennessee over recent years have included:
• 2008-14: The Tennessee State Board of Education
began a series of standards changes beginning in
2008 with the Tennessee Diploma Project. SBE adopted
new English language arts and math standards in
2010 and phased in implementation of the standards
over three academic years beginning in 2011-12. New
social studies standards were adopted in 2013.
• May 2014: Senate Bill 1835/House Bill 1549, enacted
by the General Assembly, created more protections
for student data with the implementation of a new
assessment and prevented the adoption of standards
that were developed by a consortium of states in
subjects beyond English language arts and math.9
Key facts on assessment:
• Academic standards create a map for more rigorous
instruction and learning in Tennessee, but if student
progress on these standards is not measured with a
high-quality, aligned assessment, it is unlikely that the
standards will achieve their instructional and student
achievement goals.
• Research finds that the content and format of
assessments affect teacher’s instruction of academic
standards.13
• Tennessee students in grades 3-11 take yearly
assessments in math, English language arts, science,
and social studies.
Topic Timeline:
• August 2014: The social studies standards adopted
in 2013 were implemented.10
Here are key recent events in educational assessment in
Tennessee:
• October 2014: Governor Bill Haslam announced a
public review process of Tennessee’s State Standards
for English language arts and math to provide an
opportunity for all stakeholders, particularly teachers,
to share feedback on the standards after four years
of implementation.11 The Tennessee General Assembly
codified this process with Public Chapter 423.
• 1988:
Standardized
assessments
were
first
implemented through the Tennessee Comprehensive
Assessment Program (TCAP). TCAP is a series
of achievement tests that were designed and
implemented to measure student progress on
Tennessee’s academic standards.
• 2015: The review process for new science standards
began.
• 2016: New math and English language arts standards
are adopted, to be implemented in 2017-18. SBE
approves new standards for science, fine arts, health
education and lifetime wellness to go into effect during
the 2018-19 school year. The public review of social
studies standards launched in January.
Assessment
Educational assessments provide educators, parents, and
students with information that helps them better understand
students’ strengths and opportunities for growth. Assessment
results show which student groups are mastering course
content and where gaps in content mastery must be
addressed. Data from student assessment results also
ensure schools and districts can be held accountable for the
achievement and learning growth of all their students. Highquality assessments should guide the instruction of teachers,
help students and parents to measure student progress on
academic standards, and support students’ development
of the skills and competencies the workforce demands.12
17 | P U B L I C E D U C AT I O N I N T E N N ES S E E
• 2001: Tennessee expanded TCAP as a result of No
Child Left Behind (NCLB), requiring assessments in
grades 3-12 in English language arts, math, science,
and social studies.14 However, only mathematics and
reading assessments were used for accountability
purposes under NCLB.
• 2011: As a result of the adoption of new standards in
math and English language arts, Tennessee committed
to implementing an assessment aligned to the new
math and English language arts standards that could
be administered online.
• May 2014: Senate Bill 1835/House Bill 1549 required
Tennessee-specific assessments. This legislation also
required that a new assessment system be selected
through a competitive bidding process.15
• July 2014: Tennessee’s Central Procurement Office
issued a Request for Proposal (RFP) for a new statewide
assessment in English language arts and math. Any
assessment vendor throughout the country was eligible
to apply. The RFP established that the contract would
be awarded to the vendor that could most effectively
meet the assessment needs of Tennessee schools.16
• November 2014: The Central Procurement Office
awarded the RFP to Measurement Inc.
• Spring 2016: The TDOE suspends testing for grades
3-8 and terminates the contract with Measurement Inc.