TAKING NOTE
NOVEMBER 2013
Tennessee gain national recognition for its work to raise
standards. This means that Tennessee has started
to do a better job of setting high standards and
accurately assessing students’ abilities, skill levels,
and content knowledge.
The Tennessee Diploma Project also set new
graduation requirements for high school students,
beginning with the 2009-2010 ninth grade class,
which includevi:
A total of 22 credits instead of the previous 20
for graduation. This includes an additional credit
in math. The table below illustrates the changes
to the credit requirements.
Before 2009
After 2009
Math
3 credits;
Algebra I
required
4 credits; Algebra
I, II, Geometry,
and 1 upper level
math required
Science
3 credits;
Biology
required
3 credits; Biology,
Chemistry or
Physics, and lab
science required
English
4 credits
4 credits
Social Studies
3 credits
3 credits
Wellness/Physical Education
1 credit
1.5 credits
Personal Finance
0 credits
0.5 credits
6 credits
6 credits; 1 fine
art, 2 foreign
language, and
3 elective focus
required
20 credits
22 credits
Elective Focus
Total
End-of-Course (EOC) exams to be given in
English I, II, and III, Algebra I and II, Geometry,
U.S. History, Biology I, Chemistry, and Physics.
PAGE 4
Students do not have to pass any one exam, but
must achieve a passing score for the course in
accordance with the State Board of Education’s
uniform grading policy.
Students work with their parent/guardian, faculty
advisor, and/or guidance counselor to develop
a focused program of study to prepare them for
postsecondary study.
Eighth grade students take the EXPLORE test
and tenth grade students take the PLAN test to
assess ACT readiness benchmarks.
All students take the ACT in eleventh grade.
The local Board of Education can require
students to complete a capstone project –
examples include a senior project, internship,
work-based learning, service learning, or
community service project.
Tennessee’s Common Core State Standards
Developing the Standards
Although the Tennessee Diploma Project helped make
significant improvements to graduation requirements
and academic standards, there was still more work to be
done to ensure Tennessee students were being prepared
to meet the demands of a global economy. Beginning
in 2008, the Council of Chief State School Officers
(CCSSO) and the National Governors Association
(NGA) Center for Best Practices helped states embark
on a collaborative effort to develop a set of challenging
standards that could be shared across multiple states.
The standards were developed to: align with college and
workforce expectations; include rigorous content and
application of knowledge through higher-order skills; and
build upon the strengths of current state standards, as
well as those from top-performing countries.vii
Tennessee’s Governor and Education Commissioner
joined the Common Core State Standards Initiative in
June, 2009, stating that: “With our focus on raising
academic standards and aligning those standards to real
world demands, we are better positioning young people
to succeed in college and career, which will be key to
economic achievement in the increasingly competitive
1207 18th Avenue South, Suite 326, Nashville, TN 37212 — tel 615.727.1545 — fax 615.727.1569 — www.tnscore.org