Bill > SB2403

This bill requires public schools in Tennessee to annually report to the Department of Education a list of all "local assessments" they administer, which are defined as standardized tests or assessments chosen by the school or local education agency (LEA) and not part of the state's Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program (TCAP). This report must include the assessment's name or purpose, subject, grade level, and administration schedule, and the department will create an online database to make this information publicly accessible to help parents and students compare assessments across schools and districts, with the goal of providing this information before the start of each school year, and no later than July 1, 2027. Additionally, the bill mandates that vendors of state-approved universal reading screeners, which are used to identify students needing extra reading support, must develop a framework to predict students' projected proficiency on the English language arts (ELA) portion of the TCAP test based on their screener results, and the department will publish the aggregated proficiency level percentages derived from these frameworks. Finally, the bill establishes an "assessment review board" composed of nine classroom teachers from across the state, appointed by the governor, lieutenant governor, and speaker of the house, to annually review the TCAP tests administered in the most recent school year, with access to student performance data and assessment items where a significant percentage of students scored incorrectly, to identify any patterns or concerns that might necessitate changes in instructional practices.