Tennessee General Assembly
• Accurate assessments for Tennessee’s State Standards
• Comprehensive teacher and principal evaluation
The legislation governing Tennessee’s education system
is established by the Tennessee General Assembly. The
education committees in the Tennessee Senate and House
consider all legislation related to education, including but
not limited to issues such as teacher pay and benefits,
school and district accountability systems, and allocating
funds to statewide educational programs.
Primary responsibilities:
• Approving the state’s annual budget for education
expenditures
• Crafting laws and policies affecting schools
• Confirming members of the State Board of Education
Tennessee Department of Education (TDOE)
The Tennessee Department of Education, led by the
Commissioner of Education, oversees public school systems
at the state level. TDOE ensures that both federal and state
education laws and regulations are followed and that
money allocated to education is distributed appropriately
to districts. In this role, TDOE serves as the liaison between
school districts and federal and state agencies.
• Teacher training in the science, technology, engineering,
and math (STEM) fields
• Training for better use of Tennessee Value-Added
Assessment System (TVAAS) data
In 2015, TDOE outlined its goals for the state in its strategic
plan known as Tennessee Succeeds. This strategic plan
sets three primary goals for the state:
•
Tennessee will rank in the top half of states on the National
Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) by 2019
•
The average ACT composite score for students in
Tennessee public schools will be 21 by 2020
•
The majority of high school graduates from the class
of 2020 will earn a postsecondary certificate, diploma,
or degree
The Tennessee Succeeds plan outlined five priority areas:
• Early Foundations and Literacy – Building skills in
early grades to contribute to future success
• High School and Bridge to Postsecondary – Preparing
significantly more students for postsecondary
completion
• All Means All – Providing individualized support and
opportunities for all students with a focus on those
who are farthest behind
• Distributing funds to local education agencies
• Educator Support – Supporting the preparation and
development of an exceptional educator workforce
• Working with the State Board of Education to develop
academic standards and assessments
• District Empowerment – Providing districts with the tools
and autonomy they need to make the best decisions
• Collecting data to evaluate program and school
effectiveness; using data to create targeted supports
and interventions
TDOE has engaged a multitude of stakeholders in achieving
those goals.
Primary responsibilities:
• Supporting schools through professional development,
networking teachers, and targeted initiatives
• Overseeing teacher and principal evaluation
• Assisting schools in implementing best practices
• Providing guidance for educators on implementation
of state policy
• Managing school turnaround and improvement
activities through the Achievement School District (ASD)
In 2010, the state of Tennessee was granted more than
$500 million through the federal Race to the Top program.
Much of the success of Tennessee’s proposal was
attributed to the General Assembly’s passage of the First
to the Top Act of 2010. TDOE continues work initiated by
First to the Top through the following activities:
• The Achievement School District’s school turnaround
efforts around priority schools
9 | P U B L I C E D U C AT I O N I N T E N N ES S E E
Tennessee State Board of Education (SBE)
The Tennessee State Board of Education is the governing and
policymaking agency for pre-K-12 public schools. Following
the passage of laws affecting education, the SBE creates
rules, regulations, and procedures for schools to follow. SBE
responsibilities include approving standards, overseeing
teaching licensure and credentialing, and hearing appeals
of charter school applicants denied by local districts.
SBE structure:
• Ten members - one from each congressional district
and student member
• Members chosen by the governor (using criteria
approved by General Assembly)