Senate Bill 415 amends various sections of the Tennessee Code Annotated to enhance the evaluation processes for teachers and principals, adjust instructional hour requirements, and modify assessment protocols. A new subsection is added to Section 49-6-3004, allowing local education agencies (LEAs) and public charter schools to fulfill instructional requirements by providing a specified minimum number of instructional hours each school year. Additionally, Section 49-1-302 is revised to establish comprehensive evaluation guidelines, mandating annual assessments that include a significant portion based on student achievement data. The bill also ensures that evaluations demonstrating a teacher's effectiveness are considered for tenure, even if an evaluation was not conducted due to extenuating circumstances.

Furthermore, the bill streamlines the response to instruction and intervention (RTI) framework, allowing for high-dosage tutoring services as interventions and reducing screening requirements for students. It eliminates the requirement for statewide standardized assessments for certain grades while maintaining essential assessments in specific subjects, thereby aiming to lessen testing burdens on younger students. The bill also deletes existing requirements for additional assessments beyond those mandated in Section 49-6-6002, ensuring students are not subjected to unnecessary assessments for graduation. It requires LEAs to develop policies for incorporating standardized assessment scores into final grades and allows for the exclusion of these scores if not received timely. The Department of Education is tasked with amending the state's Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) plan by January 1, 2026, to align with these new provisions, with certain sections taking effect on July 1, 2025, and others pending U.S. Department of Education approval.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: 49-6-3004, 49-1-302, 49-5-503, 8-27-303(a)(1), 8-27-303, 49-6-6002, 49-6-6001, 49-6-6011, 49-1-617, 49-5-114(c), 49-5-114, 49-6-6006