End-of-course exams for public high school students in Tennessee will now have less of an impact on students’ final grades, according to state education leaders.¶
Under the new guidelines, the exams will account for 5 to 15 percent of a student's final grade in each subject, rather than the previous range of 15 to 25 percent. The rule change was unanimously approved by lawmakers on the joint Government Operations Committee during their meeting on Wednesday, following recent recommendations by the State Board of Education. The new rule will go into effect January 14.¶
Nathan James, the State Board’s deputy executive director for legislative and external affairs, told lawmakers at Wednesday’s meeting that proposals to change the rule came as the result of feedback from “multiple advocacy groups, districts, educators, and students across the state.” He said some districts wanted to have more flexibility to reduce the impact of EOC exams on final grades.¶
“This reduction maintains compliance with law, which requires that EOCs comprise a percentage of the student's final grade. It continues to allow the local board the flexibility to determine what is appropriate for their individual context, while recognizing that students complete a significant amount of coursework that comprises the grade they receive for the course, in addition to that summative EOC assessment,” James told the committee before the vote.¶
According to James, most school districts expressed support for the rule change when the board held a rulemaking hearing in July. The proposed rule change was met with the support of many parents, who believe the weight of EOC exams have too much of a negative impact on students’ final grades.¶
“We also had several comments from the advocacy community, which were generally supportive of the changes proposed and made there, and they were considered as well,” James said.¶
According to the Tennessee Department of Education, high school students are mandated by law to take end-of-course exams in several subjects, including English I, English II, Algebra I, Geometry, Algebra II, Integrated Math I, Integrated Math II, Integrated Math III, U.S. History, and Biology I. These assessments, which are part of the standardized Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program (TCAP), aim to evaluate and track students’ academic progress and performance.¶
