Education - As introduced, requires public schools to annually submit to the department of education a list of all local assessments administered by the school each year and the administration schedule for each such local assessment; removes the option for a local education agency or public charter school to administer to students a universal screener that is not the universal screener provided by the state; creates the assessment review board composed of nine classroom teachers to review the Tennessee comprehensive assessment program tests administered to students in the most recent school year. - Amends TCA Title 4, Chapter 29 and Title 49.

114th Regular Session (2025-2026) Introduced by Scott Cepicky

Tennessee bill centralizes school assessment oversight by mandating state screeners, requiring assessment disclosure, and creating teacher review board for state tests.

Rec for pass if am by s/c ref. to Finance, Ways, and Means Committee

#education

Legislative bill overview

HB 2277 requires Tennessee public schools to submit annual lists of all local assessments and their schedules to the state education department, eliminates schools' ability to choose alternative universal screeners (mandating use of the state-provided version), and establishes a nine-member assessment review board composed of classroom teachers to evaluate the state's comprehensive assessment program tests.

Why is this important

This bill centralizes control over educational assessment tools and practices, potentially reducing assessment burden variability across districts but also limiting local autonomy in choosing evaluation methods that may better fit individual school contexts. The creation of a teacher-led review board represents an attempt to incorporate educator input into state assessment decisions, which historically have been viewed skeptically by some teachers and parents.

Potential points of contention

Local control vs. standardization: Schools currently have flexibility to select screeners they believe work best for their populations; this removes that choice and imposes a one-size-fits-all approach that may not suit all districts equally

Teacher expertise on board: While including classroom teachers is presented positively, the board's actual power, compensation, selection process, and ability to meaningfully influence assessment decisions remain undefined, raising questions about whether this is substantive teacher input or symbolic

Assessment burden: Requiring public reporting of all local assessments could increase administrative burden and transparency concerns; unclear whether this reduces overall testing or simply increases documentation requirements