High school graduation marks an important milestone for any student. But in today’s ever-changing economy, it’s not enough to graduate. Schools must also ensure that students are earning a high school diploma that truly prepares them to succeed in college or the workforce.
In an effort to prepare students for success in an increasingly competitive world, Tennessee has adopted the Tennessee Academic standards. Academic standards provide a common set of expectations for what students will know and be able to do at the end of a grade. College and career ready standards are rooted in the knowledge and skills students need to succeed in post-secondary study or careers.
While academic standards establish desired learning outcomes, curriculum or day-to-day learning, is designed to help students reach these outcomes. Districts and schools work locally to establish curriculum that support student mastery of Tennessee’s academic standards, while reflecting unique community values. Instructional practices should provide each student with the best opportunity to meet these standards by supporting individual learning needs.
The Tennessee State Board of Education is charged with adopting the state’s academic standards. As part of Tennessee’s ongoing, comprehensive process to ensure that Tennessee students have the highest academic standards, standards in each subject have undergone or are undergoing a public review. The public review for Math and English language arts standards began in 2015, and in spring 2016 the Tennessee State Board of Education officially adopted the new standards. These will be implemented in Tennessee classrooms during the 2017-18 school year.
To learn more about the review process or leave feedback on the revised standards in a subject currently open for review, please visit the state board of education’s Standards Review page.
You can also learn more about the state’s current academic standards in math, English language arts, science, and social studies on the department’s website.