Inside TNSuccess

Weekly Update, April 22, 2019

 
High-Quality Schools Legislation, Assessment Time and more!

This legislative session is still expected to wrap up work by mid-May and we are continuing to monitor key education bills scheduled for floor votes soon. Also, we are excited to update you on Governor Lee’s high-quality public charter schools legislation creating a statewide authorizer, which is headed to his desk for his signature. 

We are also happy to report, thanks to the hard work of Governor Lee and Commissioner Schwinn, statewide assessments have gone smoothly so far!

Keep reading for ways to get involved with other Tennessees to help promote student success!


Statewide Public Charter School Authorizer Bill Passes

Following approval by the House last week, the Senate passed HB940/ SB796 sending the bill to the Governor’s desk for his signature. This piece of legislation is a signature piece of Governor Lee’s 2019 legislative agenda and establishes a nine-member statewide public charter school authorizer commission to help establish more good public charter schools and close those that are not performing well. The new commission will have the authority to review on appeal applications to establish a new charter school if denied by a local school board. This piece of legislation will also allow the commission to serve as a local education agency for any public charter school it authorizes.

At Tennesseans for Student Success, we believe this legislation will have a positive impact on the expansion of high-quality public charter schools across the state by ensuring the charter school appellate process is consistent. Also, we hope this will increase the number of high-quality applications to establish new public charter schools.

We thank Governor Lee for his commitment to improving access to excellent public education options and ensuring success for all our students!


Positive Statewide Assessment Testing Period

The 2019 TNReady statewide assessment is in full swing and the administration and rollout have gone very smoothly since the beginning of the testing period on April 8.

Due in large part to the commitment of Commissioner Penny Schwinn and Governor Bill Lee, our students have had a positive testing experience this past month. Also, thank you to our dedicated teachers across the state for ensuring our students are prepared and test ready.

Commissioner Schwinn is committed to keep us on this upward trajectory by implementing several new precautions, including a control room for the busiest days of testing, several additional layers of oversight, and staff across the state, who are available at a moments notice to tackle any problems that may arise.

With bids for the new testing vendor due this week, the new testing company will have a full year to ensure they are capable to handle administering the assessment online since all public school students will take their annual assessment on paper next year.

We strongly believe in the importance of an annual statewide assessment to measure student and teacher success and also highlight areas where improvement is needed. Thank you to Commissioner Schwinn and the Lee Administration for ensuring our students receive the smoothest administration possible and are put on a path to succeed. 


Get Involved!

Join us for our April Middle Tennessee Education Chat + Networking Event!

On this coming Thursday, April 25, join us for our April Education Chat and Networking event at Red Bicycle Coffee and Crepes from 5:00 PM CT- 6:00 PM CT. 

Nominate an Educator for Tennesseans for Student Success Advocate of the Month!

We will celebrate a passionate educator making a difference from each of the grand divisions (East, Middle, and West Tennessee) each month. Nominate an educator going above and beyond for his or her students!


Use Your Voice

Want to learn more about Tennesseans for Student Success and our legislative agenda? Visit our advocacy center here

Press Releases

Tennesseans for Student Success Launches Indepe...

Mon

Mar

25

NASHVILLE — Tennesseans for Student Success (TSS) is excited to announce the launch of this year’s Quality Charter Review TSS created the review last year to provide a first-of-its-kind... more
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Press Releases

Tennessee Senate Applauded for Supporting Fair ...

Thu

Feb

29

NASHVILLE — Tennesseans for Student Success (TSS) released the following statement in support of the State Senate’s passage of legislation designed to ensure public charter school... more
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Press Releases

Tennesseans for Student Success Announces Leade...

Thu

Jan

25

NASHVILLE — Tennesseans for Student Success (TSS) is proud to announce the appointment of Lana Skelo Gardner as President and CEO, effective May 1, 2024 This transition follows the close of... more
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