In September, Gov. Haslam announced a plan to invite “public review” of the Common Core State Standards that would result in new Tennessee-specific standards. Math and ELA committees made up of both K-12 and higher education faculty would consider the input and recommend specific standards.

Today, new legislation (Senate Bill 4) was introduced in the Tennessee General Assembly to propose a Tennessee Standards Commission that would effectively negate the Governor’s plans. The proposed Tennessee Standards Commission would be comprised of 9 members appointed by the Governor, House Speaker, and Lieutenant Governor for 6-year terms. All appointees must be confirmed by the Tennessee General Assembly. In addition, the legislation cancels the state’s Memorandum of Understanding regarding Common Core implementation and requires a reduction in high stakes testing.

The ongoing uncertainty about TN education standards creates more instability for teachers and teacher-educators.

Senate Bill 4:

http://www.capitol.tn.gov/Bills/109/Bill/SB0004.pdf