What does a student learn in
Tennessee runs its own playbook. The state pulled out of the Common Core in 2015 and rewrote its math and English standards through public review committees of Tennessee teachers and parents. Each subject area moves on its own revision cycle, so the standards get reopened, edited, and reissued every six years or so. The result is a single set of expectations, written in Tennessee, that every public school in the state teaches to.
- Tennessee Academic Standards
- What students learn
- Reading and writing follow the Tennessee Academic Standards for English Language Arts, with a heavy emphasis on close reading of grade-level texts and writing that cites the page. Math runs as a K-8 sequence that lands students in Algebra I by ninth grade, then continues through Geometry and Algebra II in high school. Science is taught as something students do at the lab bench, with engineering practices woven into every grade. Social studies builds from Tennessee history in fourth grade out to world history and government by twelfth.
- How students are measured
- Tennessee measures progress through TCAP, the Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program, given each spring in grades 3 through 8 in English, math, science, and social studies. High schoolers sit TCAP end-of-course exams in subjects like Algebra I, Biology, and English II as they finish each class. Juniors take the ACT on a state-paid testing day, which doubles as the college-entrance score most Tennessee students send to in-state universities.
Kindergarten
Grade 1
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Grade 12
- Subjects covered
- 4
- Grade levels
- 13
- Standards on file
- 4,784
- Assessments tracked
- 0
Does Tennessee use the Common Core standards?
No. Tennessee pulled out of Common Core and adopted its own Tennessee Academic Standards for English, math, science, and social studies. Some skills look similar because both sets focus on reading, writing, and problem-solving, but the standards are written and owned by Tennessee.
What's the big spring test in Tennessee?
Most students take TCAP, the Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program. It covers English, math, science, and social studies in grades 3 through 8, and high schoolers take end-of-course TCAP tests in subjects like Algebra I, English II, and Biology.
Which subjects are required in Tennessee public schools?
English, math, science, and social studies are the four core subjects with full state standards. Tennessee also requires instruction in physical education, wellness, and personal finance, and high school students must earn credits in fine arts and world languages to graduate.
How often does Tennessee rewrite its academic standards?
State law sets a six-year review cycle. A standards recommendation committee gathers feedback from teachers and the public, proposes revisions, and the State Board of Education votes on the final version. ELA and math were last revised in 2017, science in 2016, and social studies in 2017.
Where can families see what students are supposed to learn this year?
The grade-level pages on this site list every Tennessee standard in plain language, grouped by subject. Pick a grade to see what students are expected to read, write, calculate, and investigate by the end of the year.