Shelby County Colleges board members are contemplating signing a joint assertion that expresses concern about two state legal guidelines handed throughout the current particular session on schooling.
The district’s suburban neighbor Germantown Municipal Faculty District crafted the assertion and Lakeland’s college board signed on final week.
One legislation would require third graders to repeat the 12 months if their studying abilities don’t meet state necessities. Primarily based on the newest TNReady examination, the state may retain as many as two-thirds of third graders statewide starting within the 2022-23 educational 12 months.
The assertion says the state’s commonplace is just too excessive for college students and will doubtlessly maintain again college students who’re really studying on grade degree, echoing considerations from different college leaders throughout Tennessee. As an alternative of counting on one check, the assertion introduced Tuesday at a board work session suggests the state ought to think about different methods for college students to point out their studying abilities.
The second legislation permits districts, academics, and college students to skirt any detrimental penalties from this 12 months’s check scores, however provided that 80% of scholars take part in individual for annual statewide testing. Usually, selections about trainer raises, scholar grades, and faculty enchancment not less than partially rely on state check scores.
Shelby County Colleges would be the final district within the state to reopen school rooms after some college students return in March. District officers in Germantown and Lakeland have been providing in-person instruction for months now. Regardless of their totally different approaches, every district has been involved about what state testing will appear to be throughout the pandemic.
The assertion says it might be “extraordinarily troublesome” for districts to check 80% of scholars in individual as a result of many dad and mom have chosen distant studying “out of concern for his or her well being and the well being of others of their household and the bigger neighborhood.”
And though the state permits dad and mom to decide on distant studying this 12 months, the state at the moment solely permits college students to take the TNReady and different annual exams in individual.
“The boards don’t anticipate all college students enrolled in full-time distant instruction will conform to take these exams in individual, nor do the boards imagine these college students must be required to take action,” the assertion reads.
As an alternative, the assertion requests that the state both present a distant testing choice, decrease the required scholar participation price, or cancel testing this college 12 months.
Board chairwoman Miska Clay Bibbs stated the decision would assist the board “transfer ahead advocating for our college students.”
Board members are scheduled to vote on whether or not to signal the assertion at their full assembly Tuesday.