AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 49, relative to testing in education.
Summary
HB1135 makes a narrow change to Tennessee’s education reporting law. It amends Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 49-1-907, to require the Department of Education to submit its annual early grades reading report by December 31 each year to the Senate Education Committee and the relevant House committees with jurisdiction over education. The bill does not create a new program or testing requirement; it updates the timing and recipients of an existing report related to early literacy and reading outcomes in the state’s early grades.
In practical terms, the bill affects the Department of Education’s reporting obligations and the legislative committees that receive the report. Because the report concerns early grades reading, the measure is tied to state oversight of literacy performance, reading assessments, and early childhood/elementary education policy. The act takes effect immediately upon becoming law.
Impact
The bill amends a single provision in Title 49 governing education reporting, replacing the existing first sentence of Section 49-1-907 with a new deadline and distribution requirement for the annual early grades reading report. It does not alter student testing rules directly, but it does affect how the Department of Education reports literacy data to the General Assembly and may influence legislative review of reading instruction, assessment, and intervention efforts.
Sentiment
The available vote history suggests broad support and little controversy. In the House K-12 Subcommittee, the bill received an 8-0 recommendation for passage, indicating unanimous approval among those voting. No committee transcript was provided, so there is no recorded debate in the materials, but the vote pattern suggests the measure was viewed as a routine administrative update rather than a contentious policy change.
Contention
There is no documented substantive opposition in the provided materials. The only procedural note is that the House K-12 Subcommittee recommended passage with amendment and referred it to the Education Committee, which suggests the bill may have been refined administratively rather than disputed on policy grounds. Any potential concern would likely be limited to reporting deadlines and committee oversight, not to the underlying early literacy policy itself.