Tennessee Senate Bill SB0746

Tennessee 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 2/4/25

Caption

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 49, Chapter 6, relative to student promotion.

Summary

SB0746 amends Tennessee’s student promotion law to create an additional pathway for certain third-grade students to be promoted to fourth grade instead of being retained. The bill applies to a student who scored "approaching" on the ELA portion of the most recent TCAP test, earned an overall A or B in third-grade ELA, and whose parent or guardian chose not to send the student to learning loss bridge camp. In those cases, the local education agency (LEA) or public charter school must convene a conference to decide whether the student should be promoted or retained. The required conference must include the student’s parent or guardian, ELA teacher, and school principal. If a majority of the participant categories recommends promotion, that recommendation controls. The bill also limits retention by stating that a student may not be retained in third grade more than once. If a student is promoted under this new process, the student must receive tutoring throughout fourth grade according to department-established requirements.

Impact

The bill would modify Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 49, Chapter 6, by adding a new exception to the state’s third-grade retention rules tied to TCAP ELA performance and participation in bridge camp. It gives LEAs and public charter schools a formal conference-based mechanism to override automatic retention in qualifying cases, while also imposing a tutoring requirement for students promoted through this pathway. The measure affects students, parents or guardians, teachers, principals, and school systems administering promotion and retention decisions.

Sentiment

No committee transcripts or recorded votes were provided, so the available record does not show direct debate or formal opposition. Based on the bill text alone, the measure appears aimed at balancing accountability with flexibility by allowing individualized review for students who are close to proficiency and performing well in class. The inclusion of tutoring suggests a supportive, intervention-focused approach rather than a wholesale repeal of retention standards.

Contention

The main policy tension is between maintaining third-grade retention as an accountability tool and allowing promotion for students who have strong classroom performance despite an "approaching" TCAP score. Supporters would likely emphasize local discretion, parent involvement, and avoiding unnecessary retention, while critics could argue that the bill weakens the state’s reading proficiency standards or creates inconsistency in promotion decisions. Another potential point of contention is the role of bridge camp participation, since the bill only applies when a parent or guardian has elected not to send the student to that program.