Two different versions of voucher testing bill pass Tennessee legislature

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WDEF)- Two different versions of the bill that would change testing requirements for private schools that take one kind of voucher in the state of Tennessee have passed both houses of the Tennessee General Assembly.

Senate Bill 1585 according to its sponsor Senator Jack Johnson is designed to align testing requirements for schools receiving Educational Savings Account (ESA) scholarship money alongside those given out through the Education Freedom Scholarship.

ESA school vouchers are just for the main urban counties like Hamilton while the newer Education  Freedom Scholarship is for the whole state.

Senator Johnson in particular wanted to end the requirement that private schools have to give out the TCAP test, which Democrats decried as a move to remove accountability.

He argues testing standards should be more aligned with the private schools themselves.

He said, “We should allow those private schools to utilize an assessment that actually reflects the method and the curriculum standards that they teach.”

The House version, which also passed Thursday, includes expansion of the ESA program and an increase on income limits to apply for those scholarships.

It is unclear which version of the bill will move forward.