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Education committee advances bill to refocus high-school testing on ACT
Summary
The House Education Committee voted to add a subcommittee amendment and advance House Bill 675, which would refocus high-school end-of-course testing and accountability toward the ACT (or SAT equivalents) and provide alternative assessments for technical students.
House Bill 675, sponsored by Representative David Cochran, cleared the House Education Committee Wednesday after members added an amendment from subcommittee and voted to send the measure to the Government Operations Committee. The committee recorded 15 ayes and 3 nays on the final vote.
The bill would change how Tennessee measures high-school performance by placing greater emphasis on nationally recognized college-admissions exams—the ACT or SAT—and related technical assessments such as ACT WorkKeys for career-track students. Cochran told the committee the measure aims to preserve accountability while focusing testing on “the correct material” and ensuring technical students have viable alternatives to courses such as Algebra II.
Committee members agreed to add amendment 6055 from subcommittee. The chair described the senate version as a study bill while the House measure is more substantive; members said they may align versions later in finance. Chairman Haston said the change is not an attack on data but an attempt to align accountability with postsecondary opportunities.
The bill’s sponsor said the amendment does not alter the bill’s focus and that the committee would consider technical alignment in the finance process. The clerk announced the final tally as 15 ayes and 3 nays; the bill was reported to Government Operations.
Committee direction and next steps: committee members said finance may consider a study-oriented senate version if necessary; no final finance or floor action was recorded at the meeting.
Votes at a glance: the committee approved adding subcommittee amendment 6055 and advanced HB 675 to Government Operations with a recorded vote of 15–3.
