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State board approves revised learning objectives for statewide dual-credit plant science course
Summary
The State Board of Education approved revisions to the statewide dual-credit learning objectives for an Introduction to Plant Science course on first reading and asked for a future workshop comparing statewide dual-credit and dual-enrollment outcomes.
The State Board of Education on Dec. 18 approved on first reading revised learning objectives for the statewide dual-credit Introduction to Plant Science course, part of a review of statewide dual-credit curricular standards.
State Board members voted 9-0 to accept the Tennessee Board of Regents’ recommendation after hearing that the learning objectives were updated by postsecondary faculty to align with the college-equivalent course and a newly selected open educational resource textbook. The vote followed a presentation from Steven Berryhill, director of early postsecondary opportunities for the Tennessee Board of Regents, and board member questions about student pass rates and program design.
Hill said postsecondary faculty used an item analysis of student performance and high school faculty feedback collected between October 2023 and June 2024 to update the objectives. He told board members statewide dual-credit courses are college-level classes taught in high schools by trained high-school teachers and that the Tennessee Board of Regents and the University of Tennessee System convene faculty to develop statewide early postsecondary opportunities.
Board members pressed Berryhill on pass rates for statewide dual-credit classes. Berryhill said the pass rate for the Introduction to Plant Science course over the last three years has been “less than 1%,” and that pass rates for statewide dual-credit courses historically have been low — he cited a historical pass rate near 6% and a statewide pass rate of about 4.6% for the most recent year. He described steps underway to address low pass rates, including more teacher training, expanded professional development, and additional student and teacher resources.
State Board members asked for comparative data between statewide dual-credit and dual-enrollment (college courses taught by college faculty or through direct college instruction). Anna Maxwell asked the department to provide a comparison of the number of postsecondary credits awarded through dual enrollment versus statewide dual credit. Berryhill said he did not have dual-enrollment statistics in the meeting but offered to provide them and pointed to TBR’s data dashboards. Victoria Harpel of the Tennessee Higher Education Commission offered to help provide statewide dual-enrollment data for a workshop.
Because members asked for more context, the board requested a future workshop to compare statewide dual-credit and dual-enrollment outcomes, including pass rates, courses offered, and district perspectives. The motion to adopt the revised learning objectives passed by roll call; the board recorded nine ayes.
Background: Tennessee law (Tennessee Code Annotated §§ 49-15-104 and 49-15-109) assigns the Tennessee Board of Regents and the University of Tennessee System responsibilities to convene postsecondary faculty to develop statewide early postsecondary opportunities and to create a process for validation and review of dual-credit courses. Berryhill said the revision aligns the high-school-taught course with its postsecondary equivalent and the newly selected open educational resource.
The board’s next regular meeting will include follow-up materials and the requested workshop comparing dual-enrollment and statewide dual-credit programs.
