Panel asks department to provide non-exhaustive K8 roots list, removes 'credits' column on electives

During its Oct. 28 session the ELA standards committee debated and then revised how the draft standards handle elective courses and multiple instances of the same course.

Members questioned whether a separate "credits" column in the electives table should remain; the committee removed the column and instructed staff to include clear guidance instead. The guidance will say that when a district offers multiple iterations or repeatable instances of the same course (for example, journalism offered each semester), tasks or focus areas for each iteration should be distinctly different but that students may build on prior work across iterations. Districts will remain responsible for awarding credits under state policy.

The committee also asked the Tennessee Department of Education to produce a non-exhaustive K8 progression chart of roots and affixes to appear in an appendix, with a short introduction making clear the list is illustrative rather than exhaustive. The group decided the proposed appendix would be useful to teachers seeking guidance but should not be read as a prescriptive or limiting list.

Committee members said the change in approach strikes a balance between offering practical guidance to teachers and preserving local flexibility in course credit decisions. Staff will fold the new elective guidance and the planned K8 chart into the document the leadership team will use to draft the executive summary.