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Submitted by Peter Maher –
For nearly three years, I have been asking state officials a straightforward question: why can’t Tennesseans see the tests that determine so much about our children’s futures?
Through repeated correspondence with both our Tennessee Department of Education and State Board of Education, the answers have painted a troubling picture of an assessment system shielded from public oversight.
A Transparency Law That Exists Only on Paper
In 2022, the General Assembly passed SB2299/HB2312. Intended to allow only members of our General Assembly to inspect TCAP testing materials. Tennesseans were told it was the first-ever step toward TCAP accountability.
Yet according to written statements from our Department of Education:
- Last confirmed, only two legislators, Sen. Lundberg and Sen. Bowling, have ever viewed any TCAP materials.
- Their review was limited to the 3rd grade English Language Arts exam.
- It appears No other legislators have viewed any TCAP materials since July 2023.
In practice, a law designed to create oversight has resulted in almost no oversight at all. Nothing about the public’s understanding of TCAP has changed.
A Revealing Rationale From an Opponent of Transparency Legislation
Among those who voted against TCAP testing transparency was State Representative Gloria Johnson, who explained her opposition this way:
“I voted no on this legislation because it is one more example of legislators micromanaging local schools. In addition, no legislators in our General Assembly are experts on curriculum or the efficacy of test items—that should be left to the education experts in our local school systems.”
Her explanation highlights a belief held by some state officials: that the authority to evaluate, understand, or even view these tests should remain closed and extremely limited.
Whether one agrees or disagrees with her reasoning, the end result is clear. The people most affected by TCAP—parents, teachers, and students—still have no access.
No TCAP Access for Parents, Teachers, or Citizens
Despite the fact that TCAP results affect everything from student retention to teacher evaluations, the department has repeatedly confirmed that no law grants parents, teachers, or citizens the right to see test materials.
Families cannot review what their children were tested on.
Teachers cannot examine the questions that contribute to their professional evaluations.
Local school systems cannot independently verify alignment or fairness.
The public is expected to trust the system without being able to verify the system.
A Bureaucratic Structure That Protects Secrecy
Rulemaking related to SB2299 took more than a year, involving lengthy review cycles and multiple agencies. Officials acknowledged that emergency rules could have been used to accelerate the process but chose not to.
That slow, rigid structure effectively ensures:
- Only two lawmakers have ever reviewed TCAP materials.
- No parents or teachers may review them at all.
- The Department of Education remains the single gatekeeper of what may be seen.
This is not openness. It is insulation.
Transparent Models Already Exist Elsewhere
Tennessee is not breaking new ground with its restrictions; it is falling behind. Other states release full test forms after administration, allow parents to review materials under secure conditions, or provide teachers with released item banks to improve instruction.
These practices have not resulted in security failures. They have resulted in stronger public confidence.
Transparency Is Not Micromanagement
No Tennessee parent is asking to write TCAP test questions.
No Tennessee teacher is asking to undermine the validity of assessments.
Tennesseans are simply asking to understand the tests that carry enormous consequences for students, educators, and communities.
When a Tennessee child’s promotion, a Tennessee teacher’s evaluation, and a Tennessee public school’s rating all hinge on a myriad of multiple-choice exams, transparency is not an inconvenience. It is a responsibility.
TCAP should not be a guarded secret. It should be transparent.
