TCA § 49-6-6007 — Annual notification of parents by department and LEAs as to mandated tests to be administered in the upcoming school year — Information to be posted — Methods for notification

No later than July 15 of each year, the department of education shall post on its website information about state mandated tests that shall be administered in the upcoming school year. The information shall include the name of the test, the purpose and use of the test, the grade or class in which the test is to be administered, the tentative date or dates on which the test will be administered and how and when parents and students will be informed of the results of the tests. No later than July 31 of each year, each LEA shall post on its website information about state mandated tests and tests mandated by the LEA that shall be administered in the upcoming school year. The information shall include the name of the test, the purpose and use of the test, the grade or class in which the test is to be administered, the tentative date or dates on which the test will be administered and how and when parents and students will be informed of the results of the test. An LEA is encouraged to disseminate annually this information to parents by other methods that the LEA finds reasonable and feasible, such as, posting on a school's website the information for tests that will be administered to students attending the school, discussion of state and LEA mandated tests at parent/teacher organization meetings or sending the information home with students. Beginning with the 2015-2016 school year and for school years thereafter, an LEA shall also disseminate the testing information to parents by placing the information in each school's student handbook, or other standard or policy guidebook that contains the policies and procedures of the school and is distributed annually. An LEA shall include, with the information required to be posted under subsection (b), a statement that informs parents how they can access the items on the student's state-required summative standardized assessments and the student's answers. An LEA shall also publicly provide this information to parents by the other methods of dissemination under subsection (b) that it has chosen or that are required, including publication in each school's student handbook or other standard policy guidebook that contains the policies and procedures of the school. The department shall create guidelines for LEAs on the implementation of this section for the purposes of increasing assessment transparency. The guidelines shall include provisions related to LEA communication about the purpose of each locally required standardized assessment; how each assessment complements and enhances student instruction and learning; and how each assessment serves a purpose distinct from required state assessments. By September 1 of every year, each LEA shall submit to the department documentation of compliance with this section in the manner prescribed by the commissioner.