NASHVILLE) — This week, House members supported passage of a measure sponsored by State Representative Jeremy Faison (R-Cosby) that is designed to save Tennessee taxpayers an estimated $6 million dollars annually on the cost of state testing.
House Bill 2247 — which passed by a 94-0 bipartisan vote — is designed to simplify testing methods for students while also outlining expectations for Tennessee’s educators.
The measure reduces a requirement for the creation of new test questions on state assessments from 70 percent annually to just 30 percent. This will free up additional resources in order to streamline reporting of results to students, teachers, and families.
“House Bill 2247 ensures that our children are being properly prepared and that our teachers better understand where they need to focus their time and energy in the classroom,” said Chairman Faison. “We want our state’s testing process to be seamless for all involved — not frustrating. I will continue to work with the Department of Education in order to identify other areas where we can improve testing efficiency and save additional money for our taxpayers.”
Under the leadership of Chairman Faison and his Republican colleagues, our students are the fastest improving in the entire country across math, reading, and science. Last fall, high school graduation rates for the 2016-2017 school years reached 89.1 percent — the highest in Tennessee recorded history
For more information about House Bill 2247, please click here.
Jeremy Faison serves as Chairman of the House Government Operations Committee. He is also a member of the House Calendar & Rules Committee, the House Health Committee and Subcommittee, the Joint Government Operations Committee, Joint Government Operations Commerce, Labor, Transportation & Agriculture, Joint Government Operations Education, Health & General Welfare, and the Joint Government Operations Judiciary & Government Subcommittees. Faison lives in Cosby and represents House District 11, which includes Cocke and part of Jefferson and Greene Counties. He can be reached by email at: Rep.Jeremy.Faison@capitol.tn.gov or by calling (615) 741-6871.
