Amends TCA Title 49.

This bill authorizes an LEA that operates one or more high schools to grant a high school student credit for a course offered by the student's high school in which the student is not enrolled, but for which the student attains a qualifying score, as set by the LEA, on the course's final exam. An LEA that operates one or more high schools must provide each high school student the opportunity to take a final exam for a course each semester in which the LEA offers a course for which the LEA has developed a final exam. A student may only take a final exam once per course. High school credit earned pursuant to this bill will count toward the high school graduation requirements established by the state board of education. If a student receives a qualifying score on a final exam, then the student's score must be included in the student's overall grade point average in the same manner as if the student enrolled in, and successfully completed, the course. This bill requires the department of education to develop guidance for LEAs operating one or more high schools to use when setting qualifying scores for final exams. The department must make the guidance available to LEAs no later than July 1, 2023. This bill specifies that a final exam administered for purposes of this bill will not affect the evaluation of a teacher, principal, school, or LEA. This bill requires each LEA that operates one or more high schools to: (1) Adopt a policy on the implementation of this bill, including, but not limited to, when and how to administer final exams for students seeking course credit pursuant to this bill; and (2) Report the following information to the department of education at the end of each school year: (A) The number of final exams administered during the school year; (B) The courses for which final exams were administered; and (C) The number of students that received a qualifying score on each final exam administered for purposes of this bill. ON APRIL 3, 2023, THE SENATE ADOPTED AMENDMENT #1 AND PASSED SENATE BILL 838, AS AMENDED. AMENDMENT #1 revises this bill as follows: (1) Changes the term "final exam" to "credit exam," which is defined as a comprehensive assessment designed by an LEA or public charter school that is aligned to the Tennessee academic standards for a course identified by the department of education, and approved by the state board of education, for which there is no end-of-course assessment; (2) Changes the authorization to granting credit for an eligible course from an LEA that operates one or more high schools, to an LEA or public charter school that serves students in any of the grades 9-12; (3) Requires the department of education to recommend to the state board of education for approval a list of eligible courses for which an LEA or public charter school may develop a credit exam. The list of eligible courses must include courses in math, English language arts, science, and social studies. However, the department is authorized to recommend eligible courses in additional subject areas; (4) Authorizes a student to earn a maximum of four graduation credits from credit exams; (5) Deletes the requirement that the department of education must develop guidelines for LEAs to use when setting qualifying scores. Instead, a credit exam developed by an LEA or public charter school must cover the entirety of the Tennessee course standards for the course for which the student may receive credit; (6) Provides that the policy established by an LEA or public charter school for implementation of these provisions must include, at a minimum, when and how credit exams are to be administered to students seeking course credit; the qualifying score for each credit exam administered to students; and the grade that will be included in a student's overall grade point average for the student's achieving the qualifying score on each credit exam administered to the student; and (7) Provides that, upon the request of the education committee of the senate, the education administration committee of the house of representatives, or the education instruction committee of the house of representatives, the department of education must submit a report regarding the implementation of this bill.