Tennessee House advances proposal to relax private school tuition program’s testing mandate

Rep. Mark White, R-Memphis, attends a bill signing ceremony in 2025, in Nashville. Some Tennessee Republicans want to roll back a state testing mandate that applies to the Education Savings Account voucher program. (AP Photo/George Walker IV) Rep. Mark White, R-Memphis, attends a bill signing ceremony in 2025, in Nashville. Some Tennessee Republicans want to roll back a state testing mandate that applies to the Education Savings Account voucher program. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

By Melissa Brown / Chalkbeat Tennessee March 25, 2026 3 min read

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Tennessee may soon relax state testing requirements for its Education Savings Account program under new legislation that advanced in the House on Tuesday.

Private schools accepting public dollars under the program have been required to administer the Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program since it began in 2022.

Now, some Republicans want to drop that requirement through House Bill 1881, which would allow participating private schools the choice to give the TCAP or a “nationally standardized achievement test.” The move would align the Education Savings Account program with the state’s broader Education Freedom Scholarships program, which lawmakers are currently trying to expand.

The bill passed out of the House Education Committee’s K-12 subcommittee on Tuesday on a party-line vote. It now heads to the full committee. The legislation has already passed the Senate.