Tennessee schools will place top-scoring students in algebra starting in 2027–2028

Public schools must enroll covered students in eighth-grade Algebra I or an equivalent course approved by the Tennessee State Board of Education. This covers students in public school districts and public charter schools who earn an “exceeds expectations” rating on the seventh-grade Tennessee state math test. Schools must notify parents or legal guardians before the school year starts and explain their right to request removal. Parents or legal guardians may remove the student by submitting a written request no later than 30 days after the first day of school. Students must take the course's end-of-course exam. Successful completion meets the high school requirement if the state requires that course for a full high school diploma. Required placement begins with the 2027–2028 school year.

The state high school grading system must include grades earned in high school courses taken in eighth grade. The kindergarten-through-eighth-grade grading rules cover coursework at those grade levels. These grading provisions took effect July 1, 2026.

The Tennessee State Board of Education must make rules establishing this teaching pathway, in consultation with the state Department of Education. The pathway covers educators who currently hold a license or teaching approval for eighth-grade mathematics and would teach these courses to eighth graders. The pathway must carry no additional cost for the teacher. The state board decides which mathematics courses count as equivalents to Algebra I. The requirement to establish this pathway took effect upon enactment.

The standards recommendation committee must include advanced math learning standards in its final math standards recommendation to the Tennessee State Board of Education. The standards cover students taking advanced mathematics courses in grades five through seven. This recommendation requirement took effect upon enactment.