SB 122 – HB 1152
FISCAL NOTE
Fiscal Review Committee
Tennessee General Assembly
April 17, 2025
Fiscal Analyst: Alan Hampton | Email: alan.hampton@capitol.tn.gov | Phone: 615-741-2564
SB 122 – HB 1152
SUMMARY OF BILL: Requires a parent conducting an independent home school to
provide a normed curriculum to their child. Eliminates various requirements related to home
schools. Prohibits this state or local entities from regulating, overseeing, or otherwise imposing
requirements on a home school parent or student unless the home school parent or student is
participating in a state program or receives state funds.
FISCAL IMPACT:
NOT SIGNIFICANT
Assumptions:
• The proposed legislation prohibits this state, an agency of this state, the local school district,
or a local government from requiring a parent-teacher of a home school student to:
o Administer any assessment, including, but not limited to, a state-mandated
standardized test or assessment such as a Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment
Program (TCAP) test to their home school student; or
o Submit any information or documentation regarding the education being provided
by the parent-teacher to their child at home.
• The proposed legislation further establishes that the state is not prohibited from regulating,
overseeing, or otherwise imposing requirements on a parent-teacher or home school
student if the parent-teacher or home school student voluntarily elects to participate in a
state program that imposes certain requirements, or who has otherwise applied for and
received state funds.
• Parents or legal guardians who elect to educate their child in an independent home school
must meet specific requirements established under Tenn. Code Ann. § 49-6-3050.
• Parent-teachers are responsible for selecting and purchasing the curriculum used in their
independent home school and for providing the chosen curriculum to the local director of
schools each school year.
• The proposed legislation removes the requirement to provide the curriculum to the local
director of schools and instead requires a parent to provide a normed curriculum to their
child.
• The term “normed” is undefined in the legislation; therefore, it is unknown how a normed
curriculum may differ from the curriculum that is currently required.
• Pursuant to Tenn. Code Ann. § 49-6-3050(b), except for home school students attending a
church-related school, each home school student must be administered the same
standardized tests required of public school students in grades five, seven, and nine. The
SB 122 – HB 1152 2
tests are required to be administered in the public school that the home school student
would otherwise be attending, or at whatever location students at such school are tested.
• The TCAP tests for public school students in grade five are currently provided in paper
format.
• According to the Department of Education (DOE), the total cost for printing and shipping
tests to all students participating in the TCAP is $250,000.
• The current number of independent home school students is 13,210. However, because the
DOE does not maintain a grade-level breakdown of the number of independent home
school students, the precise number of students who may be affected is unknown.
• It is further unknown how many home school parents or students are participating in a
state program or receive state funds and would still be required to administer or take the
TCAP test under the proposed legislation.
• Exempting fifth grade home school students from TCAP testing may result in some cost
savings within DOE’s current contract with NCS Pearson, Inc. However, any cost savings
is estimated to be minimal and any such variation to the existing contract is estimated to be
not significant.
• It is not expected that exempting seventh or ninth grade home school students from state
testing requirements will result in any significant impact to state expenditures.
• No impact to local government.
CERTIFICATION:
The information contained herein is true and correct to the best of my knowledge.
Bojan Savic, Executive Director