TDOE Releases Plan &Rubric to Support Local School District Plans for Fall.

Resources Emphasize Importance for Maintaining Instruction & High-Quality Education for All Students

NASHVILLE, TN— On Friday, the Tennessee Department of Education posted the Continuous Learning Plan template and rubric to assist districts as they plan for the upcoming school year. 

On June 22, 2020, the Tennessee State Board of Education promulgated the Continuous Learning Plan (CLP) Emergency Rule 0520-01-17 and Policy 3.210. That rule and policy required the Tennessee Department of Education to produce and post by June 26^th a CLP template and rubric for districts to utilize when developing their plans for maintaining academic instruction in the new school year. 

“As we navigate a new era for education, the department has been working to create expansive guidance for districts as they make local decisions for their schools in the new school year,” said Commissioner Penny Schwinn. “The Continuous Learning Plans represent the next phase of work to reopen schools and will help to ensure every student receives academic instruction each day, whether they are learning at home or in the classroom.”  

Per the State Board rule and policy, each district and public charter school must submit to the Tennessee Department of Education the CLP for their schools. 

The Continuous Learning Plan template and rubric are now available for districts to utilize:  

• Continuous Learning Plan Template: The templateincludes eight required sections and one optional section that district leaders must complete to outline their plans for maintaining academic instruction for students.  

• Continuous Learning Plan Rubric: The rubric provides transparency for district leaders in how their CLP will be scored, and clearly outlines approaches that districts may take to ensure they are developing thorough CLPs. 

“The emergency rule and policy that the State Board passed last Monday are designed to support the continuity of instruction during this uncertain time. No one could have anticipated the health crisis that hit at the end of last school year, but we must focus now on ensuring that students are able to access high-quality instruction as we move into the fall, recognizing that for many communities, school is not going to look like business as usual,” said Sara Morrison, Executive Director of the Tennessee State Board of Education. 

Also supporting district leaders to make local decisions about school in the new school year are 20+ reopening toolkits, along with other guidance documents and resources, which are made available on the Tennessee Department of Education’s reopening guidance webpage: https://www.tn.gov/education/health-and-safety/update-on-coronavirus/reopening-guidance.html.