TENNESSEE

Tennessee removed all penal language from alternative education policy and changed the focus to providing students with a variety of educational opportunities, which may include learning at different rates of time or using different learning strategies, techniques, and tools in order to maximize student success. Consistent with these changes, the Governor’s Advisory Council on Alternative Education has recommended that the General Assembly and state Board of Education define alternative education as: “A nontraditional academic program designed to meet the student's educational, behavioral and social needs.” While the state Department of Education is operating under the new definition, the General Assembly and the state Board of Education have not formally adopted it.

Tennessee gives extensive guidelines on alternative education in its Alternative School Program Standards manual. The standards clarify the purpose, students to be served, curriculum, and discipline policy. The state also requires alternative programs to establish collaborative partnerships that share responsibility for delivering services, such as family resources and mental health counseling.