TN Lawmakers Want Limits For Online Schools

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Some Tennessee Democratic lawmakers say they support Gov.Bill Haslam’s proposal placing stricter enrollment requirements on online public schools established in the state.

The administration bill would cap student enrollment at a so-called virtual school at 5,000 students, and initial enrollment would be limited to 1,500, depending on the school's performance. Last year, Education Commissioner Kevin Huffman called first-year test results at the Tennessee Virtual Academy "unacceptable." State figures show the academy fell into the bottom 11 percent of schools for student gains as measured under Tennessee's value-added assessment system.