Department of Education
Kevin Huffman, Commissioner

Last Update: 10/18/2011

Federal Programs: Public School Choice

Public school choice offers children who are enrolled in a school that does not meet targets for improving achievement the option to enroll in another school that is meeting the targets. Offering this opportunity for choice is required by both federal and state legislation. The federal No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB) requires that students enrolled in high priority Title I schools be given the opportunity to transfer as soon his or her school is identified as high priority and until the school no longer has this designation. It also requires that transportation to the new school be paid for or provided to eligible students. State law (Tennessee Code Annotated [TCA] 49-1-602) mandates that public school choice be offered in non-Title I high priority schools after the fourth year in and subsequent years of not making Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) to students belonging to the subgroup or subgroups not meeting the standards for AYP. This is at the beginning of year five, and is called Corrective Action under Tennessee's accountability system. The local school system is not required to provide transportation for public school choice if the student is transferring out of a non-Title I school. This web page primarily addresses public school choice required of Title I schools.