Course Management

The Tennessee Course Code website has been redesigned with new features and search options. The new Tennessee Course Catalog will have frequent updates to course details, please check back often.

Learn about two new search functions in these helpful guidance documents:

Plan for a Special Course

The following are questions on the special course application. This document is only for district planning purposes and documentation for local board approval. All responses must be transferred to ePlan andsubmitted for formal review. This document will not be accepted by the Tennessee Department of Education as an official application.

Apply for a Special Course or Special Program of Study

Applications for special courses or special programs of study are only accepted in ePlan. The application window is January-February of each year. Courses that are applied for and approved by the State Board of Education may be offered to students in August. Navigate to ePlan and search for Special Course and Special Program of Study applications under the Data and Information tab. The LEA Guidance document will help applicants navigate ePlan to submit the application(s).

For more information about special courses or special programs of study, please contact Lacey Noel at Lacey.Noel@tn.gov.

Course Access Program

The course access program is a catalog of courses approved by the state board offered by a provider other than a student’s home LEA. This program was established by the “The Course Access Program Act” in 2016 and will be implemented based on the parameters set forth in state board rule 0520-01-14. All providers and courses will be reviewed by the department and the state board of education based on a specific set of criteria prior to being included in the catalog. 

Any public school student in grades 7–12 is eligible to participate at least two course access courses. Student enrollment will be facilitated by, and at the discretion of, a student’s home LEA. Courses can be offered online, in person, or as a combination of both. Upon approval, course access courses will be added to the TDOE Online Course Catalog.

Approved Course Access Providers for 2020–21:

  • Memphis Virtual School
  • Polk Innovative Learning Academy
  • Florida Virtual School

Students will be able to participate in course access courses beginning in January 2021. This first round of courses will be recommended to the State Board of Education in November 2020. Following state board approval the courses will be listed on the course access page and made available in the course catalog. Districts interested in hosting a course from an approved provider for the semester beginning January 2021 must conduct a local review of the course and submit the course to the department’s Standards and Materials division for review; the department will then submit courses to the State Board of Education for final review. Districts interested should contact Lacey.Noel@tn.gov to submit courses.

Virtual schools are public schools that “use technology to deliver a significant portion of instruction to students via the Internet in a virtual or remote setting” (T.C.A. 49-16-203). Virtual schools must comply with the same law, rules, and regulations as traditional public schools on curriculum standards, class size, length of the school day and school year, regular student assessments, and teacher qualifications.

Any student who is eligible for enrollment in a Tennessee public school may enroll in a virtual school, with districts having the option to charge tuition if the student does not live within the residency zone of the district operating the virtual school. Students have the option of enrolling full-time or part-time. 

For more information regarding public virtual schools and virtual education programs, please visit the Tennessee Virtual Schools website.

Users can access all state board approved course codes and details on the online course catalog. Access the Tennessee course code catalog here.