Trump administration’s stance in support of testing may be in direct conflict with recent proposals from Tennessee lawmakers

President Donald Trump with Education Secretary Linda McMahon (right) (Photo by Linda McMahon)

Last spring Republican lawmakers in the Tennessee House advanced multiple proposals designed to reduce the testing public school students take. Those representatives instead opted to pass a senate-sponsored plan to study the state’s testing system over the summer, and that study is expected to lead to additional proposals related to testing next year.

President Donald Trump’s 2026 budget proposal may just have made the possibility of passing any testing reductions next year more complicated for Republican lawmakers who support such changes. The president’s request to Congress includes specific support for states to continue administering testing as part of their ongoing implementation of the Every Student Succeeds Act.

“Annual, high-quality, statewide assessments aligned to challenging State academic standards are a critical element of the statewide accountability systems that each State must establish under the Act, providing parents and educators with information they need to understand whether students are meeting State-determined college- and career-ready academic standards,” wrote the Trump administration in the budget request. “State assessments also help identify schools that are meeting these standards and schools where additional resources and supports may be needed to improve educational opportunity and academic achievement.”

Penny Schwinn testifying before a Senate committee (screen grab)

Trump’s support for assessments aligns with testimony earlier this month from the president’s pick for the number two position in the U.S. Department of Education. Former Tennessee Education Commissioner Penny Schwinn told senators in her confirmation hearing earlier this month that testing is a key part of improving reading and math proficiency.

“If we want to change these numbers, we must be willing to measure them. That starts with strong assessments and honest accountability. We must continue to raise the bar and give families clear, accurate information about how their children are doing—where they are excelling and where we, as adults, must do better. If we’re serious about outcomes, we must be serious about measuring them,” said Schwinn. “Assessment is not about bureaucracy—it’s about truth. And families deserve the truth.”

President Trump remains widely popular among Tennessee Republicans. A recent poll from the Beacon Counter found 89 percent of Tennessee Republican voters approve of the job President Trump is doing and a poll from Vanderbilt University found 52 percent of Tennesseans overall approve.

Support for public charter schools and students with disabilities

The President’s budget proposal also includes extra funding for students with disabilities and public charter schools.

Under the proposal, charter operators would see a $60 million increase in charter school grants. This funding helps support the startup of new public charter schools, including funding to improve access to facilities. Finding adequate facilities is a challenge for many charter schools in Tennessee, and in recent years the Tennessee General Assembly has passed legislation and appropriated funding to help.

In making the spending recommendation, Trump’s administration makes the case that expanding high-quality public charter schools will give parents more options.

“Empowering parents with educational options is critical to improving student outcomes and is a priority of the Administration, as reflected in Executive Order 14191, “Expanding Educational Freedom and Opportunity for Families.” The request for Charter Schools Grants is a central element of the Administration’s efforts to advance the goals of the Order and increase the number of high-quality education choices available to our Nation’s students and families,” wrote the Trump administration.

President Trump’s proposal to do away with the U.S. Department of Education altogether and provide more autonomy to states has created concerns nationwide about what that could mean for students with disabilities who benefit from the federal government’s funding and education protections.

His budget proposal would address those concerns by allocating $677 million more to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) to States Grants program and consolidating the Preschool Grant program and Special Education National Activities programs into it. Trump’s administration argues the extra funding will help close “persistent achievement gaps” between students with disabilities and their peers.

The Presidents’ budget proposals ultimately will be decided by members of Congress.