State updates graduation requirements report after backlash

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — The Tennessee Department of Education has clarified its findings in a recent report that found one in three high school students graduated without meeting the state’s requirements.

The Tennessean reports the department said in a memo Thursday it didn’t do enough to provide a proper context behind the numbers. The original report said that in 28 percent of public high schools, more than half of the graduates in 2015 didn’t meet all of their specific course requirements.

The clarification was prompted by backlash from superintendents.

The new analysis says the state found no systematic violation of graduation requirements happening in the state. It also says there were valid reasons why a third of its students weren’t meeting certain requirements, including incorrect course code entry and waivers for course requirements.