NASHVILLE (AP) — A proposal to close public access to teacher evaluation data is advancing in the House.

The measure sponsored by Republican Rep. Richard Montgomery of Sevierville was approved on a voice vote in the House State and Local Government Committee on Tuesday. The companion bill is headed for a floor vote in the Senate.

Sponsors say access to the data should be limited to school officials and not available to the general public.

Under recent changes to state law, half of teachers' assessments must derive from testing data, while the rest comes from classroom observations.

Tennessee Education Association lobbyist Jerry Winters told reporters earlier this week that he favors the proposal because of the lack of confidence many educators have in the new evaluation system.