Due to issues with TNReady delivery , alternatives to the evaluation specifications had to be developed . In July 2016 , the State Board of Education , under the direction of the Teaching Evaluation Enhancement Act of 2015 , created guidance for temporary flexibility in teacher evaluation and accountability , and the phase-in of TNReady assessment weights for educator evaluation from 2015-16 school year to 2017-18 school year . 30
A recent survey of more than 30,000 teachers shows wide support for teacher evaluation practices in the state . Of these teachers , seven in ten report that evaluation processes have led to improvements in schools , teaching , and student learning . This support is a significant improvement from the 38 percent who believed the evaluation system was effectively being used to improve the same outcomes in 2012 .
Furthermore , in a recent survey of educator perceptions on TVAAS , both principals and teachers indicate their use of student growth data to inform instructional strategies and personnel decisions . 31
Topic Timeline :
Since 2011 , teacher evaluation in Tennessee has undergone several changes that reflect an ongoing commitment to improving the teacher evaluation system in Tennessee .
• January 2010 : Tennessee passed the First to the Top Act , which requires annual evaluations for teachers and school leaders . The legislation created the Teacher Evaluation Advisory Council ( TEAC ) to develop the statewide evaluation system . 32
• 2011-12 : Tennessee implemented the Tennessee Educator Acceleration Model ( TEAM ) Evaluation system .
• August 2012 : TDOE introduced improvements to the teacher evaluation system including increased flexibility for school districts and developing better growth measures for teachers in non-tested grades
33 34 and subjects .
• August 2013 : Significant changes enacted in the General Assembly as well as TDOE include :
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Piloting the use of student perception surveys in teacher evaluations .
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Including students with disabilities in teachers ’ individual
35 36 growth scores .
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Allowing teachers in participating districts who score a 4 or 5 on individual growth measures , such as valueadded scores , to use this score for 100 percent of their evaluation total if this would result in a higher score than the traditional formula . 37
• 2016 : Due to concerns over TNReady administration , Public Chapter 712 provided teachers the option to include or not include results from student assessments within the growth component of their evaluation .
A GUIDE FOR POLICYMAKERS / 2016-17 | 22