NASHVILLE – Teachers who consistently score highly on annual state-mandated teacher evaluations may be able to bypass training requirements to advance or to renew licenses under a new policy to be considered by the State Board of Education today.
The Tennessean reported the board is also scheduled to take up a new teacher licensure policy that would satisfy directives given by the Tennessee General Assembly.
Lawmakers passed legislation during the last session to reverse a controversial initiative of Gov. Bill Haslam’s administration that would have allowed student growth on tests to be used to revoke or not renew a teacher’s license.
Haslam has since signed the revamped measure into law, and the Board of Education is expected to follow through on that directive.
In the case of changes to the way teachers renew their work licenses, the new system would lean on the state’s Tennessee Evaluation Assessment Model, or TEAM system, giving teachers who score at least a 3 on the 1-through-5 scale for a series of years credit for some of the professional development needed for license renewal. This would give them an option to skip, for example, attending relevant conferences and completing coursework.