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TAP Teaching Standards Selected as Basis for Tennessee's New Statewide Teacher Evaluation Model

The National Institute for Excellence in Teaching (NIET) is pleased to announce that the Tennessee Department of Education has selected the TAP Teaching Standards as the basis for the qualitative evaluation instrument for the new statewide Tennessee Educator Acceleration Model (TEAM). The new model is part of the state's Race to the Top effort.

Tennessee was selected in March 2010 to receive over $500 million for education in the first round of the federal government's Race to the Top competition. Tennessee was chosen in part due to the strength of its leadership in revamping educator evaluation systems to provide educators with the feedback and support they need to succeed. The Tennessee First to the Top Act requires, beginning in the 2011-12 school year, annual evaluation of all teachers and principals with 50% based on student achievement data and 50% based on teacher observation.

During the 2010-11 school year, the Teacher Evaluation Advisory Committee conducted an evaluation field test to obtain teacher and principal feedback. After piloting four different evaluation methods in approximately 30 districts throughout Tennessee, the advisory committee recommended the TAP Teaching Standards for the 50% teacher observation component of TEAM. According to the committee, the decision to use the TAP Teaching Standards or "Rubric" was based on positive field test results; research that links the instrument to increases in student achievement; and the capacity and resources that NIET has to provide high-quality direct training and certification of all observers and evaluators statewide.

This summer, NIET in collaboration with the Tennessee Department of Education will train approximately 5,000 Tennessee teachers, principals and administrators in nearly 100 four-day training sessions across the state. In addition, participating schools will have access to a Web-based training portal. The portal will provide resources and training modules to support the use and understanding of the Rubric and evaluation process, including hundreds of hours of lessons from different grade levels and content areas as well as accompanying documentation.

NIET looks forward to working with the Tennessee Department of Education and educators throughout the state to achieve the goals of teacher excellence...student achievement...opportunities for all.