Vol. 49, Issue 3
January-February 2018
TEACH
The teaching and learning journal of the Tennessee Education Association
Evaluations: The teacher evaluation system in Tennessee has a lot of room for improvement, and TEA is working to make meaningful changes in the legislature. In the meantime, teachers must understand how to make the most of the current system.
Making the system work for you
“Teachers have never been opposed to evaluation, we just want it to be a meaningful and accurate measure of our work,” said TEA President Barbara Gray. “Teachers are committed to ensuring their students receive the very best education. We want those checks in place to let us know where we are excelling and where we need to improve for our students to succeed.” TEA believes the evaluation of professional educators is one of many means to improve professional practice, and that the ultimate goal of the evaluation process should be the improvement of instruction. Therefore, evaluation should be a collaborative process. A cooperative approach to evaluations involving the educator and the evaluator should result in more effective instructional practices. TEA is prepared to ensure that school districts implement all evaluation policies fairly and objectively. Be sure you understand and are prepared for the evaluation process by reviewing the guidelines and tips contained here. TEA believes an effective evaluation
system will encourage and promote a common vision of effective teaching and collaboration among all educators in support of student achievement.
Report on teacher sexual misconduct could bring changes to licensure, discipline Following a report by the Tennessee Comptroller’s office identifying shortcomings in how students are protected against sexual misconduct by educators, state legislators are expected to take up the issue this session to clean up the language in state law around teacher licensure and discipline. “We appreciate the hard work of the comptroller’s office to research this critical issue, and look forward to working with the General Assembly and others to strengthen the system to remove teachers who pose a danger to students,” said TEA Executive Director Carolyn Crowder. “We continue to work with our members on how to identify warning signs of misconduct, and how to take action to protect students.” The issue of protecting students
Evaluation, cont. page 7
Licensure and discipline cont. page 8
TEA online professional development launching in March Starting in mid-March, TEA members will be able to access high quality professional development online through the new TEA Professional Development Portal. The portal will offer engaging courses to boost best teaching practices, convenient online training from any device in the comfort of your own home, as well as an education tracker tool that automatically records and monitors learning progress.
TEA online professional development cont. page 8
Celebrate Read Across Tennessee! Ruffy says “dig into reading” with bookmarks and coloring pages available for TEA members. Please contact your UniServ to request materials (page 6).
RUFF Y
Pull-out poster inside! Part of NEA’s Read Across America.
THE PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATION OF TENNESSEE