Skip to main content
Main Menu Toggle

Department of Teacher Evaluations and Licensure

2024 - 2025

Welcome to Teacher Evaluations and Licensure. Here, you will find procedures and links on the evaluation system as well as information on maintaining and advancing of teachers' licenses. 

 

*Required Literacy Training

 

The 2021 Tennessee Literacy Success Act requires certain educators to complete a literacy course before license renewal. This document includes details about the requirements, endorsements that are included in these new requirements, and clarification on how to demonstrate completion of the requirement.

Training Requirement

The Tennessee Literacy Success Act requires that all teachers holding a license with an endorsement that allows them to teach reading in grades K-5 complete at least one approved foundational literacy skills course prior to renewing or advancing a license.

The free TN Early Reading Training meets this training requirement.  At the completion of the training, a certificate is earned with a passing score on the summative assessment. This certificate must be uploaded in TN Compass within one year of the educator’s licensure renewal or advancement deadline in order to meet the licensure requirement component of the Literacy Success Act.  Early Reading Training    Secondary Literacy Training

Licensure Requirement

 

Effective August 1, 2023, candidates seeking to obtain, renew, or advance a teaching license with at least one qualifying endorsement (as listed below) should provide evidence documenting the completion of an approved foundational literacy skills course. This documentation must be submitted in TN Compass within one year of the licensure and endorsement issuance, renewal, or advancement date. Educators completing the training requirement detailed above can use the documentation from course completion to satisfy this requirement as long as the documentation is submitted within one year of the licensure and endorsement issuance, renewal, or advancement date. This licensure requirement pertains to the following qualifying endorsements:

001, 002, 101, 105, 120, 144, 400, 401, 402, 403, 440, 441, 442, 443
459, 460, 461, 467, 468, 482, 483, 497, 499, 2000, 2001, Admin ILL

 

Educators holding a retired endorsement that allows them to teach reading in any grade kindergarten through fifth (e.g. Elementary K-6, or a 1-8 endorsement), are also required to complete the foundational literacy skills course and subsequent guidelines as stated above.

 

Additional Considerations

 

Educators enrolled in a preparation program with a job-embedded clinical practice and who hold a Practitioner License with at least one qualifying endorsement must demonstrate completion of the foundational skills literacy course or assessment prior to renewing or advancing the license.

 

Adding Qualifying Endorsements to a License

 

Educators seeking to add any of the qualifying endorsements listed above to an active license must also demonstrate completion of this requirement prior to the endorsement being added to the license.

 

Multiple Endorsements on a License

 

Educators holding a license with multiple endorsements, at least one (1) of which is not impacted by these requirements may maintain licensure and any unapplicable endorsements, however, any applicable endorsements will become inactive at the time of renewal or advancement of the license unless the educator demonstrates completion of this requirement.

 

Failure to Meet this Requirement

 

Educators who only hold a license with applicable endorsements(s) and who do not complete this requirement will not be able to renew or advance the license and it will become inactive. In order to reactivate an inactive license, educators must complete the literacy requirement.

 

Timeline

 

Applications for initial licensure, licensure renewal or advancement, and additional endorsement received on or after August 1, 2023, will be evaluated against the aforementioned requirements.

 

Recent amendments to Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 49-5-108(c), now allow educators who hold an expired Tennessee license to reactivate without submitting qualifying scores on required assessments, if the teacher holds an active professional license in a state other than Tennessee. The professional license from another state must be a full, valid, continuously renewable license that is equivalent to Tennessee’s Professional license.  

Educators will need to submit a Reactivate License transaction in TNCompass and upload a copy of their out-of-state license to the Attachments section on the Licensure tab of their TNCompass account. 

Licensure Information and links:

 

 

 

TEACHER EVALUATIONS

Level of Effectiveness Formula

All full time, certified teachers will receive a level of effectiveness score at the end of each school year. This overall evaluation score includes both qualitative and quantitative measures of teaching quality. The three components of the evaluation are observations, achievement, and growth. These three components come together to comprise an educator’s overall Level of Effectiveness (LOE) score. Educators receive an LOE score ranging from 1 to 5, with a score of 3 being ‘at expectations’. A score of 5 is considered 'significantly above expectations'.

Component 1: Achievement

The State Board of Education has approved options for teachers and principals for the 15 percent achievement measure component that reflects those measures that showed a relationship to student growth and that could be returned in a timely manner. Teachers will meet with their principals early in the school year to choose a 15 percent measure and set clear and rigorous goals. For a list of approved options - Achievement Measure Worksheet

Component 2: Growth

For teachers with individual value-added scores, the growth measure shall be comprised of TVAAS scores. For teachers, librarians, counselors and other groups of educators who do not have individual TVAAS scores, districts will choose from a list of options that have been shown capable of measuring student growth. The list of options is approved by the Department of Education prior to the start of each school year.

Component 3: Observations

Project COACH

Project COACH is a collaborative coaching model based on brief, unannounced observations. These observations take place over the course of the year, and each observation is followed up with a feedback conference focused on actionable steps.

The number and length of observations a teacher receives is based upon the type of licensure, along with the annual level of effectiveness (LOE) score of the individual. See the file - "Observation Requirements".  

At the beginning of each year, teachers will complete a self-assessment within the T-EVAL website. This assessment will be used to self-identify areas of strength as well as areas for professional growth. The building level administrator will use the self-assessment as a guide to begin the conversation and develop observational benchmarks for the year. Together, the teacher and administrator will formulate a strategy for instructional growth, using observations for support and documentation. Feedback conversations will guide the process to ensure that all stakeholders are accountable and focused on the professional growth of the teacher.

At the end of each year, the teacher and principal will meet for a summative conference. Observational data and feedback conversations from the year will be used to summarize and analyze teacher growth. Areas of strength and areas for growth will be discussed, and a professional development plan will be created for the following year. A summative score will be converted to a 1-5 scale and will serve as the qualitative portion of the teacher's LOE score. 

For a detailed summary of the Project COACH model, see the file - "Project COACH Overview".

 

T-EVAL               https://www.t-eval.com/

 

 

The T-EVAL website is the tool used for Project COACH documentation of observations. Each teacher will have an account that allows viewing of observation notes from the administrator. It also serves as a forum for feedback, communication and notation. 

Once an observation is recorded into T-EVAL, the teacher will receive an email notifying them that an observation is ready for view. After the teacher opens and reviews the observation, they will have the opportunity to add comments and/or feedback.

If you need assistance with login to the T-EVAL site, email Tim Riggs at [email protected]

 

TNCompass      https://tncompass.org/Account/Login

The TNCompass website houses all evaluation and licensure data for teachers. Every teacher must have an active TNCompass account. To setup an account, follow the link to the homepage and click "Register Now".

 

Licensure

It is the teacher's responsibility to monitor their license for renewal and advancement. Please see the TDOE website for information.

https://www.tn.gov/education/educators/licensing.html

To renew a practitioner license, an educator must complete an approved educator preparation program and submit passing scores on all required content and pedagogical assessments.

To advance from a practitioner license to professional license, teachers must have three years of experience, and have documentation of 30 professional development points (PDPs).

To renew a professional license, and educator must submit 60 professional development points (PDPs).

___________________________________________

Want more information on how to earn PDP Points?  Go to Professional Development Points (PDPs)