TEA opposes teacher licensure proposal
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) – The state’s largest teachers’ union is challenging a proposal that would tie teacher licensure to student test data.
The Tennessee Education Association held a press conference on Wednesday to voice its opposition to using the Tennessee Value-Added Assessment System, which measures how much students improve in a year.
Currently, professional teaching licenses are renewed for 10 years without regard to teacher effectiveness.
Under the proposal, a teacher’s license renewal would depend on 50 percent of TVAAS data.
TEA president Gera Summerford said teachers are concerned because of possible flaws in student growth data.
However, Education Department spokeswoman Kelli Gauthier told The Associated Press in an email that the licensure policy includes an appeals process to prevent loss of a license because of flawed data.
The State Board of Education is scheduled to vote on the proposal Friday.
