NASHVILLE, Tenn. - The Tennessee Education Association spoke out Wednesday against a plan to tie teacher licenses to student test scores.
Tennessee Education Commissioner Kevin Huffman introduced a plan earlier this year that would make it tougher for teachers to get and keep licenses.
The plan calls for teachers to get higher scores on licensing tests and part of the score would be based on teacher evaluations.
TEA President Gera Summerford said Wednesday that the new plan, set to be voted on this week, uses test scores that can be inconsistent from year to year. Their opposition centers around the use of test scores to maintain teachers' licenses.
"Tying license renewal directly to TVAAS scores is not appropriate, and we challenge the idea that a teacher's score in a given year is a valid indicator of a teacher's future performance," Summerford said.
The Tennessee Education Association is the state's largest professional organization representing more than 46,000 elementary and secondary teachers, school administrators, education support professionals, higher education faculty, and students preparing to become teachers.
