SAN ANTONIO—A new teacher evaluation system is causing controversy with many Texas teacher groups and the Texas State Teachers Association is urging the new Education Commissioner to redesign it.

The group says the new system punishes teachers, rather than helping them and their students. The Texas Teacher Evaluation and Support System, also known as T-TESS, was drafted under the former commissioner, Michael Williams.  The systems calls for at least 20 percent of a teacher's evaluation to be based on STAAR test scores.

"It's not that the notion of it is bad, it's can we really do it in an effective way," said superintendent Brian Woods.

Teachers are worried the T-TESS puts too much emphasis on test scores. 

"You could have a large population of English language learners, bilingual children. Or you could have Special Ed children in your classroom. That's going to influence how students score. So it's not really fair when another class in that same grade level who may not have that same population or makeup of children,” said teacher Ursula Silberg.

The new rules are currently part of a pilot program going on in several school districts across the state. The Texas Education Agency says the districts must have T-TESS or a system like it in place by the 2017-2018 school year.


More information:

Chapter 150. Commissioner's Rules Concerning Educator Appraisal: Subchapter AA. Teacher Appraisal §150.1001

(a) All school districts have two choices in selecting a method to appraise teachers: a teacher appraisal system recommended by the commissioner of education or a local teacher appraisal system. 

(b) The commissioner's recommended teacher appraisal system, the Texas Teacher Evaluation and Support System (T-TESS), was developed in accordance with the Texas Education Code (TEC), §21.351. 

(c) The superintendent of each school district, with the approval of the school district board of trustees, may select the T-TESS. Each school district or campus wanting to select or develop an alternative teacher appraisal system must follow the TEC, §21.352, and §150.1007 of this title (relating to Alternatives to the Commissioner's Recommended Appraisal System). 

(d) Beginning with the 2017-2018 school year, each teacher appraisal shall include the academic growth of the teacher's students at the individual teacher level as measured by one or more of the following student growth measures: 

(1) student learning objectives; 

(2) student portfolios; 

(3) pre- and post-test results on district-level assessments; or 

(4) value-added data based on student state assessment results. 

 

Full statement: