An assistant commissioner in the Tennessee Department of Education briefed the State Board on an ongoing landscape analysis and advisory-committee review of the state's teacher-evaluation system, saying the work will culminate in a report to the legislature in January 2026.

The presentation recapped Tennessee's multi-decade evolution of evaluation policy and explained that current system components include qualitative classroom observations, achievement measures and growth models, with observation cycles differentiated by a teacher's experience and prior effectiveness. The presenter said roughly 75% of educators received an overall level 4 or 5 and that about 96% of teachers in their first three years earned at least a level 3 on observations.

Advisory-committee findings and concerns: The committee (composed of practicing and recognized teachers and experts, per the presentation) reportedly agreed the system is robust and important, particularly for novice teachers, but identified areas for refinement: the depth and breadth of the teacher rubric, potential subjectivity in observations and growth measures, guidance on announced vs. unannounced observations, and additional training resources for evaluators. The assistant commissioner said members appreciated existing resources such as a best-practices video library but recommended additional resource creation and training.

Process and next steps: The department said it has run regional and national comparisons and will continue stakeholder engagement. A final educator-evaluation-committee meeting was scheduled for Dec. 8 and a committee recommendation report is expected Jan. 31; the department said it will present a final report to the legislature in January 2026 pursuant to statutory direction.

Board discussion: Board members asked about whether scoring should remain numeric and whether observations should shift toward narrower, coaching-focused feedback. Multiple board members suggested piloting any changes (for example narrowing observation scope to literacy in elementary grades) before systemwide adoption.

Ending: The department invited further input and will incorporate the board's feedback into the advisory committee process before final recommendations are drafted.