Teacher Evaluation (TEAM)

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“The Tennessee Educator Acceleration Model (TEAM) is about principals and teachers working together to ensure the best possible instruction every day. Through frequent observation, constructive feedback, student data, and professional development, TEAM is designed to support all educators in doing their best work to help every student learn and grow.” (TDOE)

Access information about the TEAM model.

Administrative TEAM Training

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The Suggested Observation Pacing (External Site) can be found here.
 
Tennessee administrators follow the TEAM Teacher Evaluation, Evaluator Handbook (PDF) when completing observations.
 
Access the State Department of Education Evaluation Guidance.
 

Partial Year Exemption (PYE) and Observation Cycles

  • For the 2026-2027 school year, any teacher meeting either of the following two conditions must be marked as a Partial Year Exemption (PYE) in TNCompass
    • New hire who starts working with students on or after November 6, 2026
    • Changes of position or school on or after November 6, 2026
  • It is recommended that any teacher marked as PYE be observed at least once per semester, if available.
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 TDOE TEAM Certification Message:

As we prepare for the launch of TEAM certification for 2026-2027, we have outlined some important dates and reminders below. Please share this email with your teacher and administrator evaluators.    

·        TEAM certification will open Monday, June 1, 2026, 8 am. 

·        Re-certification will close on Wednesday, September 9, 2026, 5 pm. 

·        Initial certification will close on Wednesday, March 31, 2027, 5 pm. 

The TEAM Evaluator Certification Training courses have moved and can now be accessed in the department’s TeachALL platform [ https://openedx.tneducation.net ]. 

 

You will access the TeachALL platform (External Site) with your TDOE issued Single Sign On (SSO). For more information about SSO please visit the TN.gov website.  [NOTE: Those in need of SSO Accounts please let us know at [email protected]]

Re-certification email invitations will be sent no later than Monday, June 1, 2026 to all individuals who were certified for 2025-2026. If someone has not received an email, by Tuesday, June 2, please ask them to reach out to [email protected]. They will need to include their TLN and the email they certified under for 2025-26.  

Individuals who were not certified for 2025-2026 need to complete initial certification. 

 

Evaluators will self-enroll in the initial training course. More information may be found
under the training tab on team-tn.org website.   

·      Initial Teacher Evaluator Certification is for those who plan to observe teachers. 

·      Initial Administrator Evaluator Certification is for those who plan to observe principals and assistant principals. 

TASL grid emails are sent about a week following certification. These should be saved as a pdf, emailed to [email protected], and 
uploaded to the TASL tab in TNCompass for administrators AFTER July 1st for the 2026-2027 school year. Certificates of completion are not acceptable for TASL credit.   

Most importantly, observations should only be conducted by certified observers. Conducting an observation without proper certification is grounds for a grievance. 

 
 

TEAM Evaluation Recertification Process Chart (external link)

Pre-K and Kindergarten Portfolios

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During the 2016 legislative session, the General Assembly passed the Pre-K Quality Act (PDF). One key component of this law is the requirement for all districts having voluntary pre-K program (VPK) must utilize the state board-approved pre-K and kindergarten student growth portfolio models for evaluating pre-K and kindergarten teachers (see T.C.A §§ 49-6-103–49-6-110). Please review this detailed FAQ regarding pre-K and kindergarten portfolios. This document includes a timeline for when to expect pre-K/K portfolio implementation resources. 
Teachers who do not submit portfolios put districts out of compliance with state law, and districts may dismiss or suspend the teacher for neglect of duty as per T.C.A. § 49-5-511.
 
 

2018-2019 TNCompass Update (PDF)
TN Board of Education Teacher and Administrator Evaluation Policy (PDF)

** Everyone should use their district email address as their primary email within TNCompass. Please ensure you change your email if you used a secondary address when you first set up your account.