Tennessee teachers won’t be able to renew their licenses in a few years unless they meet a minimum performance standard, according to rules approved by the state school board last week.
The change means that students’ standardized-test scores will count toward recertification for a subset of teachers—putting yet more stakes on the exams, which are already used in part for school accountability; teacher evaluation, tenure-granting, and pay; and teacher-preparation report cards.
The policy appears to be among the first instances of a state linking student scores to licensure. Most states require an advanced degree or completion of a set number of coursework credits or professional-development hours.
Board members were divided about the move, and the final 6-3 vote delays implementation of the rules from 2014 to 2015. The draft rules had listed 2014 as the year of implementation.
