Description |
TEAM student growth portfolios were designed in response to requests by teachers in non-tested grades and subjects for a measure of student growth, comparable to that of TVAAS, for use in their evaluations.
Portfolios, which are a collection of authentic student work from two points in time, allow teachers to demonstrate their effectiveness in fostering student growth.
Portfolio growth models produce authentic student growth measures unique to an individual teacher’s students.Through video, audio, and still pictures of student work, teachers capture student growth in real time. Many educators cite professional learning as an added benefit of implementing the portfolio process. |
Background |
The First to the Top Act of 2010 outlined a comprehensive evaluation system for teachers based on multiple measures of effectiveness, including student growth indicators. Developing comparable measures for teachers in non-tested grades and subjects continues to be a top priority for the department. |
Policy |
Pursuant to state board policy 5.201, all pre-kindergarten and kindergarten teachers employed by a district or charter that offers an approved VPK (voluntary pre-K) program must implement the board-approved pre-kindergarten and kindergarten portfolio models. Participation in any additional student growth portfolio models is an evaluation flexibility option.
Educators who utilize a portfolio growth model maintain all the rights, responsibilities and legalities of educators with growth measures attained from a TCAP test. Portfolio growth model scores are treated the same as TCAP test scores within the evaluation process and with human capital decisions. In spring 2019, the state amended T.C.A. § 49-6-111 to create a portfolio review committee. This committee was charged with reviewing the pre-kindergarten/kindergarten student growth portfolio model process, identifying expectations for the model and areas of improvement, and releasing findings and recommendations. One recommendation included providing districts with alternative growth options and developing an approval process for these options. The committee convened on July 23, 2019, and, with facilitation support from the department staff, developed nine recommendations that can be viewed here. |
Models |
Tennessee currently uses the following portfolio growth models: |
TEAM Portfolio Guidebook for Administrators and Teachers |
The TEAM Portfolio Guidebook for Administrators and Teachers is for administrators working with educators developing portfolios and contains ideas about supporting teachers as they complete the portfolio process. |
Portfolio Implementation Needs Assessment |
The Portfolio Implementation Needs Assessment provides district and charter leaders a template that can be used when considering which portfolio models best meet district or charter goals. |
Teacher Rosters Guidance |
The 2019-20 Teacher Rosters Guidance Before teachers receive access to Portfolium, the TEAM portfolio management platform, staff roster information for the 2019-20 school year must be provided to the department. The 2019-20 Portfolio Teacher Roster Guidance, provides instructions on how to create, edit, and submit a district’s roster file. Once the roster information has been quality checked and uploaded to the platform, teachers will receive the activation email needed to access their platform account. As a reminder, teachers are not granted access to the Portfolium online platform for the 2019-20 academic year until an accurate roster has been provided by the district. Any delay or inaccuracy in this information may result in teachers not receiving access to the platform for portfolio submission. |
TNPortfolio Online Platform
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The department partners with Portfolium, Inc. to provide a platform for TEAM student growth portfolios. The platform provides functionality that automates and improves several processes associated with portfolio development. It also allows schools to track student work samples longitudinally across multiple years. Tutorials and guidance for using the platform can be found here. |