Portfolio Resources

Description	TEAM student growth portfolios are 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. It is recommended that educators implement student growth portfolios within a professional learning community (PLC) or other collaborative group that focuses on long-term and short-term planning, ongoing formative assessment, standards-based instruction, differentiated and targeted instructional practices, and student work. The art of analyzing student work when grounded in collaborative thinking, self-reflection, and differentiated instruction can have a profound impact on student academic growth. According to state statute and policy, each district and charter must implement one model of individual growth for non-tested teachers. Scores generated by peer reviewed student growth portfolios represent 35% of participating teachers’ LOE within the state’s TEAM evaluation model in lieu of individual TVAAS scores that teachers in tested courses generate.
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: Fine Arts First Grade Physical Education Pre-K/Kindergarten Second Grade World Languages
TEAM Portfolio Guidebook for Administrators and Teachers	TEAM Portfolio Guidebook for Administrators and Teachers provides general information about TEAM student growth portfolios. The intended audience for this document includes teachers, principals, district personnel, and any other individuals seeking more information regarding TEAM portfolios.It is critical that all educators who submit a portfolio read and utilize this document, their content specific resource guide, and content-specific scoring rubrics.
Additional Resources and Guidance	Student Growth Portfolio Lead Best Practices Student Growth Score Grievance Resolution Protocol outlines the process required to address a grievance decision by an LEA necessitating a change to an educator’s growth score and therefore a change to the educator’s level of overall effectiveness (LOE). Distance learning is conducive to collecting evidence of student work to be uploaded to a digital platform. All recommended methods of collecting student work artifacts remain relevant in an online learning space. Recorded virtual meetings (audio and/or video), screenshots of student work, or other software applications may provide avenues for capturing student work. Please view the Distance Learning Portfolio Frequently Asked Questions document for more details. The guidance provided in this document reflects the law, state board of education rules, and state board of education policies as of October 2020.
Teacher Roster Guidance	Portfolio Rostering Guidance for Leads Before teachers receive access to Portfolium, the TEAM portfolio management platform, staff roster information year must be provided to the department. The Portfolio Teacher Roster Guidance, provides instructions on how to create, edit, and submit a roster. 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.
TNPortfolio Online Platform	The department partners with Portfolium, Inc. to provide a platform for TEAM student growth portfolios. The platform provides functionality that automates 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.