The Texas Teacher Evaluation and Support System: Features, Qualities, and Effects on Teachers and Schooling

Session Type: Symposium

Abstract

Abstract
This year’s theme asks us to consider “the power and possibilities for the public good when researchers and organizational stakeholders collaborate”. Perhaps there is no better place to explore this provocation than Texas, which has a long history of establishing stakeholder partnerships in the name of educational quality. Using a variety of methodological approaches, this panel will investigate the many facets of the Texas Teacher Evaluation and Support System (T-TESS) that was developed by a partnership between the Texas Education Agency and a number of external organizations, including analytical software companies, non-profit education consultancy groups, and digital platform companies. The panellists will explore the features and impact of T-TESS, but also the implications for policy and practice more broadly.

Sub Unit

• Division H - Research, Evaluation and Assessment in Schools / Division H - Section 4: Accountability in Schools

Chair

• Audrey Amrein-Beardsley, Arizona State University

Papers

• Investigating the Texas Value-Added Assessment System Component of the Texas Teacher Evaluation and Support System - Audrey Amrein-Beardsley, Arizona State University; Clarin Collins, Arizona State University

• Public-Private Partnerships in Texas Schools: The Texas Teacher Evaluation and Support System - Jessica Holloway, Australian Catholic University; Steven Lewis, Deakin University

• Accountability, Growth, or Both? Practitioner Lived Experiences of a New Teacher Evaluation System in Texas - Noelle A. Paufler, Clemson University; Kelley Marie King, University of North Texas; Ping Zhu, University of North Texas

Discussant

• Rachael E. Gabriel, University of Connecticut