Professional Educators of Tennessee issued the following statement in reaction to the SCORE Evaluation Report released Monday:

"The formal feedback process of the new evaluation system, independent of state government, that the State Collaborative on Reforming Education (SCORE) undertook statewide, in which we participated, was exhaustive. This report provides an invaluable catalogue of feedback from educators and other stakeholders from across the state on the four approved evaluation models.  Despite imperfections, the new system is considered a marked improvement from what previously existed.  However, as we move forward we must ensure any evaluation system is fair and effective for all educators. 

"Professional Educators of Tennessee will take the time to carefully review each of the SCORE recommendations, before suggesting any revisions. In addition, we want to review additional findings from the Tennessee Department of Education, along with student achievement data once it is available before reaching conclusions in determining exactly what needs to be changed and to make it more manageable for teachers going forward. We will be very aggressive in meeting with policymakers to ensure educator voices are heard in this process. We expect that Governor Haslam and his team will put forward his own framework for actions prior to the State Board of Education meeting next month.  So, there will be a short time frame in which we can offer input or propose policy considerations to improve the teacher evaluation system.  

"Organizationally, we recognized that many teachers across the state did not have access to high quality professional learning to assist them. So, we were extremely pleased that among the recommendations by SCORE was a strong call for professional development by education associations. Professional Educators of Tennessee believes it is part of our core business, as well as a key pillar of needed reform, to provide the highest quality of professional learning for the educators of Tennessee to both members and non-members. Through LeaderU, we offer professional development that is designed to promote, advance and build upon the skills of teacher leaders throughout Tennessee. Professional Development allows for educators to create a professional career continuum and lays a solid groundwork for the future of Tennessee classrooms."