Special Session Called to Position for Race to the Top

Governor Phil Bredesen is using a deadline to apply for a massive federal grant program to push through sweeping changes in the way teachers are evaluated. Tuesday he called for a special session of the legislature.

State law prevents school districts in Tennessee from using student test scores in teacher assessments. In order to have a shot at the Obama Administration’s $4 billion “Race to the Top” program, Governor Bredesen says state law has to change.

“You’ve got to be able to evaluate the teachers based on how well the students do, just like you evaluate doctors on whether you get well or not in the hospital or the like.”

Bredesen says test scores should become the main factor in granting tenure. Currently, the tenure process is subjective and based primarily on years of experience. The proposal also requires teachers to be assessed on an annual basis.

The special session would begin January 12th. Bredesen says he needs a bill signed by the end of business January 19th in order to impact the state’s Race to the Top application, which he says could potentially bring hundreds of millions of dollars to the state.

Making the announcement at the state capitol, Governor Bredesen was flanked by Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey and his Education Commissioner Tim Webb.

Special Session Would Also Tackle Higher Ed Reforms

The amount of funding that goes to the state’s colleges and universities is largely determined by how many students attend. Governor Bredesen says it should be more about how many graduate.

“We want to alter the funding formula for education. We want to base it much more on performance and outcomes and not just the number of seats that are filled in the fall at those institutions.”

Bredesen says he also wants to do away with remedial course work at four-year institutions and leave that up to community colleges.