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Tennessee Teachers File First Lawsuit Over Use Of Test Data In Pay Decisions

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In August of 2013, the Tennessee Education Association tried to keep the state board of education from giving final approval to a plan linking license renewal to student achievement data. Credit: Blake Farmer / WPLN

In August of 2013, the Tennessee Education Association tried to keep the state board of education from giving final approval to a plan linking license renewal to student achievement data. Credit: Blake Farmer / WPLN

An algebra teacher in Knoxville has filed a lawsuit against the school district over the use of student improvement data in pay decisions. The Tennessee Education Association says it’s just the first of many legal challenges in the works.

This teacher says she should have gotten a $1,500 bonus and didn’t because her value-added score was incorrectly tabulated.

TVAAS is a complex statistical estimate to gauge teacher effectiveness. It’s been around for two decades. But only recently have state officials pushed to use the data in tenure and pay decisions.

TEA has been on a multi-month campaign to find flaws.

“TVAAS has been given a credibility and a weight in the public’s mind that it doesn’t deserve,” says TEA president Gera Summerford.

A spokesperson for the Knox County Board of Education declined to comment on the pending litigation.

Filed Under: Education, WPLN News Tagged With: ,

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Blake Farmer, Host, This Is Nashville

Blake Farmer is the host of “This Is Nashville,” the flagship weekday show of Nashville Public Radio. Previously, Blake spent 16 years at WPLN News, serving as host, editor and news director. Before a two-year radio hiatus with a Nashville-based healthcare company, Blake was one of the country’s most prolific healthcare audio journalists. He produced stories for both local and national programs, extending the reach of his reporting through a partnership with KFF Health News. Outside of work, Blake can be found running or biking on roads that other Nashvillians consider too busy for such activities. So far, he has always made it home to his wife of 20 years and two children.

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