TEA president Gera Summerford answers questions from reporters at the state capitol Wednesday.

The statewide teachers union wants results from new classroom evaluations to be disregarded, at least this year. The Tennessee Education Association released a list of recommendations Wednesday.

The tougher and more frequent evaluations have taken some getting used to for teachers and administrators. But TEA president Gera Summerford says no one’s career should be negatively affected while the kinks are being worked out.

“There are just too many variables, too many problems, too many discrepancies from one system to another, from one school to another.”

Tweaks have also been suggested in how to grade teachers who don’t give standardized tests. And TEA is asking for a process so teachers can contest what they consider “erroneous data.”

The union says many changes could be made by the state’s education commissioner. But changing the threshold for when teachers gain the job security of tenure requires passing a new law, says Jerry Winters, lobbyist for the Tennessee Education Association.

“It’s just absolutely unfair to say that a good solid teacher who ranks a three on a five point scale could not be eligible for tenure. There will be bills introduced to change that situation.”

The Department of Education insists scoring a three on the new five point scale indicates a “rock solid teacher.” If that’s the case, Winters says a three should be the requirement for tenure, not a four.

State education officials aren’t likely to bend to many of TEA’s requests. A statement says, “we oppose efforts to change [the evaluation system] before it’s been fully implemented.”

Governor Bill Haslam ordered a review of the evaluation system last month. But TEA officials say educators need relief from a “flawed system sooner rather than later.”