Teacher Evaluation and Classroom Practice: Teacher Perceptions in Northeast Tennessee

The purpose of this quantitative study was to investigate the perceptions of K-12 teachers as they relate to the implementation of the Tennessee Educator Acceleration (TEAM) evaluation framework. Survey links were sent to 1,115 K-12 teachers from 4 Northeast Tennessee school districts. The survey achieved a 24% return rate for a total of 270 participants. The research evaluated K-12 teachers’ overall perceptions of the TEAM evaluation framework, their perceptions of changes to their lesson planning processes, their perceptions of changes in the use of instructional strategies in their classrooms, and their perceptions of changes in the amount of time needed to prepare lessons for instruction since the implementation of the TEAM evaluation framework. Data sources analyzed consisted of an online survey design using a 5-point Likert-type scale. There were 4 research questions included in this research each with a corresponding null hypothesis. Each research question was analyzed with a series of single sample t-tests with mid-point of the scale (3.0) as the test value representing neutrality. All data were analyzed at the .05 level of significance. Findings from the data indicated a significant difference in perceptions of teachers in 3 of 4 areas. First the planning process for their lessons was reported to be more structured and focused on the evaluation rubric. Next, the instructional strategies used in their lessons were reported as more focused on higher order thinking skills. And finally the time required to plan instruction had increased since the implementation of the TEAM framework