Many Tennessee teachers find state's standardized assessments unhelpful, survey says

Teachers statewide overwhelmingly view the state's standardized test as unhelpful.

That's in contrast to growing positive opinions about the state's teacher evaluation system, which the majority of teachers statewide say they find helpful to improving teaching.

Those points are some of the major takeaways of the state's 2017 Tennessee Educator Survey administered this year to over 38,000 educators to check opinions statewide on a variety of topics.

Tennessee Department of Education officials said of the survey — released Wednesday — that the two points are a tale of two very different situations. While the Tennessee teacher evaluation system has been in place for years, the state transitioned recently to a new standardized test.

State officials: The test is still new

And teachers haven't yet recieved meaningful data from the change to TNReady to help guide instruction due to the transition, Tennessee Education Commissioner Candice McQueen said. The state has and will continue to work to improve the usefulness of the test, she said.

"I do think over time, as we fully transition to the new test ... teachers will come out on the other side much stronger," McQueen said. 

More:Survey finds gap in how Tennessee teachers, bosses view discipline

More:TN teachers happier with evaluations; testing a burden

This is the seventh year the Tennessee Department of Education, in partnership with Vanderbilt University, has surveyed educators in the state to gain insight — the survey is given to both teachers and district administrators.

Survey helps guide statewide changes

The department uses the results to help guide its strategy, policy decisions, and goals for the year, according to the news release.

"I think there is a lot of real concrete takeaways about what teachers are telling the state and how we can get better," said Nate Schwartz, the department's chief research and strategy officer.

Schwartz said some highlights include the increased time teachers say they spend on classroom management and finding curriculum, as well as how little time some teachers spend on professional development.

The state has a long history of teacher evaluations

With this year's results, it also shows continued improvements in attitude toward the state's teacher evaluation.

Seventy-four percent of educators say the evaluation has led to improvements in their teaching and 77 percent called the process fair.

Those who found the evaluation most useful received more feedback, along with adequate time and materials.

Jason Grissom, a Vanderbilt University public education policy expert, said over the last six years the state and districts have found a way to better relate the evaluation to classroom instruction.

From 2014:Common Core losing support of Tennessee teachers, survey finds

"We have had a good amount time to implement and do better," Grissom said.  "But in contrast, we have a new testing regimen."

Teachers report tests don't help refine practice

The attitudes toward testing also aren't necessarily new. 

In the 2015 survey, educators said testing was a burden, with teachers reporting they spent too much time preparing students for exams and taking tests.

Teacher perceptions in the 2017 were focused mostly on how useful the tests are to student learning.

Sixty-five percent of educators surveyed said standardized exams aren't worth the investment of time and effort. The same percentage of teachers said the exams don't help refine teaching practices.

More:Tennessee high school students improve in every TNReady test subject

And 60 percent said the test doesn't help them understand whether students gain the knowledge necessary to meet state standards.

State looks to smooth out TNReady testing

The state switched to a new standardized test in the last two years that McQueen has said will better evaluate and explain student understanding. But there have been issues.

TNReady's first year was marred by numerous issues, including the cancellation of online tests and assessments in grades 3-8. The state has since changed testing vendors.

In its second year, testing went smoothly but many districts across the state were left without TNReady scores on students’ final report cards. 

McQueen has said after that she will work with superintendents to think broadly about solutions so issues aren't repeated.

Changes also have been made to make the test more relatable and useful to teachers, McQueen said.

Reach Jason Gonzales at jagonzales@tennessean.com and on Twitter @ByJasonGonzales.