Tennessee is among the top four states in an annual report on teacher quality.
The National Council on Teacher Quality released its 7th annual State Teacher Policy Yearbook yesterday, giving Tennessee a B. The Tennessean newspaper reports that score is up from a B-minus in 2011 and a C-minus in 2009.
Reform efforts in the state, such as eliminating teacher contract negotiations and linking teacher tenure and licensing to student test scores, have proven unpopular with Tennessee teachers, but are praised in the report.
The report also cites Tennessee for being one of three states with well-prepared high school teachers, whom the state requires to pass content tests for core high school subjects. The report faulted the state for not requiring the same for elementary school teachers.
Louisiana and Rhode Island also earned B’s. Only Florida scored higher, with a B-plus.
The national score is a C-minus.