Fact: Nothing passed during the special session eliminates tenure.  The grounds for dismissal of tenured teachers have not changed.  In fact, teachers who receive dismissal charges will now have the right to a hearing before an impartial third party.

Myth#2: New teachers will have to teach five years before tehy can achieve tenure.

Fact: No. Teachers licensed and employed for the first time after the ACT was signed into law must complete the same 27-month or three-consecutive-year probationary period as current tenured teachers.

Myth#3: School systems can now fire teachers solely because their TVAAS scores are low.

Fact: No. Nothing in the ACT allows or was intended to allow teachers to be dismissed solely on the basis of their TVAAS scores being low.  The list of permissible dismissal charges has not changed.

Myth#4: Teachers in low-performing schools will automatically lose their tenure and their jobs if the school goes into an achievement school district.

Fact: No. Teachers in low-performing schools are employees of the LEA and cannot lose their tenure rights (be dismissed) except under the provisions of the tenure law.  Teachers in schools at Restructuring 2 -- Alternative Governance of Education remain employees of the LEA unless they are non-renewed, their position is abolished or they are dismissed under provisions of the tenure law.

Myth#5: All teachers will be required to participate in a merit pay plan.

Fact: No. Any change in compensation must be negotiated between the school system and the local association.  The ACT also provides that ifa n alternative salary schedule is negotiated, no teacher may be paid less on that schedule than they were paid at the time it was negotiated.

Myth#6: Local associations will no longer be able to negotiate salaries.

Fact: Salaries remain a mandatory subject of bargaining. Nothing in the Tennessee First to the Top Act of 2010 eliminates salary as a mandatory subject of collective bargaining.  In bargaining locals, any changes in local salary schedules must be negotiated between school systems and local associations.

Myth#7: The evaluation of teachers and principals must now be comprised of 50 percent TVAAS data.

Fact: No. The evaluations of teachers and principals whose students generate TVAAS data must now consist of 35 percent TVAAS data and 15 percent other student achievement data.  The 15 percent other student achievement data is intended to be mutually determined by the teacher and the evaluator (s) from a list developed by the "teacher evaluation advisory committee."  If the teacher and evaluator(s) cannot agree on the 15 percent measure to be used, the evaluator's choice will be used.

Myth#8: Teachers in schools with relatively high numbers of students who receive free and reduced price lunch should try to get transferred to another school to avoid low TVAAS scores.

Fact: TVAAS scores are based on student growth rather than raw scores.  A significant number of schools serving low socioeconomic students record higher TVAAS scores than their sister schools that serve large populations from higher socioeconomic groups.

Taken from a letter to local Presidents from TEA.