Overall Topic
The annual Texas Teacher Evaluation and Support System (T-TESS) could be the ideal measurement tool for the impact of E-Portfolios in a music classroom. T-TESS is a system designed to measure teachers’ professional growth. During this process, teachers set professional goals that they desire to meet by the end of the year. Since my innovation plan involved so much research on e-portfolios in an elementary choir, I decided to take the research a step further. My research finds that the significant components that make both T-TESS and electronic portfolios impactful run parallel, but most importantly both are utilized for the dedication of improving student learning (Willey, 2019). This led me to the question: How will the utilization of technology (e-portfolios in particular) in a general music classroom impact the results of annual T-Tess Goals.
Why It’s Important
Of course, as an educator I have a duty to continue to be innovative and improve my knowledge and craft, but it’s a little deeper than that. In a T-TESS evaluation, your growth is often demonstrated through artifacts collected from student work. The connection between T-TESS evaluations and student e-portfolios is displayed through this student work. Students will store these artifacts in their e-portfolio, which includes documents, photos/drawings, videos/recordings, research/publications, and links to other media (Alexander, 2019). If these artifacts are to be submitted as a teacher’s evidence of professional growth, then student privacy must be taken into consideration.
Also, it is important that I restate that research in music education is limited. To be clear, I believe music in itself is one arguably the most extensive subject of all, however in terms of music education we are just scratching the surface. This isn’t a slight to any particular field, just fact. Exampled by my being the only music major in this education program. With that being said, I must do my part in researching these innovative education topics and putting the information out for all of the world of music. And I continue to encourage every type of musician to do the same! Blog about your experiences in the field, blog about your research, conduct experiments and share the information with us all so we can keep bridging the gap between music and education!
Is T-TESS a Supported Measuring Tool?
T-TESS was first put in place the 2017-18 school year. Being a first-year teacher at the time, it was the first and only teacher evaluation process that I was ever familiar with. Of course, researching T-TESS lead me to PDAS, the previous evaluation system. PDAS stood for Professional Development and Appraisal System. According to the Texas Classroom Teachers Association, teachers weren’t particularly supportive of PDAS (TCTA, 2021). Generally, educators aren’t typically excited about any type of evaluation, but T-TESS brought five components to teacher evaluation that go beyond the traditional teacher appraisal procedures.
1. Student growth- 20% of the teacher’s evaluation is measured by students’ performances on state assessments, learning objectives, and district pre/post tests.
2. Goal setting and self-assessment- Teachers formulate targeted goals and monitor the progress throughout the year.
3. Observation Rubric- A rubric with five performance levels that differentiates teaching practices comprised of four domains.
4. Conferences- T-TESS requires a pre-conference, post-conference, and summative conference to provide adequate feedback throughout the school year.
5. Performance Levels- The performance levels are basically the grades that the evaluator gives the teacher. From best to worst, the performance levels are Distinguished, Accomplished, Proficient, Developing, Needs improvement.
E-Portfolios and T-TESS
Do e-portfolios have a direct impact on T-TESS results? This has yet to be determined. However, it is proven that e-portfolios have a direct impact on the learning. My research on e-portfolios both in and out of music can be found in detail throughout my e-portfolio. In this research, I have collected evidence that e-portfolios create a higher level of learning for students. Reflection and documentation are two components (of many) of e-portfolios that cause this to be true. Developing these two practices can prepare kids for the future, as these skills are utilized by even most adult employees (Khikmatillaeva, 2018). When a student practices the process of reflecting on their performance and documenting their progress, it creates unique and valuable learning experiences for them. Also, reflection and documentation are once again examples of the connection between e-portfolios and T-TESS. Students practice reflection and documentation with e-portfolios, while teachers practice those same components with T-TESS.
Summary- The Widget Effect
In conclusion, both e-portfolios and T-TESS negate the “widget effect” for students and educators. The widget effect is described as a system where improvement isn’t fostered (TNTP, 2018). When a widget doesn’t work or has an error, it is usually replaced or unused. However, teachers being simply replaced or used ineffectively doesn’t create a healthy learning situation for the students. T-Tess adds a system of value to the teachers and learners. Poor performance actually gets addressed and professional development is put in place to improve pedagogy, resulting in better teaching and better learning. The same applies with e-portfolios. Students will be able to reflect on poor performances, and document their progress for a more personal learning experience. I am extremely excited to utilize all of this research in conducting the biggest musical experiment of my career!
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