Glossary (Cont’d)
Performance Assessment – A summative assessment for teacher candidates before they enter the
classroom. A frequently-used performance assessment is edTPA.
Praxis Assessments – Tennessee’s required licensure assessment for prospective teachers. Subject-specific
and grade-level areas are required in order to be able to teach specific content.
Primary Partner – The school district an EPP primarily engages with to provide candidates with clinical
experiences. EPPs support this district with staffing and recruitment needs.
Program Accreditation/Approval – The process that ensures EPPs meet acceptable levels of quality based
on CAEP standards
Report Card – public-facing, annual SBE document that provides clear data on the effectiveness of EPPs
in the state, designed for key stakeholders including EPPs, teacher candidates, and districts.
Retention – The rate at which teachers remain in a certain school or the profession in general
State Board of Education (SBE) – Sets policies for and approves teacher preparation and
licensure policies
Student Teaching – Planned semester of at least 15 weeks that includes full-day teaching and
observation activities
Tennessee Board of Regents (TBR) – The governing body that oversees six public universities that
offer EPPs
Teacher Education Accreditation Council (TEAC) – An organization that merged with the National Council
for Accreditation of Teacher Education in 2010 to form CAEP
Teaching Residency – A program that pairs a rigorous full-year classroom apprenticeship with
masters-level education content
Tennessee Independent Colleges and Universities Association (TICUA) – The governing body that oversees
the 26 private colleges and universities that offer EPPs
Tennessee Value-Added Assessment System (TVAAS) – An assessment used to analyze the effectiveness
of EPPs in preparing teachers by assessing teachers’ impact on student achievement
University of Tennessee System (UT) – The higher education system governing three University of
Tennessee schools that offer EPPs
45