Principals,

Thank you for your continued partnership and diligence in completing the required e-Collect forms for eligible 3rd- and 4th-grade students. Your timely completion of this process is essential to ensuring that student promotional decisions are accurately documented, and that district and Tennessee Department of Education (TDOE) records accurately reflect each student's promotional outcome.

As you continue reviewing your students, please be aware that there are several scenarios that may cause a student's e-Collect Completed status to display "No" in the reporting system, even though you have already submitted an e-Collect form. In many cases, this does not mean the form was never completed. Rather, it may be related to how the form was completed or which form was selected.

Some common examples include:

• Completing the Charter School (CS) version of the e-Collect form for an MSCS traditional school student.
• Selecting a response that prevents the system from recognizing the e-Collect as complete (for example, indicating that the required principal, ELA teacher, and parent conference did not occur).
• Other data-entry scenarios that prevent the system from validating the completed form.

If you notice that a student you know you have completed is still displaying "e-Collect Completed-No," please do not assume the system is incorrect. Instead, review the student's e-Collect form carefully to verify that:

• The correct e-Collect form was completed.
• All required fields have been completed accurately.
• The appropriate responses have been selected.

Completing these forms accurately is critical, as they serve as the official documentation of student promotional decisions and ensure compliance with the TDOE Literacy Commitment requirements. Accurate e-Collect data also enables the district to monitor completion, provide appropriate support to schools, and maintain reliable student records. Please know that Ms. Porsha Dixon is here to support you throughout this important process. Whether you have questions, or need assistance troubleshooting a student's record, or would like someone to walk through the process with you, she is available to help. You can reach her via email, phone, Microsoft Teams, or she is happy to schedule an in-person visit to support you and your team.  Ms. Dixon will be out visiting schools next week to support principals and leads with completion of the process to ensure accuracy of student placement and documentation.

Thank you for your continued partnership, dedication, and commitment to ensuring that every student's promotional decision is documented accurately. We sincerely appreciate your efforts and look forward to supporting you in bringing this important work to completion.

TEAM Student Growth scores have been released in the TeachAll platform. Portfolio educators may check TN Portfolio for scores. 

Educators with questions regarding their portfolio score should contact their Content Advisor for score-specific feedback and guidance related to scoring results and content-area requirements.

Grievances may be submitted only for the following reasons:

• Data Accuracy Issues – Evaluation data assigned to the wrong educator. Disagreement with a score is not grounds for a grievance.
• Procedural Errors – Significant evaluation process errors, such as missing required observations or conferences.

Please refer to the Guidance for Grievance for complete procedures and eligibility requirements.

A portfolio will be assigned an Incomplete (I) and the teacher’s LOE (Level of Overall Effectiveness) score will NOT generate for the 2025-26 school year if any of the four collections were not 100% complete by the deadline. These educators will also be assigned to the Novice track in PLZ for SY26-27 and will receive four observations.

Please contact the District Portfolio Lead, Floresha Smith via email (smithf2@scsk12.org) for any questions or to report any issues.

In accordance with Tennessee State Board of Education Policy 5.201, all educators must be evaluated annually by a certified evaluator. To support administrators in meeting this requirement, Memphis-Shelby County Schools offers multiple pathways for obtaining or maintaining TEM Certification for the 2026-27 school year.

Returning Observers

An email was sent out in early June for recertification. Administrators who were previously certified as evaluators must:

• Complete the Self-Paced TEM Training in Canvas
• Complete the required Calibration Exercise in PLZ
• Complete all certification requirements by September 8, 2026

Important: If you are still in an eligible role for certification and did not receive the email, please contact EPS at eps@scsk12.org. All Returning Observers must successfully complete coursework and calibration by September 8, 2026, to remain certified for the 2026–27 school year.

New Observers

Administrators pursuing TEM certification for the first time can register for the course below:

Self-Paced Canvas Course

• PLZ Course #50074

2-Day Virtual 

• PLZ Course #50075

Completion of the selected training pathway and all required calibration activities is necessary to obtain TEM certification. All New Observers must successfully complete coursework and calibration by March 30, 2027.

SY2026-2027 NIE Evaluator Certification

For RETURNING NIE Evaluators that were previously NIE Certified during SY2025-2026, NIE Recertification is NOT REQUIRED for SY2026-2027. Eligible Returning NIE Evaluators will be automatically identified and added as NIE Evaluators in PLZ for SY2026-27.

- NEW NIE Evaluators  

For SY2026-2027, there are two (2) options offered in attaining NIE Evaluator Certification:  

• Self-Paced (Canvas)
• Live/Virtual Session

Course numbers and date information can be found HERE.  

Questions/Concerns? Send an email to eps@scsk12.org.  

The deadline to certify as an NIE Evaluator for SY2026-2027 is April 9.

According to state board rule 0520-02-01 and state board policy 5.201, all educators must be evaluated annually by a certified evaluator.

All evaluator certification training for 2026-27 is virtual.

• The window for RECERTIFICATION is from June 1, 2026 to September 9, 2026, 5 p.m. CT.
  • Those not completing recertification by September 9, 2026, 5 p.m. CT, will be required to complete initial certification.
  • Invitation: If you were a certified TEAM evaluator in 2025-26 and did not receive an invitation and process details, please be sure to check spam/junk folders. As invitations were sent in bulk, a firewall may have blocked receipt.
    • Registration is not required. Invitations to access the learning module and to take the recertification test will be sent directly to currently certified evaluators.
    • Contact TEAM.Questions@tn.gov if you are unable to find your recertification invitation.
• The window for INITIAL CERTIFICATION is from June 1, 2026 to March 31, 2027, 5 p.m. CT.

All certification courses will be accessed in the TeachALL platform. You will need to access the courses with your Single Sign On or a self-created TeachALL account. 

Please Note: The department no longer issues a certificate at the end of evaluator courses. Evaluators can save their TASL email as proof of completion.

​**All TEAM Evaluator completion notifications should be forwarded to the Employee Performance & Support Department via email: EPS@scsk12.org.

For more information about TEAM training and certification, please visit the TEAM website  .

Contact the State at  TEAM.Questions@tn.gov should you have any questions or concerns regarding TEAM certification for 2026-2027.

Important Notice: 

DAIM is in the middle of our Rollover Summer Maintenance Process for the 2026-2027 school year. During this time, dashboards have temporarily stopped refreshing/updating. 

New users and employees with new school assignments will not have access until this process is complete for the start of school. Updated data for 2026-27 will start populating on August 4.

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Upcoming Training Sessions: 

Virtual Office Hours, for this week (7/28 and 7/30), will be Open Office Hours Q&A sessions. So, bring your questions!

For more information on Virtual Office Hours, check out this flyer! Sessions are on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 3:30 PM on Microsoft Teams. 
 
Programming Note: During the month of July, VOH will be bi-weekly. We will return to weekly sessions in August. 
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Check out our Training Calendar for all upcoming District Trainings. 

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Check out our page of new/updated features and releases on our DAIM Support Page! 

Reach out to us at DAIMSUPPORT@scsk12.org  if you need support.  

CRITICAL UPDATE: POLICY 6002 REVISIONS & HIGHLIGHTS

Attention Leaders & Principals: Please review the updated Policy 6002 guidelines below regarding General Choice Transfers and Shared Residency requirements.

1. General Choice Transfers Policy Updates

• Rescissions: Rescinding a transfer will only occur at the end of semesters.
• Warning Letter Requirements: Principals must notify parents/guardians in writing regarding any potential revocation of a transfer due to attendance, grades, or behavior issues.
• NEW REVIEW CRITERIA (Page 9, #4): Parents/guardians/custodians may only request a review of a revoked transfer for the following grounds:
  1. Violation of law, policy, regulation, or guideline.
  2. Inaccurate information/data (including clerical or system errors).
  3. Failure by the school/district to follow proper procedure affecting student transfer eligibility.
• Bottom Line: Principals must strictly adhere to the warning letter process to preserve due process and clear documentation.

2. Shared Residency Policy Updates

• NEW ACCEPTABLE DOCUMENTATION (Page 16, B.5): Verification requires three (3) pieces of mail bearing the address where the student will reside during the current school year.
  • Now accepted: Current physical, online, or electronic documentation containing the parent/guardian name and address (e.g., bank/credit union statements, cell phone bills, department store or fuel credit card statements, court/IRS/Social Security/medical documents). (Excludes unsolicited "junk mail" or promotional advertisements).
• Front Office Posting Notice (Page 17): Schools must prominently post notice in the front office directing parents with registration/shared residency questions to contact the Office of Enrollment & Attendance. If the shared residency verification process takes longer than one (1) week, parents may contact the department directly for guidance.

OFFICE OF ENROLLMENT, ATTENDANCE & TRUANCY 

ENROLLMENT & SCHOOL CHOICE

 2026-27 School Choice Portal & Transfers

• Application Access: Families can visit www.scsk12.org from any device to submit transfer requests.
• Who Needs to Apply?
  • New Applicants: Students seeking a transfer for the first time.
  • Transitioning Students: Students moving up a school level (e.g., rising 6th or 9th graders).
  • Note: Current General Choice students staying at their school in good standing do not need to reapply.
• School Action Steps: Host open houses and showcase school programs to recruit, retain, and reclaim students.

2026-2027 Registration: Open for All Students

• Registration for all new and returning students is open via the PowerSchool Parent Portal.
• As we welcome our families, remember that first impressions matter. Please ensure your front office and registration teams are welcoming, knowledgeable, and fully prepared to assist with enrollment. Under no circumstances should any family be turned away.

Administrative Action Items:

• Post registration hours and clear instructions in highly visible areas, including all school entrances.
• Schedule school-based Registration Night(s) to assist families. If your school requires additional staffing or operational support, please coordinate directly with the Office of Enrollment and Attendance.
• Verify that all Registration Team members have completed their required refresher training via PLZ.
• For questions or dedicated enrollment support, please contact Stacey Davis at daviss2@scsk12.org.

Kindergarten Enrollment & Eligibility Guide

• Age Cut-off: Student must be 5 years old on or before August 15, 2026.
• Registration Deadline: Per state law, new kindergarteners cannot be enrolled after the first 30 days of the school year (September 30, 2026).
• Health Documentation: Physical exam and immunization records are mandatory at the time of enrollment.
• Early Entrance Screening: For children turning 5 between August 16 and September 30, 2026.
  • Department will coordinate school-based screenings with parental consent.
  • Cut-off: Children turning 5 after September 30, 2026, must enroll in Fall 2027.
  • Portal:  scsk12.org/registration/kindergarten

Grade Placement: Overage or Unenrolled Students (OAG)

• Students returning to MSCS after an extended absence or who are new to the district but have never been enrolled must undergo grade placement assessment.

Process:

1. Complete the OAG Placement Form: https://forms.office.com/r/UsRH8usW5C
2. If the student is already in PowerSchool:
   • Transfer to Registration School
   • Enroll in age-appropriate grade
   • Add entry comment: “Pending OAG Assessment”
   • Provide parent with PowerSchool credentials
   • Inform parent a placement team member will contact them via email
3. If the student is new to MSCS and has proof of residence:
   • Enroll in Registration School
   • Follow the same steps above

DAY ONE REMINDERS

Gear Up for Greatness (All-School Prep Day)

• When: Tuesday, July 28, 2026
• Who: All Schools
• Available Shifts/Times:
  • Morning Session: 7:30 AM – 11:30 AM
  • Evening Session: 4:30 PM – 6:30 PM
• Purpose: Align students and staff before Day One, answer parent questions, and provide registration support.

 Student Health & Immunization Readiness

• Direct families needing updated immunizations or physicals to submit consent via ShotRX Health and Wellness Solutions.
• Share link with school community: ShotRx901

"Back to Greatness" Block Party & Supply Drive

• When: Saturday, August 1, 2026 | 10 AM – 1 PM
• Where: Memphis Sports and Events Center (995 Early Maxwell Blvd., Memphis, TN 38104)
• Highlights to Promote:
  • Free backpacks, school supplies, on-site immunizations, and school physicals.
  • Student registration assistance, Choice Transfers, and bus eligibility information.
  • Truancy intervention/prevention support, live music, prizes, food, and community partners.

TRUANCY

Attendance Team Information 

As we prepare for the new school year, we are asking every school leader to complete the Attendance Team Information Form to ensure we have the most current contacts for your school's attendance team.

Administrative Action Items:

• Complete the Attendance Team Information Form: 26-27 Attendance Team School Contact List

Your timely response will help us strengthen communication, provide targeted support, and ensure your team receives important attendance and truancy updates throughout the year.

Truancy Clearances Are Going Digital

We're excited to announce that the MSCS Truancy Clearance process is moving to a digital platform.

Families who need a truancy clearance can now submit their request online using a direct link or by scanning a QR code. This streamlined process makes it easier for families to request assistance while reducing paperwork for schools.

Please be on the lookout for digital clearance posters featuring the direct link and QR code, which will be distributed to your campuses soon. We encourage you to display and share these resources with families who need truancy clearance services.

Thank you for your continued partnership as we work together to improve student attendance and ensure every student has the opportunity to succeed.

Federal Programs will continue to offer School Improvement Plan (SIP) work sessions to support school planning teams as they develop and finalize their SY2027–29 School Improvement Plans. These sessions provide opportunities to collaborate with Federal Programs staff and receive guidance, feedback, and technical assistance throughout the planning process.

A link to the August SIP Support Sessions Calendar, which includes session dates, times, and registration links, is provided below. Please register for the sessions you plan to attend. Full participation is strongly encouraged to ensure your plan is completed by the established deadline.

SY27 SIP Support Sessions Calendar (August).pdf

SIP Due Dates:

• ATSI & CSI schools: August 21, 2026
• Non-designated & TSI schools: September 18, 2026