September 4, 2026
Principals please review the 8/31 MTSS Lead Weekly Updates.
All Returning Observer participants must successfully complete their TEM coursework and calibration by Tuesday, September 8, to remain certified for the 2026-27 school year.
Important: If you are still in an eligible role for certification and did not receive the email, please contact EPS at eps@scsk12.org.
School leaders, please designate a Student Perception Survey Site Coordinator for your school by completing the Student Perception Site Coordinator Designation Form by Friday, September 11, 2026.
The designated coordinator will serve as the school’s primary point of contact and support survey communication, scheduling, technology preparation, participant verification, and participation monitoring throughout the fall survey administration.
Note: If a coordinator is not designated, the principal will receive coordinator communications.
Student Perception Site Coordinators will be required to attend a mandatory training in October.
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 if you have any questions or concerns regarding TEAM certification for 2026-2027.
The TEM TEACHer Training Series is open for ALL teachers. This series supports educators with identifying teacher and student actions that guide effective instruction at performance levels 3-5 of the TEACH indicators.
Fall Sessions:
- Indicators 1 & 2: September 14, 4 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.
- Indicators 3 & 4: September 21, 4 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.
- Indicators 5, 6, & 7: October 5, 4 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.
Register in PLZ, course #50609.
For questions or support, please reach out to eps@scsk12.org.
Evaluation Plans
- NIE and TEAM plans have populated in PLZ. Visibility in the evaluator's staff evaluation tab requires the employee to select his/her evaluator.
- TEM Classroom/Non-Classroom plans are populating daily. All TEM Classroom/Non-Classroom plans are expected to be uploaded by September 4.
Initial Evaluation Tracks
At the beginning of the school year, all educators will be placed on one of two evaluation tracks:
- Novice: No prior year LOE. Any educator who has no prior year LOE will be assigned to the novice evaluation track, as well as non-PYE (Partial Year Exempt) educators who have missing or incomplete TEM components (e.g., observations, professionalism, or student growth data)
- Proficient: All educators who are expected to generate a LOE will be placed on the Proficient track.
Instructions for New MSCS Educators Expected to Receive SY25-26 LOE Scores
Educators who joined MSCS from another District in Tennessee and are expected to generate a LOE score should notify Employee Performance and Support via email when their SY25-26 LOE score is received. Evaluation tracks for these employees will be processed upon verification of scores in TN Compass.
Future Track Adjustments
All other SY26-27 evaluation tracks will automatically be adjusted in mid-January to accurately reflect SY25-26 Level of Overall Effectiveness (LOE) scores. The updated evaluation track changes will be visible in PLZ and on the Evaluation KPI Dashboard. A notification will also be placed in Leaderboard.
Questions: Email Employee Performance at Support-eps@scsk12.org
Own Your Impact. The Difference You Make Matters.
The NIE Goal Setting Conference season is here! As the first step in the Non-Instructional Evaluation (NIE) process, the Goal Setting Conference provides an opportunity to establish meaningful goals and begin documenting the impact you make every day.
IMPORTANT: NIE Employees will need to select their evaluator first, in order for the evaluator to have access to their NIE plan in PLZ. In addition, the evaluator must be NIE Certified.
View the flyer below for important information, key dates, and resources to help you get started.
Goal Setting Conferences are due by October 23, 2026.
Questions? Contact EPS@scsk12.org
Fine Arts, Physical Education (2nd and 5th grades), Pre-K, and World Language (French and Spanish) educators will submit TEAM Student Growth Portfolios for SY2026-27. Please complete the TEAM Student Growth Portfolio Teacher Information form by Friday, September 25.
Questions or concerns? Please email eps@scsk12.org.
The deadline to complete TEM New Observer Certification is Tuesday, March 30, 2027.
Administrators pursuing TEM certification for the first time can register for the course below:
Self-Paced Canvas Course PLZ Course #50074 OR 2-Day Virtual PLZ Course #50075
For questions or support, please email eps@scsk12.org.
Leadership Lab: Optimizing Educator Growth Through Strategic Support
📢 Calling all Principals, Assistant Principals, Vice Principals, PLC Coaches, and Aspiring Leaders!
Are you ready to transform classroom observations from a routine compliance exercise into a high-impact growth engine for your school? Join us for an engaging, job-embedded Leadership Lab designed to sharpen your coaching lens, build teacher capacity, and drive real student outcomes!
Facilitated by an experienced practitioner with a record of impact, this lab creates a collaborative space to learn, practice, and refine the exact skills needed to lead high-performing schools.
🗓️ EVENT DETAILS AT A GLANCE
| 📍 Location | ⏰ Time | 👤 Facilitator |
|---|---|---|
Teaching and Learning Academy
Rooms W115 / W116 | 3:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
(September 10 & September 17) | Daniel L. Jack, Ed.D. Director of Performance & Leadership Development |
🎟️ SECURE YOUR SEAT TODAY!
⚡ Space is limited! Log into PLZ today to register for your preferred September session date. Let’s partner together to unlock the full potential of our educators and students!
View Session Details Here: MSCS Leadership Lab Sessions September 2026.docx
Please review the attached 2026-2027 Principals' Calendar for your scheduled Health & Wellness Day. The screenings include hearing, vision, height, weight, blood pressure, and scoliosis screenings for eligible students.
09.07.26.Principal Health Screening Calendar.pdf
If you have any questions regarding the schedule or the screening process, please contact the Health Promotions Department at 901-416-6432.
Immunization Plan
Please review the Immunization Plan for 2026-2027.
Handwashing Advisory
Please review the Handwashing Advisory for 2026-2027.
09.07.26.HandwashingAdvisory.26.27.pdf
Medication Training
Please review the Medication Training for 2026-2027.
09.07.26.MedicationTraining.pdf
CPR/AED/NARCAN Training
Please review the CPR/AED/NARCAN Training Flyer.
09.07.26.CPR.AED.Narcan Classes.pdf
School Care and Immunization Training
Please review the School Care and Immunization Training Flyer.
09.07.26.SchoolCareImmunizationTraining.pdf
Healthy Teams
Please review Healthy Teams for 2026-2027.
District Approved Medical Service Vendors
Please review the list of approved vendors.
09.07.26.DistrictApprovedMedicalServiceVendors.pdf
Assigned School Nurse Absence
Please review the information regarding assigned school nurses' absence.
Physical Education Survey
Learn the essentials of MSCS's new online curriculum, as well how to enroll students, and run reports in Edgenuity. This session is recommended for PSCs, Graduation Coaches, and all district personnel who support students using Edgenuity for Grade Repair, Credit Recovery, Credit Accrual, or Homebound instruction. The VSOL Dept. is hosting multiple in-person trainings on Monday and Tuesday, September 14 and 15. Reference this flyer for training details and PLZ sign up info.
(flyer link: https://scsk12-my.sharepoint.com/:b:/g/personal/griffinrj_scsk12_org/IQBcYGKI_fVYQoiUwbowh5wAAY-zv7WxUoxmIFB-Sucz4X8?e=aHOrBQ )
Please be sure to review Student Government (Policy 6065).This policy applies to middle and high schools.
Each school shall establish an elected student council. The council shall be governed by its own constitution which shall be approved by the school principal. Defining the council’s jurisdiction shall be a joint and cooperative effort of the council, students, and the student government constitution.
Please provide the contact information for your school's Student Council or Student Government Association by Friday, September 25, 2026.
Sign-Up Link: MSCS Student Council and Student Government Advisors 2026-27 – Fill out form
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Dr. Billy J. Walker, II <Walkerbj@scsk12.org>.