Arkansas TESS Teacher Evaluation Software
Run TESS evaluations across all 4 Danielson domains, aligned to Arkansas's requirements and built for the way districts observe and support teachers.
TESS is the entry point, not the whole story. In EX in Education, TESS evaluations connect to coaching, goals, PD, and retention, so every educator moves from hired to thriving.
TESS Classroom Observation
Arkansas's TESS Evaluation Framework
The Teacher Excellence and Support System is Arkansas's statewide framework for observing and supporting teachers. Built on Charlotte Danielson's Framework for Teaching, TESS organizes practice into four domains and rates it on four performance levels. In EX in Education, that framework is the doorway into a connected system for coaching, PD, and retention.
Four Danielson Domains
TESS organizes teacher practice across the four Danielson domains, each pre-configured in EX so evaluators score against the framework without rebuilding forms.
- Planning and Preparation
- Classroom Environment
- Instruction
- Professional Responsibilities
Multiple Sources of Evidence
A TESS summative evaluation draws on more than a single observation. Arkansas guidance describes multiple sources of evidence of a teacher's professional practice, and EX keeps them together in one record.
- Direct observation of classroom practice
- Indirect observation and walkthroughs
- Artifacts and supporting documentation
- Student data your district uses
Complete Danielson Framework Coverage
All four Danielson domains that TESS is built on are pre-built in EX in Education, so Arkansas evaluators can observe, score, and gather evidence against the framework from day one. The components below come from the Danielson Framework; Arkansas DESE and your district set the operative rubric for each teaching role.
Planning & Preparation
What teachers put in place before instruction begins.
- Knowledge of content and pedagogy
- Knowledge of students
- Setting instructional outcomes
- Knowledge of resources
- Designing coherent instruction
- Designing student assessments
Classroom Environment
Culture, relationships, and classroom management.
- Environment of respect and rapport
- Culture for learning
- Managing classroom procedures
- Managing student behavior
- Organizing physical space
Instruction
Instruction as it happens in the classroom.
- Communicating with students
- Questioning and discussion techniques
- Engaging students in learning
- Using assessment in instruction
- Flexibility and responsiveness
Professional Responsibilities
Reflection, records, communication, and continued growth.
- Reflecting on teaching
- Maintaining accurate records
- Communicating with families
- Participating in the professional community
- Growing and developing professionally
- Showing professionalism
Formal Observations
- • Announced visit to the classroom
- • Preceded by a pre-observation conference
- • Arkansas guidance describes at least 45 minutes
- • Professional dialogue and evidence of practice
Other Evidence
- • Indirect observation and walkthroughs
- • Artifacts and documentation
- • Student data your district uses
- • Cadence set by state rules and district policy
Evaluation cycle: Under TESS, experienced teachers receive a summative evaluation on a multi-year cycle, described in Arkansas guidance as at least once every four school years, while novice teachers and those on a support or growth plan are observed and evaluated more frequently. TESS is established in Arkansas law and was updated with added flexibility by Act 295 of 2017. EX tracks formal observations and walkthroughs together, with reminders so districts stay on cycle.
TESS Performance Ratings, Tracked Over Time
TESS uses the four Danielson performance levels. EX in Education records each rating, ties it to the evidence behind it, and carries it forward so growth is visible from one cycle to the next.
Distinguished
Exceptional practice that models and leads for others
Proficient
Solid, consistent, and competent practice
Basic
Partial or inconsistent practice that needs refinement
Unsatisfactory
Significant gaps that require intensive support
Under TESS, experienced teachers who are rated well move onto a longer summative cycle, while novice teachers and those rated Basic or Unsatisfactory are supported more closely, often through a professional growth plan or an intensive support plan with additional observations and mentoring. EX in Education keeps each teacher's rating history, cycle schedule, and support plans in one place, and routes the ones who need support into coaching cycles so a rating leads to next steps, not just a score.
Built for Arkansas's Evaluation Process
EX in Education gives Arkansas districts what they need to run TESS aligned to state requirements, then connects that evidence to coaching, PD, goals, and retention across every school.
TESS-Aligned Forms
Observation forms pre-built for all four Danielson domains, on the four-level TESS rating scale.
- • All four domains included
- • 4-level rating scale
- • Evidence collection tools
Observation Cycles
Manage formal TESS observations alongside quick walkthroughs, with scheduling and reminders in one connected system.
- • Formal observations
- • Informal walkthroughs
- • Cycle reminders
Evidence in One Record
Keep direct observation, indirect observation, artifacts, and data together for each teacher's summative.
- • Multiple evidence sources
- • Artifacts and documentation
- • District-defined data
Coaching Handoff
Turn what an observation surfaces into a coaching cycle, so feedback leads to real support instead of a filed form.
- • Evidence to coaching
- • Structured feedback
- • Follow-up visits
Growth & Support Plans
Build professional growth plans and intensive support plans, and track the observations and mentoring that go with them.
- • Professional growth plans
- • Support plan tracking
- • Added observations logged
Growth Goals
Set professional goals tied to what the evaluation surfaced, tracked in the same module that follows a teacher across the year.
- • Goal setting tools
- • Progress tracking
- • Linked to PD
Why Arkansas Districts Run TESS Inside EX in Education
Run TESS compliantly, then use what the evaluation surfaces to actually grow and keep your teachers. Evaluation is the doorway. Educator growth and retention is the product.
Less admin, more coaching
Structured workflows and feedback tools free evaluators to spend more of their time in coaching conversations, not paperwork.
Consistent across schools
Standard TESS rubrics and processes help evaluators score consistently, whether it is one building or the whole district.
Growth you can see
Ratings, goals, and coaching history sit together, so progress is visible over time instead of scattered across files.
Retention, not just ratings
When feedback connects to PD, goals, and support, teachers keep developing, and districts keep the ones they worked hard to hire.
How AI Supports TESS Evaluations
AI in EX in Education helps evaluators work through TESS faster while keeping every judgment in human hands. It drafts and organizes, evaluators decide.
Draft Feedback From Evidence
Turn observation notes into clear, component-aligned feedback that the evaluator reviews and edits before it is shared.
Organize Evidence by Domain
Sort notes and artifacts against the four Danielson domains, so nothing is missed when it is time to score.
Suggest Growth Next Steps
Surface coaching moves and PD ideas tied to what an observation revealed, ready for the evaluator to assign.
Bring TESS Into the Bigger Picture
See how EX in Education runs TESS aligned to Arkansas's requirements, then connects evaluations to coaching, PD, goals, and retention across every school.
Built for TESS requirements. Bring your own rubric, or start from ours. Connected to coaching, PD, and goals.
Part of EX in Education
One piece of the educator experience.
Arkansas TESS evaluations are one part of how districts support educators. In EX in Education, they connect to the bigger picture: walkthroughs, coaching, evaluations, goals, PD, recognition, surveys, and retention. Bring your own process, or start from a template, then run it across every school so every educator moves from hired to thriving.
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