Georgia TKES Teacher Evaluation Software
Run Teacher Keys Effectiveness System evaluations across all 5 domains and 10 TAPS performance dimensions, with Georgia Student Growth Model measures, aligned to Georgia's requirements.
TKES is the entry point, not the whole story. In EX in Education, TKES evaluations connect to coaching, goals, PD, and retention, so every educator moves from hired to thriving.
TKES Classroom Observation
In short: TKES, Georgia's Teacher Keys Effectiveness System, has three parts: the Teacher Assessment on Performance Standards (TAPS), scored across 5 domains and 10 standards; Professional Growth; and Student Growth. Teachers are rated on 4 levels: Exemplary, Proficient, Needs Development, and Ineffective.
Run this in your district
Reviewed for 2026-27 state requirements. Configure EX to your district's local process, or start from a ready-made observation form.
Georgia's TKES Evaluation Framework
The Teacher Keys Effectiveness System is Georgia's model for evaluating teacher effectiveness. Each teacher's evaluation combines the Teacher Assessment on Performance Standards, scored across 5 domains and 10 performance dimensions, with Professional Growth and student growth measures. In EX in Education, that framework is the doorway into a connected system for coaching, PD, and retention.
TKES: 5 Domains, 10 Dimensions
Georgia scores the observation portion of TKES on the Teacher Assessment on Performance Standards. All five domains and their ten dimensions come pre-configured in EX so evaluators score against them without rebuilding forms.
- Planning
- Instructional Delivery
- Assessment of Learning
- Learning Environment
- Professionalism
TAPS Plus Student Growth
TKES brings the observation ratings together with Professional Growth and student growth measures to describe overall effectiveness. EX tracks each part alongside the observation evidence.
- Teacher Assessment on Performance Standards (TAPS)
- Professional Growth expectations
- Student growth measures via the Georgia Student Growth Model
- Ratings combined into one effectiveness picture
Complete TKES Framework Coverage
All five TKES domains and their ten TAPS performance dimensions are pre-built in EX in Education, so Georgia evaluators can observe, score, and generate evidence from day one.
Planning
Two dimensions covering how teachers plan for and measure student learning.
- 1. Instructional Planning: plans instruction to meet students' learning needs
- 2. Assessment and Data Use: uses assessment data to drive instruction
Instructional Delivery
Three dimensions covering instruction as it happens in the classroom.
- 3. Standards-Based Instruction: uses teaching strategies that engage students
- 4. Differentiated Instruction: differentiates instruction for diverse learners
- 5. Technology Integration: uses technology to enhance learning
Assessment of Learning
Two dimensions covering how teachers measure and respond to learning.
- 6. Assessment Strategies: uses formative and summative assessments
- 7. Feedback: provides timely, descriptive feedback to students
Learning Environment
Two dimensions covering climate, relationships, and classroom management.
- 8. Positive Learning Environment: establishes a positive learning environment
- 9. Classroom Management: manages classroom behavior and procedures effectively
Professionalism
One dimension covering the teacher's continued professional growth.
- 10. Professional Growth: participates in professional learning and growth
Student Growth Measures
Beyond the ten dimensions, TKES factors in student growth.
- Georgia Student Growth Model measures alongside the TAPS observation ratings
- Recorded next to the observation evidence for a complete picture
How TKES fits together: A teacher's TKES evaluation draws on the Teacher Assessment on Performance Standards across the five domains and ten dimensions, together with Professional Growth expectations and student growth measures from the Georgia Student Growth Model. EX supports the TAPS rubric and the observation structure your district's TKES process uses, and adapts as your process changes.
TAPS Ratings, Tracked Over Time
TAPS rates teachers on a four-level scale. 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.
Exemplary
Consistently exceeds the standard with strong impact on student learning
Proficient
Consistently meets the standard with clear positive outcomes
Needs Development
Inconsistently meets the standard and needs targeted support
Ineffective
Does not meet the standard and requires intensive support
Under TKES, each performance standard receives a rating of Exemplary, Proficient, Needs Development, or Ineffective, and those ratings roll up into an overall TAPS result. Teachers rated Needs Development or Ineffective are supported with a professional development plan. EX in Education keeps each teacher's rating history, dimension scores, and support plans in one place, and routes the ones who need help into coaching cycles so a rating leads to next steps, not just a score.
Built for Georgia's Evaluation Process
EX in Education gives Georgia districts what they need to run TKES aligned to state requirements, then connects that evidence to coaching, PD, goals, and retention across every school.
TKES-Aligned Forms
Observation forms pre-built for all 5 TKES domains and 10 TAPS dimensions, on the TAPS rating scale.
- • All 10 dimensions included
- • TAPS rating scale
- • Evidence collection tools
Mobile Observations
Conduct classroom walkthroughs and formal observations on any device, with scheduling and reminders in one connected system.
- • Any device, any classroom
- • Informal walkthroughs
- • Cycle reminders
Student Growth Measures
Track the Georgia Student Growth Model measures your district uses alongside TAPS observation results.
- • Growth measures in one record
- • Recorded with observation evidence
- • Visible over time
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
Automated Reports
Generate evaluation reports built for Georgia's requirements, with detailed evidence and growth tracking, ready for district review.
- • Evidence-backed summaries
- • Domain and dimension views
- • Ready for district review
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 Georgia Districts Run TKES Inside EX in Education
Run TKES 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
Consistent rubrics and processes help evaluators score consistently, whether it is one building or the whole district.
Growth you can see
TAPS 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 TKES Evaluations
AI in EX in Education helps evaluators work through TKES faster while keeping every judgment in human hands. It drafts and organizes, evaluators decide.
Draft Feedback From Evidence
Turn observation notes into clear, dimension-aligned feedback that the evaluator reviews and edits before it is shared.
Organize Evidence by Dimension
Sort notes and artifacts against the 10 TAPS dimensions, 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 TKES Into the Bigger Picture
See how EX in Education runs TKES aligned to Georgia's requirements, then connects evaluations to coaching, PD, goals, and retention across every school.
Tracking license renewal too? Georgia professional development and renewal requirements.
Built for TKES requirements. Bring your own rubric, or start from ours. Connected to coaching, PD, and goals.
TKES: frequently asked questions
What is TKES?
TKES, the Teacher Keys Effectiveness System, is Georgia's statewide model for evaluating teacher effectiveness, administered by the Georgia Department of Education. A teacher's TKES evaluation combines three components: the Teacher Assessment on Performance Standards (TAPS), Professional Growth, and a Student Growth measure from the Georgia Student Growth Model.
How many domains and standards does the TKES TAPS rubric have?
TAPS, the observation portion of TKES, is organized into 5 domains and 10 performance standards. The five domains are Planning, Instructional Delivery, Assessment of and for Learning, Learning Environment, and Professionalism and Communication; the ten standards sit beneath them and are what evaluators rate.
What are the TKES rating levels?
Each TAPS performance standard is rated on a four-level scale: Exemplary, Proficient, Needs Development, and Ineffective. Proficient is the target rating for an effective teacher, and those standard ratings roll up into an overall TAPS result. Teachers rated Needs Development or Ineffective are supported with a professional development plan.
What is the difference between TKES and LKES?
TKES evaluates teachers, while LKES, the Leader Keys Effectiveness System, evaluates principals and assistant principals. Both are part of Georgia's educator effectiveness system and share the same rating language, but LKES scores leaders on the Leader Assessment on Performance Standards (LAPS) rather than TAPS.
Part of EX in Education
One piece of the educator experience.
Georgia TKES 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.