AI-Powered Observations for Arkansas Principals
Arkansas evaluates teachers using Arkansas TESS and Danielson FFT (2013).
Generate TESS-aligned feedback from your observation notes in seconds - built for Arkansas principals and evaluators using the Danielson-based evaluation system.
Education in Arkansas
Education Landscape
Arkansas serves approximately 475,000 students across 244 school districts, with roughly 37,000 teachers statewide. The Arkansas Division of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) mandates that all districts use the Teacher Excellence and Support System (TESS) for teacher evaluation, providing a consistent statewide framework grounded in the Danielson model.
Observation Requirements
Under TESS, Arkansas requires a summative evaluation for each non-novice teacher at least once every four school years, covering all components of the Danielson-based rubric. Novice teachers receive ongoing mentoring, feedback, and support. Teachers placed on Intensive Support status receive informal observations at least twice per month and at least one formal observation per semester. Evaluations include both formal observations and informal walkthroughs.
State policy facts verified 2026-06-01 against the official source. View the official policy
Framework Spotlight
Supported Frameworks in Arkansas
Arkansas Teacher Excellence and Support System (TESS)
Arkansas TESS is the state's mandated teacher evaluation system, built on the Danielson Framework for Teaching. It organizes teacher performance into four domains and uses a four-level rubric. TESS em...
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Danielson Framework for Teaching (2013)
Developed by Charlotte Danielson, the Framework for Teaching is one of the most widely used teacher observation frameworks in the United States. It defines effective teaching through four domains and ...
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Arkansas uses the Teacher Excellence and Support System (TESS), a statewide evaluation framework based on Charlotte Danielson's Framework for Teaching. TESS organizes teacher performance across four domains - Planning and Preparation, Classroom Environment, Instruction, and Professional Responsibilities - with four rating levels: Distinguished, Proficient, Basic, and Unsatisfactory. Observation Copilot is an Official Partner of the Danielson Group, providing native alignment to the framework that underpins TESS.
Why Observation Copilot
Built for Arkansas School Leaders
TESS-Aligned Out of the Box
Observation Copilot automatically organizes your notes by the four Danielson domains used in TESS - Planning and Preparation, Classroom Environment, Instruction, and Professional Responsibilities - so your feedback matches the rubric Arkansas requires.
Official Danielson Group Partner
As an Official Partner of the Danielson Group, Observation Copilot ensures your TESS feedback reflects the latest framework standards, language, and rubric indicators.
Same-Day Feedback for Teachers
Arkansas principals using Copilot deliver observation feedback within hours instead of weeks, keeping post-observation conferences timely and focused on growth.
How Observation Copilot Helps
AI-powered observations for Arkansas
Paste your observation notes. Copilot maps your evidence to Arkansas's framework and drafts structured, rubric-aligned feedback - ready to review and share.
- Maps your observation notes directly to the four TESS/Danielson domains and components
- Generates evidence-based summaries with specific examples from your scripting
- Suggests ratings across the four-level TESS scale based on observed indicators
- Creates targeted next steps tied to specific Danielson components for coaching conversations
- Reduces post-observation write-up time from 45 minutes to under 10
What Educators Say
Trusted Nationwide
School leaders in Arkansas and across the country use Observation Copilot to turn raw observation notes into Arkansas TESS and Danielson FFT (2013)-aligned feedback in minutes - saving hours every week and giving teachers faster, more specific next steps.
Observation Copilot has helped me to streamline and speed up the teacher feedback process. I'm able to organize the notes that I take during the lesson into summaries about the different dimensions while I get straight to the work of rating the lesson on the rubric.
Jason Cunningham - Stockdale, TX
Principal, Stockdale Independent School District
Frequently Asked Questions
Arkansas observation FAQ
- What teacher evaluation framework does Arkansas use?
- Arkansas uses the Teacher Excellence and Support System (TESS), built on Charlotte Danielson's Framework for Teaching. TESS spans four domains: Planning and Preparation, Classroom Environment, Instruction, and Professional Responsibilities.
- What are the TESS rating levels?
- TESS rates teachers on four levels: Distinguished, Proficient, Basic, and Unsatisfactory.
- How often are Arkansas teachers evaluated under TESS?
- TESS requires a summative evaluation for each non-novice teacher at least once every four school years. Teachers on Intensive Support receive informal observations at least twice a month and at least one formal observation per semester.
- What is a VAM score in Arkansas?
- A value-added measure (VAM) estimates a teacher's contribution to student academic growth from assessment data. Arkansas's evaluation is grounded in the TESS observation rubric, where student growth data complements rather than replaces observation evidence.
- Can Observation Copilot generate TESS-aligned feedback?
- Yes. Observation Copilot is an Official Partner of the Danielson Group, so it natively maps your notes to the Danielson domains that underpin TESS and drafts aligned feedback in minutes.
Related Reading
Resources for Arkansas Principals
50 Teacher Observation Feedback Examples (Organized by Framework Domain)
50 specific teacher observation feedback examples organized by framework domain, each tied to evidence and a next step principals can use.
Read more
Planning the 2026-2027 Teacher Observation Cycle: A Summer Checklist
A principal's summer checklist for the 2026-2027 teacher observation cycle - calendars, calibration, policy updates, and the tools that hold up.
Read more
Walkthroughs vs. Formal Observations: When Each One Helps and When It Hurts
Walkthroughs and formal observations serve different purposes. Here's how principals balance both in a coaching cycle that actually grows teachers.
Read more
End-of-Year Teacher Evaluations: A Principal's Summative Review Guide
How principals can write fair, evidence-based end-of-year teacher evaluations - without the last-minute scramble or recency bias.
Read more
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