NASHVILLE (AP) - Teachers who "meet expectations" in their evaluation would be eligible for tenure under changes the Tennessee Education Association is recommending be made to the state's new teacher evaluation system.

TEA President Gera Summerford said at a news conference on Wednesday that the system is flawed and outlined an agenda to improve it.

Under the new system, teachers can gain tenure only if they score in the top two ratings two consecutive years. A three on the five-point rating scale is "meets expectations."

Because of the concerns, one recommendation is to designate 2011-2012 a practice year for the new system, "so that no educator will be negatively affected by this year's evaluation rating," according to the association.