TIA FAQ's

 

 

 

Q: Is the allotment for the teacher or the campus?

A: Funding for teachers designated as Recognized, Exemplary, and Master under TIA will flow to districts, which in turn must spend at least 90% of the funds on teacher compensation on the campuses where the designated teachers work.  Pursuant to Texas Education Code (TEC) Section 48.114(i)(1)(A), a district shall annually certify the funds received under this section were used as follows: At least 90% of each allotment received was uses for the compensation of teachers employed on the campus at which the teacher for whom the district received the allotment is employed.

 

Q: If a district does not have a local designation system as part of the Teacher Incentive Allotment, but employs designated teachers, will the district receive allotment funds for those teachers?

A. Yes. Districts that employ teachers who have earned designations will receive funding for those teachers based on the TIA formula, even if the district does not have an approved designation system in place.  For example, a district that does not have a designation system in place could employ a teacher that earned a designation in another district or a teacher who automatically earned a Recognized designation for having achieved National Board Certification.  Districts will need to develop a plan for how to spend allotment dollars that they receive, in accordance with the requirements of House Bill 3 (HB 3) of the 86th Texas Legislature.

 

Q: Will the campus socio-economic tier data be recalculated every year?

A. Yes.  Given that a school's student enrollment changes yearly, the campus' socioeconomic tier will be recalculated annually.  As a reminder, this calculation uses  the home address of the student that attends a particular campus.

 

Q: If a designated teacher moves campuses from on school year to the next, will the allotment that teacher generates be recalculated?

A: Yes.  There will be set points in time at which TEA will calculate the allotment for  teacher based on the teacher's designation and school characteristic (socio-economic tiers and rural status).

 

Q: Can a district phase in different groups of teachers over time?

A: Yes.  Districts have flexibility in the development of their local designation systems.  For example, a district may choose to include only math and reading teacher in year one, and then expand to include science and social studies teachers in year two, etc.

 

Q: Can a district apply for TIA only at specific campuses in their district and not others?

A: Yes. Districts specify the campuses on which they want to designate teachers under TIA.  However, any campus in the district that has designated teachers working on it will generate TIA funding to be spent on teacher compensation on that campus.

 

Q: What student growth measures can be used for teachers in non-tested subjects?

A: Districts can use locally developed student growth measures, as long as they are valid and reliable.  Examples include Student Learning Objectives, pre- and post-tests, and student portfolios.  Districts may find the T-TESS Guidance on Student Growth Measures helpful as they consider different student growth measures.

 

Q: Exactly what data will schools be required to submit for the data review process?

A: At a minimum, districts will be required to submit data on teacher effectiveness, which will include teacher observation data and the impact of a teacher on student growth.  TEA will communicate specifics around what other data might need to be submitted as part of the district's data review and approval process.

 

Q: When should districts begin communicating with teachers about their local designation system?

A: District communication with teachers would begin at different points, depending on when they are looking to implement a local designation system.  The TIA Readiness Checklist includes a section on community and teacher communication.  This checklist and additional TIA resources can be found on TEA's HB 3 in 30 website.

 

Q: What stakeholder groups should be included in developing the local teacher designation system?

A: Best practices indicate that including teachers, campus leaders, district leaders, and community members in planning and reviewing a local teacher designation system results in a stronger system with more buy-in.  In addition, school board input and approval are recommended.  Please refer to the TIA Readiness Checklist for additional best practices in stakeholder engagement.

 

Q: What is the timeframe to apply and what happens after a district's local designation system is submitted for review?

A: Timeframes to apply are based on the data capture year a district plans to use when submitting the teacher observation and student growth data for the purpose of TIA.  Please note there will be a two-step review process: (1) local designation system review by TEA: and (2) data submission review by Texas Tech University.  For details on the timelines and next steps for each cohort, pleas review the Cohort Next Steps and Timelines documents.