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

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

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 (HB3) of the 86th Texas Legislature.

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 that funds received under this section were used as follows: At least 90% of each allotment received was used for the compensation of teachers employed on the campus at which the teacher for whom the district received the allotment is employed.

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.

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 teachers in year one, and then expand to include science and social studies teachers in year two, etc.

A: Teacher designations are valid for five years. Within the five-year period, teachers may be put forth for a higher designation if their performance qualifies them, but they cannot be submitted for a lower designation. Some district spending plans may include variability based on continued performance levels.

A: Designated teachers who move to a Role ID other than 087 will maintain their designation. However they will not generate annual allotment funding if they are not in a 087 teaching role for that year of service.

A: LEAs must verify that each teacher meets the following eligibility requirements before submitting them for a designation:

The teacher must be coded as 087 (Teacher) per the Public Education Information. Management System (PEIMS) description of codes for 90 days at 100% of the day (equivalent to four and one-half months or a full semester) or 180 days required at 50–99% of the day and compensated for that employment.

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.

Districts are encouraged to communicate with teachers early in the process and throughout the development and implementation of their local designation systems. The TIA Readiness Checklist includes a section on community and teacher communication. 

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.

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.