What is TIA?

HB 3 established the Teacher Incentive Allotment (TIA) to recognize effective teachers on three levels, Recognized, Exemplary, and Master. These teacher designations generate additional teacher-focused allotment funding for districts to reward their top performers.

Teachers earn designations through two different routes.

First, National Board Certified teachers (NBCTs) automatically earn a Recognized designation. Second, districts may designate their effective teachers when they are approved for a local teacher designation system. The approval process is multi-step and includes submitting a system application to the Texas Education Agency (TEA) and then a data validation process through Texas Tech University.

Any teacher eligible based on a district’s TIA Designation System who holds National Board Certification will automatically earn a Recognized designation through TIA. That does not mean a NBCT is not eligible for Exemplary or Master status. It means they automatically qualify for at least the Recognized level in the Designation System.

When would TIA go into effect for Round Rock ISD?

A TIA Designation System will be implemented in phases beginning with the 2023-24 academic year serving as a “data collection year.” This will be a year with the designation program’s evaluation tools in place in order to provide supporting data that is then used for designating teachers within the system. The District plans to be in TIA in 2024-25 at selected campuses and will continue to roll out over the proceeding three to five years.

Who is eligible for TIA?

District employees PEIMS coded as a classroom teacher is eligible for a TIA Designation. The District TIA committee determines the teacher categories or criteria to include in the Designation System.

The TEA requires that:

• The teacher must have a valid SBEC certificate. Eligible types of certifications include Standard, Professional, and Provisional. Eligible classes of certificates include: Classroom Teacher (Chapter 233), Reading Specialist (Chapter 239), and Legacy Master Teacher.
• According to the Public Education Information, the teacher must be coded as a 087 (Teacher).
• Management System (PEIMS) description of codes for 90 days at 100% of the day (equivalent to four and one-half months or an entire semester) or 180 days required at 50-99% of the day and compensated for that employment.

Round Rock ISD’s TIA planning committee is working to determine which campuses and teachers will qualify during our first year of implementation. We will use a phased approach with selected campuses and grade levels beginning in the initial year. The final rollout will include ALL District campuses. More specific information will be communicated when available.

Are other staff eligible? Instructional coaches? Administrators? etc.?

No. The TIA Designation Program recognizes classroom teachers only. Instructional coaches, librarians, administrators, counselors, etc., are not eligible. Teacher eligibility is designated by District PEIMS reporting code Role ID 087.

Role ID 087 includes teachers of record, assistant teachers, and support teachers. Interventionists, reading specialists, inclusion teachers, etc., are generally coded as 087. Districts must check with their PEIMS specialists and payroll personnel to ensure that teachers meet eligibility requirements before submitting them for designation.

What is Round Rock ISD’s plan for the allocation of the funds?

Funding for teachers designated as Recognized, Exemplary, and Master under TIA will flow to districts. In turn, the District must spend at least 90% of the funds on teacher compensation on the designated teachers’ campuses.

Texas Education Code (TEC) Section 48.114 (i)(1)(A) says: 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 at the campus at which the teacher for whom the District received the allotment is employed The statute states that allotment funds are not considered a property right.

Districts must submit their spending and communication plans for TEA review during the system review process. Round Rock ISD’s TIA planning committee will submit our spending and communication plan for final approval.

Does this impact my base pay?

No. The District’s salary scale determines your base pay. TIA is in addition to your already approved salary.

How long does a TIA Designation last for a teacher?

TIA Designations are good for five years, at which the district can automatically submit teachers who meet eligibility for renewal for consideration by the state. Teachers earning a TIA Designation of Recognized, Exemplary, or Master will receive their designated stipend for five years. Their designation moves with the teacher from campus to campus or another district should they move campuses or districts until that five-year period expires. You can move up levels within the TIA Designation System during your five years after receiving a designation. You are not “stuck” at your level of Recognized or Exemplary. If you receive an evaluation that qualifies you for a higher level within the system, you would then be re-designated at that higher level for five years.

Can Teachers earn Recognized designation if they are National Board Certified?

Yes. They will automatically earn a Recognized designation if they are already Nationally Board Certified. They can move up in designations.

What does Student Growth look like for Round Rock ISD?

Currently, student growth is measured through Student Learning Objectives (SLO) as part of the T-TESS evaluation. Part of the work of the TIA Planning Committee will be to make recommendations during the 2022-2023 school year to District leadership around student growth measures for TIA purposes. While SLOs may be used for TIA designations, the planning committee could also recommend that another student growth measure or multiple measures are used. Once District leadership and TEA approve, we will communicate the plan with all Round Rock ISD staff.

Why do we have to use T-TESS observations as part of this process?

Teacher Observation (T-TESS Domains II and III) is one of the two required components of the Teacher Incentive Allotment. The other required component is the Student Growth measure as determined by the District’s TIA committee and final approval by TEA.

What are the other “optional” components for TIA?

In addition to the TEA required components of Student Growth and Teacher Observation, there may be Optional Components that play a role when evaluating the overall impact of teacher performance. Examples of this include:
T-TESS Domain 1,
T-TESS Domain 4,
teacher attendance,
student surveys, and
any other options the TIA district committee feels would be helpful

What if I become a principal or AP after receiving a TIA designation?

The TIA is designed to recognize and reward high-performing teachers. As the TIA requires eligible teachers to be coded as classroom teachers by PEIMS, if a designated teacher were to move into an administrative role, they would lose their TIA designation and TIA compensation.

Can multiple teachers on my campus receive a designation? If so, is there a limit to how many?

Yes. Any teacher in an eligible position who receives a TIA designation of Recognized, Exemplary, or Master will qualify for the TIA funds associated with those corresponding designations, regardless of how many receive such designations per campus. There is no limit to the number of those who can receive a designation.

How will I know that the evaluation process is fair?

The District will calibrate with administrators to ensure a fair, accurate, and rigorous observation system.

How can I be sure the system is fair concerning assessing student growth?

The student growth requirement is a growth measure and not a proficiency measure. Regardless of where students start from, the student growth target measures the teacher’s ability to have their students meet their growth targets.

What is the process if I disagree with my administrator’s evaluation of my performance regarding TIA?

Requesting a second review is the same as the current evaluation process.