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 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.

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 (HB3) 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 one 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 a
teacher based on the teacher’s designation and school characteristics (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 teachers 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 HB3 in 30 website. More resources
will go live in early spring.

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 purposes 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, please review the Cohort Next Steps and
Timelines documents.