Our primary purpose for participating is to utilize this program as a means of recruiting and retaining excellent teachers in our classrooms. We know that compensation is a key factor in a teacher’s decision to select or remain in education. Therefore, we want to take every opportunity to give our teachers the pay they deserve for the work they do with our students.

All campuses will be included in the district’s TIA program.

The teachers who meet district criteria and are assigned to the following grade levels and content areas will be eligible to receive a designation in phase 1:  K-8th grade Reading and Math, K-6th grade Bilingual Reading and Math, English I and II, and Algebra 1.
 

Yes. Our future phases include the following teachers by grade level and content area:

Phases were determined by those in which a valid growth measure was available and the high-need areas for the district based on academic performance. Content areas without a valid growth measure were moved to later phases to give the district time to select, create, and train staff on valid growth measures that meet state requirements. 

There is not an opt-out provision for the Teacher Incentive Allotment program. Teacher observations, walkthroughs, and student growth data will be collected for all teachers. 

According to TEC 21.051(a), a “Teacher of Record means a person employed by a school district who teaches the majority of the instructional day in an academic instructional setting and is responsible for evaluating student achievement and assigning grades.” 

The Texas Teacher Evaluation and Support System (T-TESS) will be used to measure teacher performance. Domains 2 and 3 will be weighted by 20%, and domain 4 will be weighted at 10%. 

To earn a designation, a teacher must meet the minimum performance standards for T-TESS domains 2 and 3, T-TESS domain 4, and their student growth measure. The T-TESS domains will be weighted at 30% and student growth will be weighted at 70% to obtain an overall score. The minimum scores are outlined in the table below:

A teacher’s designation will last for 5 years and can only be improved upon. A designation can not be eliminated or lowered during the timeframe set forth. 

No. There are no consequences if a teacher's performance does not earn a designation. Teachers will still be eligible to receive the standard compensation increases as determined by the Board of Trustees.

The TEA has set minimum performance standards for teacher observations. T-TESS domains 2 and 3 are used to quantify a teacher's performance in order to achieve each level of designation (Recognized, Exemplary, and Master). 

The minimum average scores were derived from an analysis of T-TESS observations from across the state with scores on a 1 to 5 scale.The minimum average for a Master teacher shows the 95th percentile score, the minimum average for an Exemplary teacher shows the 80th percentile score, and the minimum average for a Recognized teacher shows the 67th percentile score. These overall minimum average scores will be reflected in commissioner rules. Please see the TEA document listed here.
 

Teacher observations will be conducted by the campus administrators who are certified as official T-TESS appraisers. Teacher appraisers are required to norm on scoring using T-TESS either by conducting in-person observations or video scoring multiple times during the school year. Appraisers participate in calibration activities every 9 weeks. During this time, participants will observe teachers; score them individually;  and then come together to discuss the evidence they collected during the observation and final scores given. If the observation scores of individual raters are vastly different, then the district continues to practice this process until there is an agreement or inter-relator reliability among evaluators. 

For the initial phase, NWEA’s MAP Growth assessment will be used to measure student growth.
 

It will be calculated using a nationally normed RIT growth score. The BOY RIT score will be compared to the EOY RIT score to determine how many of the students met or exceeded that BOY score. TEA has coordinated with MAP to ensure accurate calculations.

MAP Growth is a nationally normed measure that has been approved by TEA as a valid and reliable measure for student growth. MAP Growth tests are aligned to the TEKS. Since MAP Growth is adaptive, students may see questions assessing standards at, above, or below their current grade level, but all standards assessed are aligned to the TEKS.

TEA has set minimum performance requirements for student growth. They are 55% for recognized, 60% for exemplary, and 70% for master. Please see the TEA document listed here.

Maintaining security and confidentiality of student growth measures is a priority for the district and helps to ensure that student performance is accurately measured as a part of our local designation system. Therefore, teachers will be required to follow the expectations outlined below: 

• Student growth measure test content may not be shared/discussed. 
• Student growth measure test administration procedures will be followed exactly as provided by the testing coordinator.
• Student growth measure test materials or student products will be maintained in a secure location before, during, and after test administration.
• Students will be actively monitored during student growth measure test administrations.
• Students may not receive assistance to complete student growth measures, beyond what is allowable by the District Testing Coordinator or prescribed by a governing student committee as applicable to standardized assessment programs (e.g., STAAR, ARD, LPAC, 504, etc.). 
• Suspected educator misconduct must be reported in a timely manner and will be addressed in accordance with our employee handbook and policies.
   

Campus allotments are distributed to each campus based on the number of teachers who have earned a designation at that campus. 
 

No. Not every campus will be distributed the same amount of funding. The amounts will vary by campus based on the campus needs (i.e. low socioeconomic status) and the number of designations earned at that campus. 

The district’s participation in the Teacher Incentive Allotment program will not replace the current compensation plan for the district. A teacher who earns a designation will be paid with a stipend that will supplement, not supplant, their current salary.
 

If a designated teacher changes grade levels or transfers, they will retain their designation and a designation stipend. 

Yes.

No. The designated teacher will receive 70% of the funds during phase 1 while the non-eligible teachers will equally distribute 20% of the funding. The district will retain 10% of the designation allotment to cover the fees incurred by the district to put forth a designation for data submission and other program-related expenses such as professional development, recruitment initiatives, etc. As more teachers are eligible to receive a designation, the district will increase the percentage of funding that goes to designated teachers as indicated in the chart below.

Yes, full-time teachers who hold a valid, standard teaching certificate and who have earned an evaluation rating of proficient or higher with the district will receive compensation as outlined on the chart above for the funds designated to the campus.

Yes, each teacher’s standard tax deductions, TRS contributions, and insurance premiums would be retained; staff may call payroll to get their individual deduction information.
 

National Board Certification is a voluntary, advanced professional certification for PreK–12 educators that identifies teaching expertise through a performance-based, peer-reviewed assessment. More than 125,000 teachers across all 50 states have achieved Board Certification.

The certification process is designed to collect standards-based evidence of accomplished practice. To become a Board-certified teacher, eligible candidates must demonstrate advanced knowledge, skills and practice in their individual certificate areas by completing four components. The content knowledge component is a computer-based assessment taken at a testing center; the other three are portfolio-based and submitted through an electronic portfolio system.

• Component 1: Content Knowledge
• Component 2: Differentiation in Instruction
• Component 3: Teaching Practice and Learning Environment
• Component 4: Effective and Reflective Practitioner
   

To be eligible for certification, teachers must meet the following education, employment and licensure requirements outlined in the Guide to National Board Certification. Candidates will be asked to verify these during initial registration.

• Possess a bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution. NOTE: Candidates for the Career and Technical Education certificate are required to hold a bachelor’s degree only if their state requires one for their current license.
• Have completed three years of successful teaching in one or more early childhood, elementary, middle or secondary school.
• Hold a valid state teaching license (or meet the licensure requirements established by your state for a school counselor if applying for the ECYA/School Counseling certificate) for each of the three years of verified employment. Exceptions may apply.
• Provide official American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) certified ratings of Advanced Low or higher from ACTFL speaking and writing proficiency assessments if registering as a World Languages candidate.
   

Yes. Beginning in January 2021, eligible National Board-certified teachers (NBCTs) who are employed as teachers will earn a Recognized designation. The designation will expire in conjunction with the National Board certificate. Allotment funding for eligible NBCTs will be calculated annually in April. Districts may view the NBCT directory to begin determining if they employ NBCTs.

For teachers who achieved certification in 2017 or later, National Board Certification is active for a period of five years. National Board Certified Teachers must successfully complete the Maintenance of Certification process to extend their certification. The National Board’s Maintenance of Certification (MOC) process will ensure that Board-certified teachers continue to grow professionally while positively impacting student learning. Starting in the 2020–2021 cycle, MOC will become the new pathway for National Board Certified Teachers to keep their certification active. Successfully meeting MOC requirements will extend an NBCT’s certificate by five years from their current certificate’s expiration date. This is a change from the 10-year renewal, which will sunset following the 2020–2021 year. MOC will cost $495 plus a $75 registration fee. 

Becoming National Board certified can take up to four years from initial registration to certification, but most candidates are certified within one to three years. New NBCTs will receive scores in the fall, and those eligible will earn a Recognized designation on their teaching certificate in the spring following initial certification. The Recognized designation will begin the same school year that the teacher earned National Board certification. For the first year of an NBCTs Recognized designation, districts will be notified of the allotment generated by each teacher in the spring and will receive allotment funds in September of the following school year. TEA will verify that designated teachers completed a creditable year of service and maintained eligibility prior to funding.