Teacher Incentive Allotment (TIA)

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Why is Alba-Golden ISD applying for the Teacher Incentive Allotment?

At Alba-Golden ISD, we have a sincere desire to provide the students of our community with the best education possible so that they are prepared for the world after graduation. It is essential that we ensure our students are provided an optimum learning environment and experience better than average growth. In order to accomplish this we must continue to build upon the foundation of a strong education by recruiting and retaining outstanding teachers in all content areas. We believe that it is vital to the strength of our academic program that we support our teachers in their professional development, provide them with opportunities for growth, and reward them for excellence. One of the ways we hope to achieve this goal is by applying for the Texas Teacher Incentive Allotment. With the overall aim to reward excellence in the classroom and retain effective teachers, we feel that the TIA program will align perfectly with our District Improvement Plan in supporting the work that our teachers do every day.  We believe it is important to provide the opportunity for highly effective teachers to earn more without having to leave the classroom.

Who is eligible for the Teacher Incentive Allotment?

Our goal is for all teachers to have the opportunity to participate in the Teacher Incentive Allotment. In our initial application, we are including a subset of teachers, not yet determined. If approved, we will have the opportunity to apply to expand the grade levels and/or content areas in the following years.

As noted above, AGISD’s Teacher Incentive Allotment will be phased-in over a period of years.  This innovative approach to differentiate compensation is designed to direct additional pay to teachers who fall within these three tiers: 

What are the growth measures?

AGISD’s goal is to reward excellent teachers who show evidence that students who are enrolled in their classrooms grow academically.  In order to do that, we must use a system that accurately measures growth and performance. Pre and post tests will be utilized to determine student growth.

What criteria will be used to select teachers?

During the 2023-2024 school year, teacher evaluation and student growth data will be collected for all teachers in eligible teaching assignments. A district devised weighting formula (50% student growth/50% TTESS) will be used along with this data to determine if a designation has been earned. The weighting formula should identify teachers who fall within the top 1/3 of teachers across the state.

What is the amount of the additional compensation?

The funds available for designations are:

  • Master Level $12,000 - $32,000

  • Exemplary Level $9,000 - $18,000

  • Recognized Level $3,000 - $9,000

TEA requires that at least 90% of the funds received will be spent on teacher compensation, directly to the designated teacher and/or the staff on the campus where the teacher works. Each campus is designated as Tier 1,2,3,4, or 5 according to the percentage of economically disadvantaged students enrolled.  This tier determines the exact amount within the range that will be awarded. 

What is the timeline?

AGISD's TIA application was submitted to TEA in April 2023 and approval was granted for our local TIA plan in August 2023. Our first data capture year will be 2023-2024. The District's captured data will be submitted in Fall 2024 and notification of final designations and allotments will be received in Spring 2025.  If our data is approved, the initial state funding for designations flows to the District in Fall 2025.

Is the master teacher designation tied to the master Teacher Certification?

No, the ‘Master’ teacher designation is not tied to the master teacher certification.  A ‘Master’ teacher designation will be based on the results of the evaluation system designed by Alba-Golden ISD.  However, National Board Certified teachers will automatically earn a "Recognized" TIA designation.

Is TIA for classroom teachers or for any position that is classified as a teacher?

LEAs must verify that each teacher meets the following eligibility requirement 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

Will there be limits on how many teachers can receive TIA?

The state does not set a limit on the number of teachers that can receive TIA incentives.

Additional Information on TIA

For additional information on TIA visit tiatexas.org or view the official TIA FAQ.