Teacher Incentive Allotment (TIA) Information

TIA is a performance pay teacher evaluation system that may award additional compensation to teachers based on predetermined effectiveness criteria. This means that the most effective teachers in the district have an opportunity to earn additional compensation. Moreover, Waller ISD will carve out a growth trajectory for developing teachers to aim for the same goals.

To be eligible for the TIA program, the teacher must have a valid SBEC certificate, be coded 087 as a Teacher per PEIMS (Public Education Information Management System), and serve his/her campus as a classroom teacher.

Based on TIA requirements, the evaluation criteria must include both a teacher observation and a student performance component. Per guidance from the Executive Committee (Waller ISD Administrators) and Stakeholder Committee (Waller ISD Teachers and campus leadership), the Waller ISD TIA Program will consist of 50% teacher evaluations (currently using the T-TESS instrument) and 50% student growth (currently using measures such as STAAR, CLI, iStation, TEMI, E-STAR, and others deemed appropriate).

The idea of using multiple criteria to measure teacher effectiveness (e.g. observations and student growth) is referred to as the use of multiple measures.  For every TIA eligible teacher, the district will track progress using these measures over the course of the school year.  Detailed TIA Texas Designation System Requirements are available on https://tiatexas.org/ 

• Teachers will receive regular and consistent feedback and progress updates concerning their TIA status.
• Over the course of the school year, TIA eligible teachers will receive T-TESS observations, multiple walkthroughs, and follow standardized student assessment protocol. 
• When a full year of data (e.g. T-TESS observations and student growth scores) has been collected, that information will be used to calculate a composite score for each eligible teacher.  Each teacher will be assigned a designation based on his/her composite score.

The work Waller ISD is undertaking to secure TIA funding for the district’s teachers is a multi-year process. TIA Texas established a rolling application process, whereby districts can apply in one of many cohorts. Waller ISD is applying in Cohort D. The timeline for Waller ISD’s TIA application and anticipated designations is noted below:

Cohort D

• TIA System Application due to TEA:  April 15, 2021
• TIA System Application Result Final Notification to districts:  August 15, 2021
• Data-Capture Year (for Phase 1 Teachers): 2021-2022
• Data Review due to TEA / Texas Tech University:  November 1, 2022
• Final Approval Notification:  Late February 2023
• Final Designation and Allotment Notification:  April 2023
• Initial Payout to Phase 1 Teachers:  August 15, 2023
  
  

The 2020-2021 school year focused on gathering staff/community input and feedback to inform the design of our TIA planning and programming.  While TIA Texas has set a number of strict requirements, the district has the opportunity to customize the TIA program so that it matches the culture, goals and needs of Waller ISD.  TIA information was shared by Human Resources to individual campus teacher groups as well as the Waller ISD School Board.  The TIA application submitted in April 2021 reflects the preferences and priorities of Waller ISD teachers, stakeholders, and leaders.

Two focus groups were formed to assist with the creation of a TIA plan for Waller ISD:  A Stakeholder Committee including multiple teachers and the Principal from each campus and an Executive Committee comprised of district leadership.  The committees discussed such topics as the overall understanding and investment of the TIA program, TIA scoring, funding allocation, TIA classroom observation model, student growth measures, designations and scoring, and other TIA-related topics.

A TIA webpage has been launched and will be updated regularly to share recent information on the status of the TIA program in Waller ISD.

Once a teacher earns a designation through Waller ISD’s TIA plan (Recognized, Exemplary, or Master) or the Recognized designation via National Board Certification, the designation is added to the teacher’s SBEC Educator Certificate and is valid for five years.  The teacher will receive the allotment amount during each of those five years (while employed as a public education teacher in Texas).  If the teacher earns a higher designation during that initial 5-year period, the allotment amount would then be revised to meet the appropriate designation.  When the 5 years of TIA eligibility is complete, the teacher would need to re-qualify for another TIA designation (e.g. Recognized, Master, Exemplary, or Master) in order to receive TIA funds during the subsequent 5-year period.

No, the TIA “Master” teacher designation is different from the Master Teacher Certification.  A TIA “Master” teacher designation will be based on the results of the evaluation system designed by Waller ISD.  However, National Board Certified teachers will automatically earn a "Recognized" TIA designation.

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

• The teacher must be coded as 087 (Teacher) per the Public Education Information Management System (PEIMS) description of codes for at least 90 days annually 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.
  
  

Waller ISD’s goal is to reward excellent teachers who show evidence that students who are enrolled in their classroom grow academically.  In order to do that, mechanisms that accurately measure growth and performance will be used.  For example, some of these measures currently in place include: T-TESS, STAAR, CLI, iStation, TEMI, and E-STAR.

During the 2024-2025 school year, data will be collected for an overall rating for phase 4 eligible teachers. The two data components used for the overall rating are: T-TESS Observation Rating (50%) and Student Growth (50%). Once the data is compiled and submitted, teachers will be ranked in comparison to other teachers in the state. According to TEA, teachers who are in the top 33% in the state will be given a designation of Recognized, Exemplary, or Master with the respective funds awarded no later than  August 15, 2026 to the Phase 4 teachers who earn one of the three designations.

Another method of earning the Recognized designation is to achieve National Board Certification (see https://www.nbpts.org/national-board-certification/ for further information).

• All TIA compensation is TRS eligible.
• The TRS has limits (10% or 10,000 increase per year) on eligible salary increases in the last 3 or 5 years prior to retirement.  This could limit the extent to which the TIA compensation paid in those years is TRS eligible.  A member can “work out of the limit” - the member will need to contact a TRS Benefit Counselor when they are ready to retire to determine if this limit will impact their retirement annuity calculation.
• The district should be prepared to assist teachers with a TRS creditable compensation determination.
• Districts may pay employee and employer contributions from the 90% portion of the allotment or the 10%, as those benefit payments are considered to be included in overall compensation.

The Waller ISD TIA plan states that 90% of the TIA funds received by the district will be given directly to the teacher earning the TIA designation with the district retaining 10% to assist with the cost of implementing and administering the TIA program.  According to the percentage of economically disadvantaged students enrolled at your campus, TEA currently (as of May 2024) calculates that Waller ISD teachers are eligible to earn the following amounts each year in addition to their teacher salary:

• Master Level Range: $13,951 to $21,901
• Exemplary Level Range: $7,171 to $11,940
• Recognized Level Range: $3,585 to $5,970

For example, if a teacher is designated at the Recognized level and the socioeconomic tier of his/her campus allows for $5,919 to be paid to teachers earning the Recognized designation, the district would calculate 90% of $5,919 = $5,327.10 to be paid to the teacher each year for 5 years.  The teacher would be paid his/her teacher salary plus $5,327.10 each year for 5 years.  An exception to this example would apply if the teacher earns a higher designation during those 5 years (Exemplary or Master), which would result in a higher compensation level.  Another exception would occur if the teacher moves to another district within those five years.  In that example, the teacher’s compensation would be based upon the TIA compensation plan of that district (assuming the district has opted to have a TIA plan).

Data Capture Year (Phase I, II and III Teachers - PK - 8th grade Reading and Math, 5th - 8th grade Science and SS, Alg I, Eng I, Eng II, BIO, USH, and all non-STAAR core content teachers except for Eng IV) -  2023-2024

•  Data Review due to TEA/Texas Tech University: October 2024
•  Final Approval Notification: Late February 2025
•  Final Designation and Allotment Notification: Late April/May 2025
•  Payout to Phase I, II, and III designated teachers: No later than August 28, 2025

Data Capture Year (Phase I, II, III, IV - Teachers - PK-8th grade Reading and Math, 5th-8th grade Science and SS, Alg I, Eng I, Eng II, BIO, USH, and all non-STAAR core content teachers as well as Core Content ICS Teachers and Core Content Resource Teachers) - 2024-2025

• Data Review due to TEA/Texas Tech University:  October 2025
• Final Approval Notification:  Late February 2026
• Final Designation and Allotment Notification: Late April/May 2026
• Payout to Phase I, II, III, and IV designated teachers:  No later than August 28, 2026

• Districts can tax payouts by either aggregating the compensation as regular pay, which means the amount will be taxed by the applicable tax bracket, or as supplemental pay, which will be taxed at a flat rate like other stipend payments.
• District costs that are a result of increasing TRS-eligible compensation may come out of the 90% portion of the allotment or the 10%, as they are considered a form of compensation.
• District payments can include TRS Contributions, Medicare taxes, state and federal unemployment, worker’s compensation, and social security (if applicable).
• TIA is subject to a statutory minimum contribution for reporting employees.
• Designated teachers who formally retire with TRS and complete the school year will receive the full allotment payment on their final check on or before August 28th.
• Designated teachers who resign prior to the first day of the teacher contract for the following school year will not receive their TIA allotment payout.  The district will redistribute the allotment they generated to other designated teachers (in 087 Roles) on the campus where the departing designated teacher worked on or before August 28th.
• Any designated teacher who breaks their contract before the end of the school year (but after the winter roster) will not receive their allotment payout.  The district will redistribute the allotment they generated to other designated teachers (in 087 Roles) on the campus where the departing designated teacher worked on or before August 28th.

The district goal in 3 years is for all teachers to have the opportunity to participate in the Teacher Incentive Allotment.  If the district receives TIA approval, the plan calls for Waller ISD to expand the grade levels and/or content areas in the following years as follows:

• Phase 1: teachers eligible include those assigned to Pre-Kindergarten through 3^rd grade, 4^th through 8^th grade, Reading and Math, Algebra I and English II.  The year of TIA data collection will be 2021-2022, 2022-2023, 2023-2024, and 2024-2025.
• Phase 2/3: teachers eligible include those assigned to 5^th and 8^th grade Science, U.S. History, Biology, and English I and all non-STAAR core content teachers, except for English IV.  The year of TIA data collection will be 2023-2024 and 2024-2025.
• Phase 4:  teachers eligible include English IV, Core Content ICS Teachers and Core Content Resource Teachers. The year of TIA data collection will be 2024-2025.

As noted above, Waller ISD’s Teacher Incentive Allotment plan will be phased-in over a period of years.  This innovative approach to differentiate compensation is designed through TEA’s TIA framework to provide additional monetary compensation to teachers who qualify for one of the following three tiers: 

• Master – Top 5% of the state 
• Exemplary – Top 20% of the state
• Recognized or National Board Certification – Top 33% of the state
  
  

As a school district, one of Waller ISD’s goals is to reward highly effective teachers who achieve positive results with student growth. The TIA program provides the district an opportunity for highly effective teachers to earn additional monetary compensation as a financial reward for their excellence.

No. The state does not set a limit on the number of teachers that can receive compensation through TIA.  However, TEA provides guidance on the percentage of teachers who should be assigned each designation.  The goal of the guidance is to ensure that there is a consistent standard used to identify the most effective teachers across the state.  These standards are paired with expected T-TESS and student growth performance standards/scores.  Every eligible teacher has an equal opportunity to access TIA funds should he/she earn a Recognized, Exemplary or Master designation through the district TIA plan or earn the Recognized designation via the National Board Certification.