• What is TIA? ▲

  TIA was established with the goal of providing outstanding teachers an accessible pathway to a six-figure salary. Unlike previous education programs, the Teacher Incentive Allotment is not a grant. Through approved local designation systems, districts can identify and designate outstanding teachers based on student growth and classroom observation. Employing designated teachers generates extra funding for districts to reward top performers. 

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• What are TIA designations? ▲

  To qualify for TIA funds, a teacher must qualify for a TIA designation.

  Teachers may earn designations through two different routes:

  1. National Board-Certified teachers are eligible to earn a Recognized designation.
  2. Districts may designate their effective teachers when they are approved for a local teacher designation system.

  The approval process is multi-step and includes the submission of 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 that has received National Board Certification will automatically earn a Recognized designation for having achieved National Board Certification. That does not mean a nationally certified teacher is not eligible for Exemplary or Master status, rather that they are automatically eligible for at least the lowest amount of allotment in the Designation System.

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• Who is eligible for TIA funds? ▲

  Anyone who is coded as a classroom teacher in PEIMS is eligible for a TIA Designation. However, which teachers are considered for the program is dependent on each district and the categories or criteria the district chooses to include in its Designation System.

  The TEA requires that:

  •  The teacher must have a valid SBEC certificate. Eligible types of certificates include Standard, Professional, Provisional. Eligible classes of certificates include Classroom Teacher (Chapter 233), Reading Specialist (Chapter 239), Legacy Master Teacher http://ritter.tea.state.tx.us/sbecrules/tac/index.html

  • 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.

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• Are designations attached to a particular grade level or subject? ▲

  Unlike certificates, designations are general. The designation will be placed on the teacher’s SBEC certificate and will not specify a certification area or subject/grade level. A teacher may change teaching assignments and will still generate allotment funding. The same applies to National Board-Certified Teachers (NBCTs).

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• How long does a TIA designation last for a teacher? ▲
   

  TIA Designations are good for 5 years, at which time teachers who meet eligibility for renewal can be automatically submitted by the district for consideration by the state.

  Teachers earning a TIA Designation of Recognized, Exemplary or Master will receive their designated stipend for 5 years. Their designation moves with the teacher from campus to campus or to another district should they move campuses or districts until that 5-year period expires.

  If a teacher were to receive another designation during their 5-year period, their clock would essentially reset and start a new 5-year countdown of eligibility to receive their TIA allotment.

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• Is it possible to move up from recognized designation to a higher designation within 5 years? ▲
   

  Yes. You can move up levels within the TIA Designation System during your 5 years after receiving a designation. You are not "stuck" at your level of Recognized or Exemplary.

  Should you receive an evaluation that would qualify you for a higher level within the system, you would then be re-designated at that higher level for 5 years.

  Teachers also will not move down a level if they receive a "lower" designation according to the TIA Designation System. They would still receive their larger allotment for the remainder of their 5-year clock from their previous designation.

  
  

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

  Yes. Any teacher who receives a TIA designation of Recognized, Exemplary or Master will be eligible for the TIA funds associated with those corresponding designations, regardless of how many receive such designations per campus.

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