What is SISDs Compensation Plan?
Funds received by Seguin ISD for a designated teacher under the Teacher Incentive Allotment (TIA) will be distributed by the district allocating 90% payout directly to the designated teacher, with the remaining 10% of TIA funds utilized by SISD to support TIA. 

How will Seguin ISD use the 10% allocated funds?
SISD will use the funds to pay for the training and support of the local designated system, expansion of the system, administrative expenses, and professional development.  The district will utilize funds reserved at the district-level to fund the district's portion of TRS and to support a National Board Teacher Certification cohort. 

What role does TRS have in the TIA Program?
TIA compensation stipends will be included in the annual wages reported to the Teacher Retirement System (TRS) and will be used when calculating retirement benefits.

If a teacher with a designation moves, does the amount of his/her compensation change?
The February PEIMS snapshot date will be used to determine the teacher's location. The teacher's allotment will be based on the campus where they teach on that February date.

How does TEA determine the amount of the allotment?
House Bill 3 in the Texas Legislature was the mechanism to develop the Teacher Incentive Allotment (TIA). The goal of the TIA is to attract and retain teachers in the highest need schools through a compensation incentive model. The allotment is calculated by TEA based on socioeconomic factors and on the rural/non-rural status of the campus. The socioeconomic factors are taken from the 2020 census data. The TIA Funding Allocation Interactive Map will show the allotment amounts by designation for each campus in Texas. The allotment is recalculated by TEA annually.

Who is Eligible for TIA in the 2023-2024 school year?
Teachers in grades 4th-12th who teach Reading or Math in a STAAR tested grade will be included in Phase 1 of TIA. Other teaching assignments will be phased in over time.  

Will Nationally Certified Teachers be considered as a Recognized Teacher even if his/her content area is not in the eligibility band?
Yes. Every 087 PEIMS-coded teacher in the District who has earned a National Board Certification will be automatically designated as a Recognized Teacher, regardless of teaching assignment, and will be eligible for the Teacher Incentive Allotment.

What will I have to submit to earn a designation?
Teacher observation and student growth are the two required indicators by statute, and teachers will be required to submit evidence and artifacts in Domain 4: Leadership.
The District will compile the data from the walkthroughs, formal observations, and end-of-year conferences posted in Eduphoria!, as well as the student growth measures and any other components used.
This information will be collected and sent to Texas Tech and TEA for data verification. TEA will determine whether the teachers have met the requirements for designation.

What happens if a teacher changes grade levels next year?
TIA is always a year behind. The data from this year will be used to determine designations for next year. If teachers do not earn a designation, their data from this year can be submitted for consideration in the next year.

What if a teacher retires this year?
Designated teachers who retire at the end of this school year, who fulfill all contract requirements, will receive one final lump sum payment in August. 

Once earned, can a teacher lose the designation?
The only ways teachers can lose their designations and allotments are if the teachers 1) lose their certification(s) or 2) move out of a teaching position. The designated teacher holds a designation for 5 years. During those 5 years, the teacher may be considered for a higher designation, which will cause the 5-year period to start over. The allotment is paid to the teacher annually for 5 years.

If a teacher with a designation moves, does the amount of her compensation change?
The February PEIMS snapshot date will be used to determine the teacher's location. The teacher's allotment will be based on the campus where they teach on that February date.

Are instructional coaches, academic deans, or librarians eligible for the Teacher Incentive Allotment?
By statute, the TIA is only available to 087 PEIMS-coded teachers. Instructional coaches, data analysts, and other non-teachers are not eligible and will be evaluated using the District-approved evaluation tool.

Is there a minimum number of students a teacher of record must have in order to be included in TIA?
There must be a minimum of at least five (5) students assigned to the teacher of record who will count toward that teacher's student growth percentage.

How will students count for teachers in TIA for student growth?
Students will be counted for a teacher in the following way:
• Must be in a teacher’s classroom at the October snapshot date (it does not matter with whom students took the BOY MAP      assessment).
•Must be on the teacher’s roster for the EOY administration.
•The MOY administration will be used for data-informed instruction, not TIA.

If teachers are departmentalized, do they count for both classes of their content?
Any student rostered to that teacher for STAAR will count toward that teacher's growth percentage for TIA.

If a student wasn't here for the BOY test, but was here for the Snapshot date in October, they won't count because there is no BOY data, correct?
If a student did not take the BOY test in this district, but he was here for the snapshot date, the student will not be used in the calculation.

What if students have "no assessment" listed as part of their IEP?
We will follow any student's IEP as required by law. This will not count against the teacher when calculating growth scores.

What percentage of the students need to meet or exceed the expected growth for the teacher to qualify?
The TEA has set minimum performance standards for student growth. They are 55% for recognized, 60% for exemplary, and 70% for master. Please see the TEA document listed here. However, TEA reserves the right to adjust these performance standards.

Who qualifies for a T-TESS observation waiver?
SISD will not use waivers during the Data Capture year for any teacher. All teachers will receive a 45 minute formal T-TESS observation. 

What components of T-TESS does a teacher in the eligibility band need?
Teachers in the eligibility band must have a full T-TESS cycle. This means, the teacher must have a professional goal and a student growth goal. The appraiser is responsible for completing the required number of walkthroughs (as stated in the proration guide), a full observation cycle (pre-conference, formal observation, and post-conference), and an end-of-year conference. The professional development plan should be completed during or after the end-of-year conference by the teacher and acknowledged by the appraiser.
TEA and Texas Tech will analyze the data from Domains 2 and 3 of the EOY conference as well as from the student growth data. If anomalies are found, they may request additional data and explanations.

What happens if a teacher disagrees with the written observation summary or the summative annual appraisal?
If a teacher disagrees with the written observation summary, he/she may request a second appraisal/formal observation by another certified appraiser for Domains 1, 2, and 3 within 10 working days of the post-conference or the end-of-year conference.

What is the designation criteria in Seguin ISD? 
The designation system in Seguin  ISD includes the following components: 
• Teacher Observation based on T-TESS (40%): Teachers in the TIA Eligibility Band will receive a full evaluation, including a formal observation. The results of the End of Year conference in domains 2 and 3 will be used to fulfill this component. 
• Student Growth Measures (50%): These will vary depending on the teaching assignment.
• Leadership: Domain 4 (50%): Teachers will be asked to provide evidence and artifacts at their summative conference. .

What happens if a teacher does not earn a designation? 
Those teachers not yet designated are automatically eligible for consideration in the next eligibility band, should their current teaching assignment meet the requirements of the designation system. Coupled with the TTESS continuous improvement cycle and student growth measures, a teacher will have annual opportunities to demonstrate growth to earn a designation.

How will teachers know if they have earned a designation?
Each year of the TIA evaluation cycle, teachers in eligible groups will be provided an annual teacher scorecard. The purpose of the scorecard is to provide transparency of  SISD’s TIA system. The scorecard will provide teachers the TIA outcomes based on their performance, student growth, and leadership. 

I still have questions about TIA. Where can I get help? 
If you have questions regarding the TIA designation process or would like additional support, please contact the TIA Director at osantiago@seguin.k12.tx.us or the Human Resources department.

Where can I find more information regarding TIA?
More frequently asked questions and answers relating to TIA can be found by clicking the link https://tiatexas.org/designation-system-faqs/