Teacher Incentive Allotment

In June 2019, the Texas Legislature passed House Bill 3. This bill established the Teacher Incentive Allotment (TIA), which gives teachers an accessible pathway to earning a higher income while remaining in the classroom, allowing them to make a greater difference in the lives of Texas students. TIA elevates the teaching profession and allows districts to celebrate their top-performing teachers with compensation and recognition through teacher designations.

Teachers do not apply for TIA. Unlike previous education programs, the Teacher Incentive Allotments are additional state funding written into statute, allowing for sustainable funding. There are no caps on teacher designations or allotment funds.

Designations are distinctions awarded to highly effective teachers. TIA established three levels of designation: Recognized, Exemplary, and Master. Designations are awarded to teachers either through their district’s local designation system or by achieving National Board Certification. Teachers with an active National Board certification may be designated as Recognized by the Texas Education Agency (TEA).

Districts have the option to build a local designation system to designate teachers as Recognised, Exemplary, or Master. Before applying for a local designation system, districts develop evaluation criteria based on teacher observation and student growth data to identify their most effective teachers. TEA must approve a local designation system before the district can issue designations. This requires a two-step application and approval process.

While TEA places no restrictions on which teaching assignments are eligible for designations, building a local designation system is complex, and each district has their own unique needs. Districts implementing a local designation system may choose to start with specific campuses, subject areas, and/or grade levels. Many districts begin their system with a subset of teaching assignments and expand their system to include most or all teaching assignments in subsequent years.

Teacher designations are valid for five years. Within the five years, teachers may be put forth for a higher designation if their performance qualifies them, but they cannot be submitted for a lower designation. Some district spending plans may include variability based on continued performance levels.

Designated teachers who meet performance standards and district qualifications can be put forth for a new designation in their final designation year. Once the designation expires, it will be removed from the SBEC certificate, and allotment funding will no longer be generated.

The TIATexas.org website will show payouts by district under the funding map. Payouts are higher for the most high-need schools.

Payments are TRS eligible; some rules apply if you are close to retirement on an increase in salary that exceeds 10%.

There are two components:

1. TTESS Teacher observation (40%) and 
2. Relative and reliable data on student performance (60%)

As long as you are coded 087 in PEIMS and teach students at least 50% of the time, the money keeps flowing for your five years.

Districts must give 90% of the funds to the teacher. The PISD stakeholder committee decided the local spending plan for the funds. Poteet will pay 90% to teachers. The district’s 10% will fund:

• Development of Growth Measures for Phase 2 and beyond
• Teacher Support and Training
• Program Administration

The plan looks at Domains 2 and 3 on T-TESS. If a teacher is rated “developing” or "needs improvement” on Domains 2 and 3, you don’t qualify at all. Teachers must score at least proficient on all domains

TEA requires that all teachers teaching in grades/subjects included in a district’s TIA plan be evaluated annually. Therefore, any teacher that is eligible for a TIA designation cannot waive the T-TESS process for the school year, even if the teacher does not wish to be considered for a TIA designation.

• 55% Recognized Teacher
• 60% Exemplary Teacher 
• 70% Master Teacher
• Based on students who met or exceeded growth expectations

• Data capture is 25-26; the first payout would occur in spring 2027
• Teachers would then be qualified for 5 years
• Anyone who doesn’t qualify can attempt every year
• Anyone who does qualify has the opportunity to increase the following year

You cannot lose designation for 5 years.

Poteet ISD will have to pass data validation in October, 2026.

It is public information on SBEC certificates.