1) If I was in eligibility group #1 last year and still in eligibility group #1, am I required to formally observed again this year?

Yes. There is a high likelihood TEA and Texas Tech may reject AISD's data. We will not know until February of 2024. For this reason, all teachers in Eligibility Group #1 must be formally observed during the 2023/2024 school year. Principals will work individually with teachers who were not scheduled for a Formal Observation to move them from a Narrative (Waiver).

2) If I am in eligibility group #2, do I have to be formally observed this year?

No, for TIA reasons you are not required to be formally observed this year.  However, you will be required to be formally observed in the 24/25 school year.

3) If I was in eligibility group #1 last year can I be formally observed this year in case I am not designated at all, or I want to try for a higher designation?

Yes, you can request to be formally observed again this year to improve your designation status.

4) When will eligibility group #3 start?

Once eligibility group #2 is in data collection year, the District will develop a plan to address all other teachers in eligibility group #3.

1) If I am designated this year, when does my payout come? 

Eligibility group #1 teachers who become designated will receive TIA funds in the Summer of 2024.

2) If I am in eligibility group #2, and I become designated, when does my payout come?

Eligibility group #2 teachers who become designated will receive TIA funds in the Summer of 2026.

3) When will eligibility group #3 start?

Once eligibility group #2 is in data collection year, the District will develop a plan to address all other teachers in eligibility group #3.

1) What are the teacher designation levels?

The teacher designation levels are:

• Recognized
• Exemplary
• Master

2) Could teachers be reminded of who the hard-to-fill campuses are?

Hard to fill campuses are not part of the TIA.

3) Is the decision for the percentages going to be set in stone? Or can it be adjusted?

Once we get input from all staff, we'll use the AISD Teacher survey’s most chosen percentage.  We can always make changes, but some (like changing the percentages) would require approval by TEA.

4) How do teachers apply for National Board Certification?

Teachers interested may receive more information by visiting https://tiatexas.org/national-board-certification-and-tia/ (Opens in new window). This link is on slide 8 of 11 in the Teacher introduction PPT.

5) If the designation earned is good for 5 years, are we required to continue to submit data for review during that 5 years for that particular teacher?

After the initial data submission, unless a teacher wants to move up in designation level, there will be no more data collection submitted to TTU in the remaining years.

6) Does the District have any plans to support teachers in obtaining their National Board Certification, such as reimbursement or stipend?

At this time, there is no plan to financially support teachers in obtaining his/her National Board Certification. Once this has been achieved, the teacher is automatically eligible for a Recognized Designation that comes with a fund disbursement from TEA.

7) How was the Steering Committee chosen?

Members from most areas of AISD were asked to be part of the Steering Committee (i.e. teachers, maintenance, administration, CAS, teacher organization representatives).

8) What additional work will there be required from teachers?

There should be no additional work for teachers, except for gaining an understanding of the TIA and its components.

9) How does a teacher become designated?

Through a correlation of Observation and Student Growth measures, AISD will submit teachers' names to TTU for designation. After validation of the data, TTU will approve or deny the designations.

10) How long does this process take?

There is a one year data capture year and a one year validation period. Once designated, that lasts for 5 years.

11) Were teachers/community members invited to give input before the TIA started?

TIA is an incentive provided by TEA and the 86th Legislature. This year is the planning year and is meant to give staff information and input in the process.

12) Who is the contact for National Board Certification?

You may visit the TIA National Board Certification website at: https://tiatexas.org/national-board-certification-and-tia/

13) Will there be support for teachers who are wanting to collaborate and learn more about the T-TESS domains?

The District is working to develop a process in which teacher will have access to collaboration and additional training on T-TESS.

14) Does my National Board Certification have to match my teaching assignment? 

No. As long as you carry any current National Board Certification, you will be eligible for the Recognized designation and the funding attached to that designation.

15) I am a National Board Certified Teacher, what should I do now?

Let your principal know of your NBCT status and the HR office will verify through the NBCT site. All teachers who hold a NBC are automatically designated as a Recognized teacher.

1) What are the yearly eligibility groups of teachers?  

• Year 1:  4-8 RLA/Math, English I, Algebra I and SPED teachers who directly support them

• Year 2:  All other CORE teachers (RLA, Math, Sci, and SS)

• Year 3:  All other AISD Teachers

2) Are any other staff included?

No, the TIA is only for teachers who are coded as 087 in the PEIMS description. Basically–only teachers.

3) Are part time teachers included?

Yes. However, a part time teacher must work for at least 90 days at 100% of the day or 180 days at 50-90% of the day.

4) Are first year teachers eligible?

Absolutely. All teachers who are in the current eligibility group are eligible (see FAQ #2, above, which is titled “What are the yearly eligibility groups of teachers?”).

5) If you are in the eligibility group for that year, can you opt out of TIA or the formal observation?

If a teacher is in the eligibility group, he/she is required to go through the Formal Observation process. However, the teacher may choose not to put his/her name up for designation.

6) Does this only apply to classroom teachers? Does it include intervention teachers, Reading Recovery?

This is only for teachers who are coded as an 087. Not all staff will be eligible.

7) Would ACC/specialized classroom teachers be eligible for the first cohort?

Any teacher who gives direct instruction to students in the eligibility group qualifies for the TIA.

8) Can assistant music directors qualify when electives are added?

Any teacher who gives direct instruction to students in the eligibility group qualifies for the TIA.

9) Is a Master’s degree considered when deciding on designations?

No. There is no automatic designation, or increase in designation due to a Master’s degree.

1) Will data be beginning, middle and end of the school year on the same students? Or end of year data from year to year?

For the 1st eligibility group, student growth is defined as TEA formulated expected individual growth on STAAR or EOC, for the previous year STAAR or EOC. The Student Growth sub-committee will continue to work on definitions for student growth for all other eligibility groups.

2) What does student growth mean?

For the 1st eligibility group, student growth is defined as TEA formulated expected individual growth on STAAR or EOC, for the previous year STAAR or EOC.  The Student Growth sub-committee will continue to work on definitions for student growth for all other eligibility groups.

3) For teachers who serve special education students, will growth be for the students they serve, or will it be a broader group they are measured on?

The Student Growth sub-committee decided that SPED teachers who directly support an eligibility group will be measured based on the progress of all students in the grade level and/or content area vs. just the SPED student group in isolation.

4) What about students who move in/out? How will growth be measured for them?

This is a question that the Student Growth sub-committee will address in the coming weeks.

5) What will the student growth measure be for non-STAAR classes?

The student growth sub committee will be deciding what the student growth component will be for all teaching areas. 

1) Will teachers have to be evaluated every year once receiving their designation? Or just once every 5 years since the designation is for 5 years?

Once a designation is earned, they would fall back into the 1 formal observation (based on campus/teacher input) every 5 years, unless they wanted to move up a designation level.

2) Would being scored proficient on T-TESS qualify for a designation in TIA?

A score of Needs Improvement (1) or Developing (2) in Domains 2 and/or 3 would disqualify a teacher from earning a TIA Designation.

3) If a teacher earns a designation, then starts to show poor performance, can the designation be removed?

Designations last for 5 years. When that teacher is up for designation again, if they do not show performance and student growth that would equal a designation, the designation would drop off the teacher’s certificate.

4) What if a teacher doesn’t agree with the T-TESS Observation?

If a teacher does not agree with their evaluation, by AISD Policies DNA (LEGAL) and (REGULATION) afford teachers an opportunity to request a 2nd appraiser. The scores of the first and 2nd appraisers would be averaged to reach a final score.

5) Will there be multiple appraisers for teachers and will there be extra training for them?

There will be significant T-TESS calibration training for administrators to ensure they are scoring T-TESS Appropriately. There may be multiple opportunities for administrators to work collaboratively within the campus and District to calibrate observations. However, the observation completed by the administrator assigned to the teacher will hold the official score.

6) Will my observations be announced?

All T-TESS rules for observations and evaluations are the same as before. Please see AISD Policies DNA (LEGAL), (LOCAL), and (REGULATION) for reminders of specific timelines. Information observations and walk-through have no requirement to be announced.

Is the student to teacher ratio taken into consideration when assigning designations?  At this time, class size is not a factor in determining designations.

1) Will this incentive be considered a stipend or part of a teacher’s salary?

TIA funds are considered direct compensation and will count toward TRS retirement calculations.

2) Will this money affect future pay raises?

No, this money is not tied to AISD expenditures.  This is solely an over and above incentive program from TEA.

3) When will the decision be made as to how the funds will be paid?

90% of the TIA allotted funds will be distributed to the teacher who earned the designation.  10% of the funds will be held by the District to off-set costs associated with TIA. This allotment is scheduled to be distributed to designated teachers in June of the allotment year.

4) If a designated teacher leaves a campus and goes to a different campus, will adjustments be made in the amount of funding?

Yes, the teacher would receive the allotment based on where he/she taught on Winter PEIMS Submission date. If the teacher changed the next school year, the next allotment would be different.   

5) Will the funds be a one time lump sum payment or be spread over time?

The allotment is scheduled to be distributed to designated teachers in June of the allotment year.

6) My salary won’t add up to 6 figures, is there a way for that to happen?

The TIA is a vehicle that will allow teachers to make up to 6 figures. Dependant on current salary, each teacher’s total compensation, including TIA (for designated teachers) will be different. Some may reach $100,000, while others would not.

7) Is TIA compensation part of a teacher's salary?

No. The funds from TIA are not part of a teacher’s salary. This would be an incentive stipend.

8) How will the compensation be distributed at the campus?

90% of the TIA allotted funds will be distributed to the teacher who earned the designation. 10% of the funds will be held by the District to off-set costs associated with TIA.