House Bill 3 (HB 3): Teacher Incentive Allotment Letter of Intent

Date:  December 12, 2019
Subject: House Bill 3 (HB 3): Teacher Incentive Allotment Letter of Intent
Category: Teacher Compensation
Next Steps:  Share with appropriate staff 

 

Overview
The Teacher Incentive Allotment (TIA) is a key part of House Bill 3, dedicated to recruiting, supporting, and retaining highly effective teachers in all schools, with particular emphasis on high-needs and rural schools. Districts that choose to participate are charged with developing local teacher designation systems that measure teacher effectiveness based, at a minimum, on both teacher observation and student growth data. These systems must be submitted to the Texas Education Agency (TEA) for approval and undergo a data validation process, which will be conducted by Texas Tech University. 

Developing a local teacher designation system requires significant planning, robust stakeholder engagement, adequate time to prepare all necessary materials for rollout, and a strong communication plan prior to the first implementation year. The first school year a district collects teacher effectiveness data in accordance with their local designation plan is called the data capture year. The teacher effectiveness data collected during the data capture year will be reviewed as part of the district approval process.  

Cohorts and Possible Timelines
The table below displays comparative timelines for potential cohorts based on the data capture year. Please consult the table to determine which cohort best matches your district’s current level of implementation/planning for strategic compensation based on teacher effectiveness. 

Please note that these dates are subject to change. 

  Cohort A  Cohort B Cohort C Cohort D
Design and Stakeholder Engagement 2017-2018 
(or earlier)
2018-2019
(or earlier)
2019-2020
(or earlier)
2020-2021
(or earlier)
Data Capture Year 2018-2019 2019-2020 2020-2021 2021-2022
System Submission to TEA for Review Spring 2020 Summer 2020 Spring 2020 Spring 2021
(or earlier)
Data Submission to Texas Tech for Review Spring/Summer 2020 Fall/Winter 2020 Fall/Winter 2021 Fall/Winter 2022
Determination of System Approval Late Summer 2020 Spring 2021 Spring 2022 Spring 2023
Initial State Funding Flows to Approved Districts Fall 2020 Spring 2021 or Fall 2021* Spring 2022 or Fall 2022* Spring 2023 or Fall 2023*

*Districts with approved systems can choose to delay the start of funding and the start of designations to the fall of the following school year.

Next Steps and Readiness Checklists 
Once your district has identified its potential cohort, review the corresponding Cohort Next Steps and Timelines and the Readiness Checklist. The Readiness Checklist includes success factors and key practices to consider as your district develops or modifies a local designation system. Districts may also use the checklist to determine when they would be ready to apply for TIA Funds.

COHORT A Districts that already implement a strategic compensation plan based on teacher effectiveness and are paying teachers during the 2019-2020 school year based on teacher effectiveness data captured during the 2018-2019 school year

Cohort A Next Steps and Timelines 

Cohort A Readiness Checklist

 

COHORT B Districts that have developed a district-approved strategic compensation plan based on teacher effectiveness and intend to pay teachers in the 2020-2021 school year based on teacher effectiveness data captured during the 2019-2020 school year regardless of whether their system is approved for TIA designations

Cohort B Next Steps and Timelines

Cohort B Readiness Checklist

 

COHORT C Districts building their local designation system during the 2019-2020 school year and planning for a data capture year of 2020-2021

Cohort C Next Steps and Timelines

Cohort C Readiness Checklist

 

COHORT D Districts planning to build a local designation system with a data capture year of 2021-2022 or later

Cohort D Next Steps and Timelines

Cohort D Readiness Checklist

              
Letter of Intent (LOI)
After determining the cohort that best fits your district and reviewing the corresponding Readiness Checklist, complete and submit your district’s Letter of Intent by Friday, January 24, 2020. Please note, districts will need to apply for TIA at a later date regardless of whether they submit an LOI.  

Additional Resources
HB3 in 30 (this website will soon include a webinar specific to the Readiness Checklist)
Teacher Incentive Allotment Webinar
To the Administrator Addressed (TAA) on the Teacher Incentive Allotment (October 3, 2019)

Questions?
If you have any questions about the Letter of Intent, Readiness Checklists, or more general questions, please reach out to the Teacher Incentive Allotment team at tia@tea.texas.gov.