The Texas Teacher Incentive Allotment (TIA) is a program created by the state of Texas to provide significant salary increases for highly effective classroom teachers, while allowing them to remain in the classroom rather than leaving to become administrators to earn more money.
It was created as part of Texas House Bill 3 (2019), a major school finance reform passed by the Texas Legislature in 2019.
At SCISD, our goal in adopting TIA is to recruit, retain, and REWARD high-quality teachers. We want to provide ongoing opportunities for teacher professional growth and continually strive to improve student outcomes.
The levels of designation for teachers who could earn a designation in 2025-2026 (based on data from 2024-2025) are: Recognized, Exemplary, and Master.
Starting with teachers who earn their designation in 2026-2027 (with data collected in 2025-2026) there will be another designation level:
Acknowledged
Recognized
Exemplary
Master
SCISD's first designated teachers had data collected in 2024-2025 and will receive their designation in 2025-2026. To ensure a smooth implementation and data validation, there were fewer eligible teaching catagories to start, limiting it to only STAAR tested and those that already had established a Student Growth metric.
With the 2025-2026 expansion, all tecahers (except interventionists and SPED) are now eligible for TIA.
Click here to see the specific teaching assignments.
Teachers in eligible teaching role can earn a designation through a combination of their T-TESS (Domains 2 and 3) summative scoring and their student growth measure(s). The SCISD TIA Committee decided on a balance of those two metrics to determine designation (50%/50%).
Please note that SCISD cannot recommend a teacher for a TIA designation if the teacher does not remain in a teaching position (087 code in PEIMS) the year following the data capture year or if the teacher leaves the district following the data capture year.
T-TESS scores, only from Domains 2 (Instruction) and 3 (Learning Environment), count toward TIA based on the Summative score.
T-TESS counts for 50% of a teacher's overall Teacher Incentive Allotment (TIA) designation score, as indicated in SCISD's approved TIA plan.
Scores are based on the average of a 5 point scale (Improvement Needed = 1, Developing =2, Proficient = 3, Accomplished = 4, Distinguished = 5).
T-TESS Performance Standards Statewide Averages (2026-2027 Designation):
Master - 4.5+
Exemplary - 3.9 - 4.4
Recognized - 3.7-3.8
Acknowledged - 3.5 -3.6
In the Texas Teacher Incentive Allotment (TIA), student growth measures (SGMs) are determined by calculating the percentage of a teacher's students who meet or exceed expected progress targets, typically accounting for 50% of the total designation score.
Student growth is determined in several different ways depending on the eligible teaching category. Options include pre and post tests, STAAR transition tables, Portfolio, and third party vendor generated growth targets.
Click here to see what eligible teaching categories use what method/tool to determine their Student Growth.
Districts receive annual allotment funds when they employ eligible designated teachers. These funds must then be used for teacher compensation on the campus where the designated teacher works according to the district approved spending plan.
Districts must spend 90% or more of the allotment on teacher compensation on the campus where the designated teacher works. Up to 10% of the allotment may be used by the district to support the local designation system or to support teachers in earning designations. This is all determined by the district spending plan.
Specific designation funding amounts are based on the state base amount plus additional weighting for economically disadvantaged status and if a campus is rural.
For a detailed breakdown on amounts available to districts/campuses visit the TIA Funding Map.
To learn about how the funding amounts are determined, visit the TIA How Funding Works site.
At SCISD the TIA Committee wanted to ensure that as much of the campus funding available, as a result of a teacher's designation, would go to the designated teacher. But, they also realized the importance of the campus as a whole, the other teachers, the paraprofessionals and their impact on student performance. As a result the following Spending Plan was developed for the first year and for the following year. Without any changes by the committee, the final spending plan will remain in effect:
2025-2026 Designated Teacher (85%) All Campus Non-Designated Teachers and Student Facing Paraprofessionals (15%)
2026-2027 Designated Teachers (77%), All Campus Non-Designated Teachers and Student Facing Paraprofessionals (13%) District (10%)
Click here to view the SCISD Spending Plan for 2025-2026.
An example of a TIA Exemplary designated SCISD teacher who received their designation in 2025-2026 at the middle school campus:
Total funds received by the campus for the designation (from the TIA Funding Map) = $14,153
The Exemplary designated teacher will receive 85% of that total = $12,030.05
All other Non-Designated teachers and student facing paraprofessionals on the campus would divide equally the remaining 15%
The district will pay all associated taxes, TRS, and other required withholding.
An example of a TIA Exemplary designated SCISD teacher who received their designation in 2026-2027 at the elementary school campus. This spending plan is currently in effect as a result of TIA committee determined plan modification in the spring of 2025.
Total funds received by the campus for the designation (from the TIA Funding Map) = $14,130 (Estimation as the 2026-2027 amounts have not been released as of 3/10/2026)
The Exemplary designated teacher will receive 77% of that total = $10,880.10
All other Non-Designated teachers and student facing paraprofessionals on the campus would divide equally 13% of the total = $1,836.90
The district will pay all associated taxes, TRS, and other required withholding using the withheld 10% (Typically all withholding totals to approximately 23%)
As long as you are still a teacher (coded as 087 in PEIMS) your designation and the associated pay will still follow you. If you change to administration or a non-teacher role, you will NOT receive the designation funds, although the designation will remain on your SBEC certification for the remainder of the five years.
Once you earn a designation (Acknowledged, Recognized, Exemplary, or Master) you will continue to receive the additional funds associated with that level for five years (as long as you remian in a teacher role designated as 087 in PEIMS). If you earn a higher designation within that five years, the clock starts over and you have five years of payout at that new level of designation. You cannot go to a lower designation within the five years.
At the end of five years, your yearly submitted data (T-TESS and Student Growth) will determine if you will earn another desigantion.
If you earn a TIA designation (Recognized, Exemplary, or Master) through a system approved by the Texas Education Agency, the designation:
belongs to you as the teacher (is displayed on your SBEC Teacher Certification)
remains valid for 5 years
follows you to any Texas public school district or charter school
So, if you change districts during that five-year period, you keep your designation status. You will then be paid at your designation level at the rate established for the new school district and within their spending plan rules. Even if a new district is not a TIA district, they must honor the designation.
If a designated teacher leaves SCISD before the winter roster submission (Feb/March), the teacher will be ineligible to receive TIA funding from SCISD because the district will not receive any funding; however, the designated teacher may be eligible for funding in their new district.
If a designated teacher leaves SCISD after the winter roster submission and before the end of the school year, breaking contract, SCISD will withhold the full amount of the allotment (except in cases of retirement or documented medical disability). If the allotment is retained by SCISD, the funds will be divided evenly among all other student-facing instructional staff at the campus, including any other designated teachers. These funds will be paid out no later than August 31.
If an eligible teacher leaves the district at the end of the school year, fully completing their contract, the teacher retains their TIA allotment funds. SCISD will distribute these funds no later than August 31.
Yes, Teacher Incentive Allotment (TIA) payments count as creditable compensation toward your Teacher Retirement System of Texas (TRS) retirement. Because these funds are considered part of your annual salary, they are subject to TRS contributions and can help boost your final average salary used to calculate your retirement annuity.
If you complete your last school year as contracted and then retire, you will receive your designated TIA payment in full before August 31.
If you retire within the school year but after Winter Roster (Late February, early March), you will still receive the funds generated by that year of teaching before August 31.
If you retire before Winter Roster, those funds do not generate for the campus/district, so they do not pay out to you.
No. Teachers in a TIA eligible teaching category cannot opt out of the Teacher Incentive Allotment (TIA) process, as it is tied to a district’s mandatory evaluation system. Districts require data (T-TESS and Student Growth) from all eligible teachers to determine who meets the criteria for a TIA designation, meaning you cannot opt out of the data collection process.
Yes. Tecahers in TIA eleigible teaching assignments will continue to submit data (T-TESS and Student Growth). All eligible data is tied to the district mandatory evaluation system for TIA approval.
No. This is a common misconception. There is no state limit or quota on how many teachers can receive a TIA designation. If multiple teachers meet the performance criteria, all can be designated.
Over 65% of Texas districts are now participating in TIA. This link will take you to a list of all districts/charters who have implemented, or are in the process of implementing, TIA for their teachers. Currently, more than 42,000 teachers across the state have received a designation and the additional pay that is associated with it.