Teacher Incentive Allotment

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is eligible?
Teachers who teach reading/ELAR PK-English II, math PK-algebra I, 5th/8th science, biology, 8th social studies, U.S. history, sped resource reading and math, dyslexia therapists, reading specialists, and National Board Certified, who are coded as 087 in PEIMS, are in the Phase I band for TIA in Sherman ISD. The data capture year is 2024-2025; the designation year is 2025-2026, with stipends paid in June 2026.

The data capture year for Phase Two is 2025-2026 and will repeat Phase One.

Will PreK-10 Reading and Math teachers be eligible in the following year?
Yes. Once a phase-in band is rolled in, that group of teachers will be considered annually. Each year, Sherman ISD may extend eligibility to other content areas, as outlined in the Sherman ISD TIA Handbook. That way, if a teacher does not earn a designation in the initial data capture year, he/she may be eligible to earn a designation in a future year.

What about other content-area teachers?
All other 087 PEIMS-coded teaching assignments will be considered in the upcoming phases of the implementation plan.

Will Nationally Certified Teachers be considered as a Recognized Teachers even if their 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 should teachers be doing now to prepare for consideration in the TIA?

The TIA recognizes teachers for the great work they are already doing. The best thing a teacher can do to earn a designation is to ensure he/she is participating and implementing professional learning based on T-TESS goals, designing effective lesson plans, following instructional best practices in the classroom, and meeting students where they are (differentiating, monitoring, & adjusting) to help students grow!

What will I have to submit to earn a designation?
Teachers will not be required to submit anything. Teachers should continue to do the excellent work that they do daily. Teacher observation and student growth are the two required indicators by statute. Sherman ISD’s TIA steering committee did add local options to the TIA designation system (Teacher Leadership, Teacher Attendance, and Campus Growth) for future phase-ins. The district will compile the data from the walkthroughs, formal observations, and end-of-year conferences posted in Strive, as well as the student growth measures and 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 a teacher does not earn a designation, his/her data from this year will be submitted for consideration in the next year.

What if a teacher retires this year?
TIA is designed to attract and retain highly effective teachers, so a teacher who retires at the end of this school year will not be considered for a designation. The data file will be submitted in October 2025. Designations will be awarded in June 2026.

Once earned, can a teacher lose the designation?
The only ways teachers will lose their designation and allotment are if they 1) lose their certification or 2) move out of a teaching position. The designated teacher holds a designation for five years. During those five 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 five years.

If a teacher with a designation moves, does the amount of her compensation change?
The February PEIMS snapshot date will 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, librarians, or technology specialists eligible for the Teacher Incentive Allotment?
By state statute, the TIA is only available to 087 PEIMS-coded teachers. Instructional coaches and others in non-teaching positions are not eligible and will be evaluated using the District-approved evaluation tool.

To what extent can TIA address the disparities by race in Sherman ISD student outcomes?
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.

There are two statutory requirements for use in the TIA: teacher observation (T-TESS) and student growth measures. The data for these components will be collected, and recommendations for designation will be submitted to TEA and Texas Tech for data verification. TEA will then determine which teachers are designated.

Sherman ISD has included additional components in the local designation system. These options may be reconsidered in future years. These additional components could directly be tied to addressing racial disparities. We ask teachers to complete the annual TIA survey, add anything they would like to see included, and voice their comments.

If any questions or comments arise in time outside of the survey, stakeholders are invited and encouraged to send an email to the Executive Director of Human Resources, Blake Hays, at blhays@shermanisd.net.