Teacher Incentive Allotment

Established by House Bill 3, the Teacher Incentive Allotment (TIA) is a state-funded program designed to recruit, retain, and reward top performing educators. By identifying high performing teachers, districts can provide a pathway to six figure salaries, specifically in high needs and rural schools.

A classroom setting with students and teachers engaged in various activities, including using computers and interacting with each other.

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Levels of Designation

Districts identify effective teachers and designate them at four levels. Each level generates additional funding for the teacher's campus.

Acknowledged

Recognized

Exemplary

Master

Eligibility and Expansion

Each year, Castleberry ISD submits an expansion and modification request to the state. Once approved, additional teaching assignments become eligible for TIA designation consideration.

Current Eligible Teaching Assignments

The following roles are currently included in the Castleberry ISD local designation system:

Core Content Areas
Specialized Support Roles

Core Content Areas

Specialized Support Roles

How Do Teachers Earn Designations?

With state approval, the District awards designations based on a composite score of teacher performance throughout the school year. Castleberry ISD uses a 40/60 data capture model designed to be fair, transparent, and rigorous.

40% T-TESS Observations
60% Student Growth

40% T-TESS Observations

60% Student Growth

How Growth is Calculated

Student growth is measured by comparing where a student starts (BOY) to where they finish (EOY). Each subject area uses a specific, state approved tool to set these targets.

Reading & Literacy (K–5)

Amira (English) and Amira Lectura (Spanish) are used to track foundational reading skills through AI-powered assessments.

The Target: Growth is measured using the Amira Reading Mastery (ARM) score.
The Goal: Students are expected to show one year's worth of growth.
Success Metric: A student meets their growth goal if they increase their ARM score by approximately 0.1 each month (e.g., a student starting at 1.2 in August should reach 2.1 by May) OR if they remain in the same percentile rank or higher in Lectura.

Math (Grades 2–5, Algebra II, Geometry) and Science (Grades 5 and 8 and Biology)

These content areas and grade levels utilize NWEA MAP Growth assessment for data capture.

The Target: MAP uses a RIT scale to track achievement.
The Goal: When students take their BOY assessment in August, the NWEA system automatically calculates an "Expected Growth" RIT score based on national norms for students starting at that same level.
Success Metric: A student meets their goal if their EOY RIT score is equal to or greater than their individual projected growth target.

Social Studies (Grade 8 and US History)

These grade levels utilize Exploros for data capture.

The Target: Growth is determined using a pre-test and post-test model specifically aligned to the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS).
Success Metric: Students must meet or exceed a district-defined growth target calculated between their initial performance in Exploros and their final summative results.

Reading and Math (Grades 6–8), English I and II, Algebra I

For these secondary courses, the Texas Value-Added Model (VAM) is utilized for data capture.

The Target: VAM is a statistical model that uses a student’s past testing history across all subjects to predict how they should perform on their current year's STAAR/EOC assessment.
Success Metric: Teachers receive credit for students who meet or exceed their "Predicted Score," demonstrating that the teacher added significant value to the student's learning trajectory.

State Requirements

TEA processes new and higher designations annually in April and verifies teacher eligibility. Teachers must meet the following criteria to earn a new or higher designation through their local designation system:

STATE REQUIREMENT 1

Submitted for designation by the district based on prior-year teacher performance data and does not already have an active designation at the same level or higher.

STATE REQUIREMENT 2

Employed as a teacher by the designating district (087 PEIMS Role ID).

STATE REQUIREMENT 3

Met or will meet the creditable years of service requirement by the end of the school year.

STATE REQUIREMENT 4

Does not have a Texas teaching certificate revoked, suspended, voluntary surrender, or permanent surrender status.

STATE REQUIREMENT 5

Is not listed on the Texas Do Not Hire registry.

STATE REQUIREMENT 6

Reported by the designating district in the Class Roster Winter Submission as meeting eligibility criteria as employed in a 087 teaching role as of the last Friday in February, and met/will meet the creditable years of service by the end of the school year.

STATE REQUIREMENT 7

Creditable year of service is calculated as a being employed and compensated for 50% or more of the day for a minimum of 180 days; or 100% of the day for a minimum of 90 days, or the equivalent of one semester.

STATE REQUIREMENT 8

If a teacher leaves the designating district prior to the last Friday in February, they forfeit designation eligibility.

STATE REQUIREMENT 9

Score a minimum of "proficient" on all observable T-TESS dimensions (2 and 3) during the data capture year that includes one or more observations of a teacher instructing students for a minimum of 45 minutes.

Castleberry ISD (Local) Requirements

Under TEC §21.3521, districts may create a local system to designate high-performing teachers as Recognized, Exemplary, or Master for a five-year period based on the results of single or multi-year appraisal data. Alongside statewide performance standards, districts set their own criteria for evaluating teachers and determining which teachers qualify for each level of designation.

In addition to the state requirements, Castleberry ISD requires teachers to meet the following conditions:

LOCAL REQUIREMENT 1

Have a start date on or before the first day of instruction for students during the data capture year.

LOCAL REQUIREMENT 2

Be present for at least 90% of the school year, or at least 162 instructional days, during the data capture year.

LOCAL REQUIREMENT 3

Serve at least 15 students during the data capture year and have at least 15 students or a 90% testing participation rate for enrolled students (whichever is higher) who have beginning of the year and end of the year data.

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