R9 TIA Teacher Tidbits

Welcome back to school! I hope everyone is off to a great start. Our Region 9 ESC TIA Team is excited to share information about the Teacher Incentive Allotment (TIA) program through our newsletter "R9 TIA Teacher Tidbits". We have designed this resource to support Region 9 educators who want to stay in the know about TIA and how it will affect them. We will share general TIA information, timelines, professional development opportunities, and much more. We hope to be your one-stop shop for TIA support and look forward to working with you!

Do you know a colleague who would benefit from this newsletter? Please forward it along and encourage them to subscribe at tinyurl.com/R9TIATeacher.

• Developing/Applying Districts- This is for a district developing their local designation system and applying to TEA for the first time.

• Application Accepted Districts- These are districts who had their initial application or an expand/modify application accepted, but have never had their data approved (received allotments).

• First year Application Accepted: These districts are capturing data for the first time this year. They will submit their data for validation in October 2026.
• Second Year Application Accepted: These districts are submitting data for the first time in October 2025. They collected data in the 24-25 school year.

• Fully or Provisionally Approved Districts- These are districts that have had their data approved by TEA and have received allotments for their teachers.

• Renewal Districts- Every 5 years, districts have to renew their application to TEA to remain a TIA district.

These titles can change year over year. For example, if a district has never received an allotment, but they turn in their data and it gets approved, then the district moves from Application Accepted to Fully Approved.

We’re here to ensure you stay informed about your district's progress. Below, you'll find a graphic that specifies your district's current designation within TIA.

Teacher Incentive Allotment (TIA) gets a lot of attention from the media, and there are many discussions circulating on social media. This can lead to misconceptions, so this document has been built to clear up some of the most common myths about TIA. Click here to access the entire document!

If this document didn't answer your burning questions, please email chelsea.howells@esc9.net and we will help you however we can!

⭐If you need all of the basics concerning TIA, the Teacher Incentive Allotment 101- Special Edition is a great place to start! This serves as a guide to inform and clarify aspects of TIA for educators.

The goal of Teacher Tidbits is to provide timely information to teachers as they move through the TIA process. Each edition will include a Teacher Observation and Student Growth Action Item section.

If any questions arise, please reach out to your TIA lead concerning your local designation system. You can also email tia@esc9.net for general TIA assistance.

If you are teaching in a TIA eligible assignment, here are some steps you can take this fall regarding teacher observation.

🧠 Get to know the T-TESS rubric: Click on the picture to get a copy and keep it somewhere easily accessible for reference throughout the year. On-demand Rubric Training is available as well.

🎯Become familiar with the district appraisal calendar: Reach out to your administrator to locate this board-approved document.

💬Talk to campus administration about scheduling pre-conference/formal observation/post-conference. Use the T-TESS Appraiser Sample Conferencing Questions as a guide for productive conversation.

🤩Take a closer look at Domains 2 and 3: Creating routines and procedures for classroom behavior, group work, and effective communication should be implemented at the beginning of the school year. This Edutopia article offers a starting point.

If you are teaching in a TIA eligible assignment, here are some steps you can take this fall regarding student growth.

Reminder: When in doubt, reach out to your TIA lead or campus administrator for information specific to your district's local designation system.

If you are in a pre/post test teaching assignment:

🧠Know which option of pre/post test your district is using for your assignment. Click here for more information.

🎯Be aware of your district testing protocols. A plan should be in place to ensure every pre-test is as valid and reliable as possible.

📝Ensure pre-test is administered in accordance with district testing calendar (must be within first 9 weeks unless assignment is a semester course. In this case, it must be administered within the first 6 weeks)

If you are in a portfolio teaching assignment:

🧠Complete the Portfolio Planning Worksheet and discuss with administration. Click Here to access

🎯Submit DRAFT of Skills Progression Rubric to administrator (Part D of Planning Worksheet). Examples can be found HERE.

📝Create timeline of artifact collection dates/windows (minimum of 5 artifacts are needed, so please plan accordingly)

👥 Generate list of possible scoring team members for EOY

Click any image below to access the resource!