R9 TIA News & Notes - August 2026

• 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 2027.
• Second Year Application Accepted: These districts are submitting data for the first time in October 2026. They collected data in the 25-26 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.

💻TEA offers high quality zoom trainings throughout the school year. There are often testimonials from district personnel, and you can get your questions answered straight from the source! Click the image below to register.

The Region 9 TIA team has developed a menu of "Delivery" options. We can bring the training to you! Whether it's T-TESS Refresh for teachers, calibration walkthroughs with administrators, or even a TIA Launch, we are ready to present to your audience! Please review the menu below (click to enlarge) to see what your district might need to help support your TIA journey.

Below is a calendar of upcoming Region 9 trainings/visits. Click on the calendars to interact and register! We would love the opportunity to add your district to one of the available squares.

The Region 9 team has developed a quarterly newsletter, entitled "Teacher Tidbits", to keep educators informed throughout the process of TIA. This resource will serve as a tool to reinforce communication and transparency amongst district employees. In order to receive this newsletter directly, teachers must subscribe or the TIA lead must pass along the link. Please distribute as you see fit. TIA Teacher Tidbits Newsletter Link

🔖Applications open soon for TIA-designated teachers interested in serving as approved tutoring providers in the Parent Access to Supplemental Supports (PASS) initiative this fall, and applications are opening soon for TIA designated teachers interested in serving as approved tutoring providers.

🔖Please share the following information with your designated teachers:

The PASS program provides families of students who scored Did Not Meet grade level on the Grade 3 RLA STAAR assessment with a $400 grant to select and receive tutoring services for early literacy support. Beginning in Fall 2026, parents will be able to use this grant to pay for tutoring services from an approved provider. TIA designated teachers are eligible to apply to provide these services and be included on the PASS Tutoring Provider List—a parent-facing, statewide directory of approved providers.

🔖To be eligible, TIA designated teachers must:

1. Hold an active Teacher Incentive Allotment (TIA) designation,
2. Be employed by a Texas public school district or open-enrollment charter school,
3. Have availability to provide literacy tutoring outside of school hours, either in-person or virtually
4. Submit a PASS tutoring application

Please note that participation in PASS does not guarantee that a provider will be selected by families, but it allows families to select participating tutors.

🔖Next steps for interested TIA teachers:

• Visit the PASS webpage to apply and review full program details.
• Reach out with questions using our HelpDesk Ticket.

⭐First year data collection districts (Benjamin, Northside, Olney, Perrin-Whitt) must complete the Teacher Buy-In Survey. TIA leads need to complete the template (located in provided document linked in this section) by August 22 so the email can go out to your teachers by August 25. The survey will remain open until September 19. Teacher Buy-In Survey Action Steps are listed here.

🚩T-TESS Calibrations are an important part of strengthening your TIA system. If you would like more information on T-TESS calibration or would like to schedule joint calibration walkthroughs with our TIA team, please reach out to tia@esc9.net to do so.

⭐First year data submission districts (Bryson, Chillicothe, Crowell, Gold-Burg, Harrold, Knox City, Munday, Quanah) must complete and submit the Annual Program Submission by August 31 to maintain system approval and ensure compliance with statutory requirements. Annual Program and Data Submission Action Steps are included to assist those districts. Annual Program Submission requires districts to engage in analyzing the impact of the local designation system and focuses on continuous improvement. It is highly recommended have your data reviewed by TIA staff prior to submission. Region 9 offers work sessions to help complete this requirement. Please refer to this sign in sheet to find a time slot that fits your needs. IMPORTANT NOTE: DISTRICTS MUST SPEND OUT TIA FUNDS BEFORE AUGUST 31ST.

🚩The TIA Portal opened for Data Submission on August 3. Teacher data files must first be "Uploaded" by October 15th. All errors must be resolved and "Submitted" by October 20th. The Superintendent-signed attestations are due upon submission. Please use Preparing for Data Validation: Data Submission and Validation and Data Submission Action Steps as a guide to data submission.

🚩Reminder: Begin collecting BOY data within the first 9 weeks. Remember to look at your Local Designation System to confirm what student growth measures you've chosen to use for your BOY. If you are uncertain about whether you have gathered the correct data or how to do so, please reach out to tia@esc9.net as soon as possible.

Congratulations! Your Local Designation System has been accepted, you have captured at least one year of data, and that data has been validated by TEA. Moving forward, you'll continue to collect and submit data every year.

🚩Reminder: Begin collecting BOY data within the first 9 weeks. Remember to look at your Local Designation System to confirm what student growth measures you've chosen to use for your BOY. Ensure assessments are prepared and ready for distribution. If you are uncertain about whether you have gathered the correct data or how to do so, please reach out to tia@esc9.net as soon as possible.

🚩Annual Evaluation Survey Information from TEA is available for guidance when using feedback to guide actions within the district regarding TIA. This slide deck is intended to help districts:

▪ Understand how survey perceptions connect to teacher retention and system improvement

▪ Navigate and interpret the TIA Annual Evaluation Survey Report

▪ Identify strengths, opportunities, and patterns in survey results

▪ Use survey data to inform stakeholder engagement and continuous improvement efforts

🚩 Districts that have issued designations must complete and submit the Annual Program Submission by August 31 to maintain system approval and ensure compliance with statutory requirements. Annual Program and Data Submission Action Steps are included to assist those districts. Annual Program Submission requires districts to engage in analyzing the impact of the local designation system and focuses on continuous improvement. It is highly recommended to have your data reviewed by TIA staff prior to submission. Region 9 offers work sessions to help complete this requirement. Please refer to this sign in sheet to find a time slot that fits your needs. IMPORTANT NOTE: DISTRICTS MUST SPEND OUT TIA FUNDS BEFORE AUGUST 31ST.

🚩The TIA Portal opened for Data Submission on August 3. Teacher data files must first be "Uploaded" by October 15th. All errors must be resolved and "Submitted" by October 20th. The Superintendent-signed attestations are due upon submission. Please use Preparing for Data Validation: Data Submission and Validation and Data Submission Action Steps as a guide to data submission.

🚩Annual Evaluation Survey Information from TEA is available for guidance when using feedback to guide actions within the district regarding TIA. This slide deck is intended to help districts:

▪ Understand how survey perceptions connect to teacher retention and system improvement

▪ Navigate and interpret the TIA Annual Evaluation Survey Report

▪ Identify strengths, opportunities, and patterns in survey results

▪ Use survey data to inform stakeholder engagement and continuous improvement efforts

🚩 Districts that have issued designations must complete and submit the Annual Program Submission by August 31 to maintain system approval and ensure compliance with statutory requirements. Annual Program and Data Submission Action Steps are included to assist those districts. Annual Program Submission requires districts to engage in analyzing the impact of the local designation system and focuses on continuous improvement. It is highly recommended to have your data reviewed by TIA staff prior to submission. Region 9 offers work sessions to help complete this requirement. Please refer to this sign in sheet to find a time slot that fits your needs. IMPORTANT NOTE: DISTRICTS MUST SPEND OUT TIA FUNDS BEFORE AUGUST 31ST.

🚩The TIA Portal opened for Data Submission on August 3. Teacher data files must first be "Uploaded" by October 15th. All errors must be resolved and "Submitted" by October 20th. The Superintendent-signed attestations are due upon submission. Please use Preparing for Data Validation: Data Submission and Validation and Data Submission Action Steps as a guide to data submission.

Click any image below to access the resource!