Teacher Incentive Allotment

Success Factor 6: Sustainability of local designation system

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Success Factor 6: Sustainability of local designation system

Key Practice A

Key Practice A: Human resources system support

Success Criteria

  • District human resources office is well versed in TIA and can articulate how each of the three designation levels affect the district’s overall recruitment and retention plans
  • District human resources office publishes clear information regarding how the TIA designation levels tie to current staffing policies

Descriptive Indicators

  • The development and implementation of a strong teacher incentive model requires a coordinated approach between many district departments, including but not limited to Human Resources, School Leadership, Curriculum and Instruction and Evaluation and Assessment. It is imperative that these departments are all speaking the same “language” when communicating to stakeholders, especially teachers, and that resources are readily available to explain the model and answer any questions that may arise
  • Specifically, a district Human Resources department should understand and be able to clearly articulate the “why” for a district pursuing the Teacher Incentive Allotment, and how each of the three teacher designation levels layer into a broader retention and recruitment strategy for the district. Furthermore, as the TIA could influence teacher movement between campuses (as there is greater incentive for a designated teacher to teach in a high poverty tier campus), there need to be clear guidelines for campus principals on staffing policies (many of which are outlined in other “success factors” in this toolkit; teacher transfer policies, compensation plans, professional development opportunities etc.)

Best Practices

  • A district should create a central hub of information on a website (most likely on the human resources page where there is a tab for “about the district”). This could also live on the employment and compensation tab, as it a district initiative to compensate effective educators in the district strategically
  • Prior to communication publicly to the district about the Teacher Incentive Allotment, the district should create a task-force or committee that cross-cuts departments and position titles (certainly including HR) to align on the messaging by stakeholder group (ie; teachers, principals, parents, etc) so that everyone is speaking the same language
    • Once this process takes place, it will be an expectation that task force members communicate the information down/up throughout their specific department and will become the lead contact in the department for questions or concerns that may arise
  • If possible, a district should identify a Teacher Incentive Allotment “lead” position to oversee the communications and rollout of the initiative, as well as monitoring its implementation and progress over time. Depending on a districts budget, this could be a new position or a repurposing of a position, but in either circumstance, the work is too critical to the overall district goals on recruitment and retention to not have the full attention of at least one FTE
  • In the beginning of implementation, it would behoove a district to create a TIA “hotline” for teachers to ask questions and get to speak to an “expert” in live-time – this would require the hotline to be available in off hours, either before school or in the early evening when teachers are available
  • A district should clearly identify how the three state designation levels align to in-district evaluation ratings, as well as clearly communicating the supports and development the district will provide to teachers who have not earned a designation, or for teachers who are striving to earn a higher designation. This process will allow for buy-in across the system

Lessons Learned

  • There are a lot of moving parts with an initiative like the Teacher Incentive Allotment, so it is important to be aligned on the messaging to ensure it is streamlined and concise
  • The relationship between human resources and school leadership is critical, as calibration and student growth are the key components for the end-of-year date to be validated. As questions and concerns arise from the campus level, it should be the role of human resources to be in-service to campuses and provide support and assistance. The communication/feedback loop will most likely fail if the direction is always human resources dictating information to other departments, especially those that are campus based
  • Any TIA system that is implemented should always be tied back to professional development and support. This is true for teachers who have not earned a designation and want to grow and develop to do so (it is also in the best interest of the district to pursue this as growing and retaining talent is critical to long-term success), but also important for the high-flier teachers who earned a designation and want to continue to strive for excellence

Resources

Dallas ISD Teacher Excellence Initiative Website

How Dallas ISD defines, supports and rewards excellence in teaching.

Ector County ISD Teacher Incentive Allotment Overview

District communication on compensation and eligibility plans to all staff.

Key Practice B

Key Practice B: Budget and finance system support

Success Criteria

  • District has clear plan for handling potential changes to the allotment funds a district receives from year to year, based on the allotment funding calculation
  • District clearly communicates to teachers at the beginning of the year any changes to the TIA amounts that teachers will receive during that school year
  • Payroll office develops a clear system for payment of allocation dollars to the teachers who the local designation plan identifies as eligible to receive funding
  • Timelines for payouts are clearly communicated

Descriptive Indicators

  • Budget services and payroll are intricately linked when implementing a strategic compensation strategy, and it is important for there to not only be strong communication between those departments and with other central departments such as Human Resources, but for there also to be clear and concise communication to campus personnel (teachers) on how and when designation payouts will be disbursed. There is significant local control in this area, as each district budget and financial situation is different, so as with any large-system change, collecting input and feedback from teachers and other stakeholders on what they would like to see is critical
  • As dollars generated by the Teacher Incentive Allotment follows the teachers who have earned the designation, it does create some uncertainty from a budgetary standpoint on the amount of revenue that will be generated year over year (especially given teacher transfer windows and staffing decisions are often times finalized after a district budget is developed and adopted for the following school year). This creates an imperative for the financial leadership of a district to create a system of projections and assumptions (similar to what is done for “FTE fill rates”) of teacher designations and financial awards to build out an accurate budget

Best Practices

  • A district should create a “compensation guide-book” for the Teacher Incentive Allotment that clearly outlines the following:
    • Compensation plan developed by the district (ie; designation level and the breakdown of compensation by campus poverty tier)
    • Payroll schedule with dates and amount for the incentive funding
    • Changes from the prior year to the compensation process or payroll schedule and an explanation of why changes were made
  • Create a new budget code of Teacher Incentive Allotment dollars so they can be easily tracked and reported on by teacher and by campus
  • Ensure the “operating systems” used by finance and payroll can communicate with the human resources system that will identify which teachers have earned a designation and the campus poverty tier of that campus which will determine the financial award

Lessons Learned

  • Nothing will get a district off-track quicker than teachers who have earned a designation not receiving their incentive pay in a timely manner as determined by the district. Just as districts create a schedule for payouts of stipends with dates and amounts, the same schedule should be created for the Teacher Incentive Allotment. This schedule should be posted publicly on the website and also shared with every campus
  • The district should identify a liaison who ensures coordination of communication and accuracy of financial disbursements between the human resources, budget/finance, and payroll departments. There are a lot of moving parts in a strategic compensation program and the teachers are the ones at the end of the communication line, so it is critical that coordination and alignment takes place from the very beginning

Resources

Dallas ISD Compensation Handbook

Details on how Dallas ISD compensated educators based on multiple-measure evaluation system

Lubbock Value-Add Overview

Details on the stipend-based compensation system for educators who achieve significant student growth in Lubbock ISD

Key Practice C

Key Practice C: TIA use of funds: Teacher compensation copy

Success Criteria

  • Abiding by the spending requirements in TEC 48.112 which includes spending at least 90% of TIA funds awarded to the district on teacher compensation on the campuses where the designated teacher works
  • Developing a plan for how to allocate the funds flowing to campuses for teacher compensation, such as what percent will go to designated teachers and what percent will go toward other teacher compensation on the campus, if any
  • Providing rationale for their spending decisions which support districts goals for student achievement, teacher recruitment, and teacher retention

Descriptive Indicators

  • The use of TIA funds for teacher compensation is a critical decision in the TIA development process for a district and is a decision point that will have many inputs from stakeholder groups and district leaders, andmust be aligned to big-picture district strategies, priorities, and goals. When developing a TIA compensation plan for teachers, the following must be considered:
    • (i) Ensure 90% of the funds due to the designated teacher(s) on a campus are spent on compensation for teachers on that campus (it is important to remember that funds “earned” by a designated teacher are not automatically allocated to that teacher; the district has discretion)
    • (ii) The district will be required to have a board approved compensation policy for the disbursement of funds
    • (iii) Ensure the compensation plan aligns to stated district goals on student achievement/growth, teacher recruitment, and teacher retention (these goals are of course going to be different across districts)
      • These would include board aligned goals, district strategic priorities, and any task force recommendations (ie; district advisory council)

Best Practices

  • It will be critical to annually evaluate how the TIA implementation and compensation plan align to district goals on student achievement, teacher recruitment and retention
  • Think strategically on how these funds can uniquely impact teacher recruitment and retention within the district:–If the district is significantly behind other regional districts in total compensation, it may be necessary to allocate all the money to the designated teacher in order to retain an effective educator, or recruit new talent into the district
    • If the district has a perpetually underperforming campus and is interested in pursuing a strategic compensation / campus restart initiative, the TIA is a perfect opportunity to support stipends for teachers in all positions on a campus:
      • For example: If a district were able to recruit 10 designated teachers to a high-poverty campus (tier 4 or 5 on the compensatory education tiers) and the collective funding from the Teacher Incentive Allotment due to those ten teacher designations was $150,000, a district could award 50% of the funds to the designated teachers ($75,000) and then utilize the other $75,000 for stipends to other teacher positions on the campus who are effective teachers based on a district definition, but have not reached the state designation level. This approach is not only great for students in terms of equity in educator effectiveness, but is a great retention strategy for a district’s effective educators
  • Utilize the required stakeholder engagement process to listen to teachers and other stakeholders when developing a plan – make sure there is buy-in from the beginning and if a decision is made that is counter to feedback, ensure there is appropriate “sense-making” on why a certain decision was made and how it aligns to the broader district goals, vision and priorities
  • Districts that are using a phased-in approach, beginning TIA with a smaller subset of teachers, frequently leverage a shared model (often 75% to the TIA designated teacher, 15% available to share) to increase support across all teaching groups. As additional teaching assignments are added for TIA eligibility, a greater portion of the TIA designated dollars are awarded to the teacher
  • A district’s compensation plan is likely going to be influenced by regional factors and those must be taken into consideration (for example, if all surrounding districts in a region are allocating 75% of the funds to the designated teacher, and your district’s plan is to allocate 50% to the teacher, there is a real likelihood the designated teachers will look to work elsewhere where the compensation for their work is greater)


Lessons Learned

  • Remember this policy can be adjusted year to year, so it is important to implement continuous feedback loops for the purposes of iteration and improvement
  • The TIA funds will follow a teacher if they change campuses or leave the district. If plans are used for compensation for teachers on the campus who do not hold the TIA designation, the campus should have a consistent approach for how compensation will be adjusted if the TIA designated teacher is no longer at the campus
  • Effective teachers are not going to make decisions solely based on money, so make sure to take into account all of the factors that go into a teacher’s decision making process on where to work (ie. working conditions, principal leadership, opportunity for professional development, and leadership opportunities / career pathways)

Resources

District examples on how TIA funds will be distributed

Please contact Best in Class staff for access to these resources and examples

Key Practice D

Key Practice D: Technology support

Success Criteria

  • Tracking student growth measures
  • Tracking inter-rater reliability within and across campuses
  • Tracking teacher survey data
  • Tracking the flow of both the district funds retained (if any) and campus funds

Descriptive Indicators

  • Technology is a key district function in capturing and monitoring data for the Teacher Incentive Allotment across various departments and it is imperative that these technological systems can interact (or at the least be compatible) with one another to ensure a smooth implementation. There is the likelihood a district will have to conduct a brief “technology audit” to understand what systems are in place, where they are compatible with one another, and if system needs to be revised or upgraded to meet a specific need. Specifically, technology will need to be able to support these four key functions:
    • Tracking student growth measures - based on the assessments selected for each category of teacher, the evaluation and assessment department will need to have a system in place to accurately track student growth
    • Tracking inter-rater reliability within and across campuses – this is the system that is most likely going to require some updates, as teacher observations from administrators are going to need to be analyzed both within a campus and across campuses to identify patterns and trends of observation scores on the rubric chosen (ie; T-TESS)
    • Tracking teacher survey data – an annual teacher survey is required by TEA and results will need to be collected and analyzed by campus type and profile (ie; demographics, student performance, etc)
    • Tracking the flow of both the district funds retained (if any) and campus funds – this system will need to be compatible with the HR system for designating teachers per the approved district Tia system

Best Practices

  • A district should try and limit the number of different technology systems needing to be used to implement the Teacher Incentive Allotment (or any district initiative for that matter). Streamlining systems, albeit costly in some circumstances, will reduce the instances of human error, which over time will lead to confidence in the system by teachers
  • Eliminate the processes and protocols that are completed manually and convert them to a digital platform (ie; teacher observations being completed on iPads and directly inputted into a system that can be analyzed within a campus and across campuses). By doing this, a district will cut down on the amount of “double-work” in manually capturing data and inputting that data into the appropriate system
  • Make sure there is adequate training for the user of any system being utilized by the district to support the Teacher Incentive Allotment, and to the extent possible, try to make the user-experience as straightforward as possible

Lessons Learned

  • If a new technological platform is rolled out to support the TIA, ensure there are multiple rounds of focus groups where the impacted employees get to utilize the system and ask questions/learn about the platform. Following the focus groups, create a training plan and user-manual to support the user in becoming proficient with the system
  • Don’t let technology undercut a great implementation plan, as a user’s dissatisfaction with the platform could cloud their overall perception of the program (For example – an administrator is giving high-quality, calibrated feedback to teachers, but cannot stand working with the platform to input the observation data. As a result, this administrator has a negative perception of the Teacher Incentive Allotment because of the struggles with the platform, even when the coaching and feedback has been of quality and will result in a more effective educator)

Resources

District examples on compensation plans

Please contact Best in Class staff for access to these resources and examples

Technology Support Guide Technology Support Guide Technology Support Guide Technology Support Guide Technology Support Guide

Key Practice E

Key Practice E: Legal support

Success Criteria

  • District legal offices can articulate a clear understanding of TIA
  • District legal offices demonstrate knowledge of both the district’s local designation plan and the statutes pertaining to TIA

Descriptive Indicators

  • Legal Services, just as with other district departments, needs to be able to clearly articulate the district Teacher Incentive Allotment plan, specifically the components that intersect with statute, policy and law. As this is a new process for many districts, existing district policies will not exist and will need to be created and adhere to the appropriate guidelines outlined in statute
  • There is also the likelihood that once TIA designations are received (or not received), grievances will be filed for a myriad of reasons. It is important to remember that just because a process is new and the employee may not agree with a decision our outcome, it does not mean that the initiative or process was in violation of policy or law. This is a further reason it is imperative that legal services has a deep understanding of the TIA plan and how it is being implemented in the district

Best Practices

  • Legal services should be proactive in gaining an understanding of the Teacher Incentive Allotment plan and implementation, as well as anticipating scenarios that may come to them in the form of grievances so they are prepared to respond
  • Just because an initiative is new does not mean it is in violation of existing policy and/or law, and it is important for legal services to approach the Teacher Incentive Allotment from this frame. There are clear guidelines in statute and in the Commissioner Rule’s for the implementation of this initiative across the state, and that is the guidance that should be adhered to

Lessons Learned

  • There will likely be a surge in grievances at the first time teacher designations are awarded, not because policies and law were not followed, but rather because certain employees will not agree with the outcome. These grievances are likely to come in these ways:
    • Disagreement on an observational summative score, given the system is now calibrated and the standards are higher than in previous years
    • Given that the district is the entity that submits teacher names to the state for designation based on the outcomes of the approved district system, there are going to be teachers who were not submitted that feel as if that were an error
  • Documentation and record keeping of observations, 1:1 conversations, and growth plans/coaching conversations at the campus level is incredibly important (this is also another reason why having digital records are preferable)

Key Practice F

Key Practice F: Continuous improvement

Success Criteria

  • Annual monitoring of district teacher observation and student growth data, including the years following a district’s system approval
  • Annual administration of teacher surveys to gauge the fairness and reliability of the local designation system and making all survey results public

Descriptive Indicators

  • Any effective initiative implemented in a district should be one that is iterative and always improving/adapting as the landscape of the district and surrounding region/state changes. The same is true for the Teacher Incentive Allotment, as the most effective strategic compensation programs in the state and the country are ones that continuously improve year over year, based on a program evaluation showing the results of the initiative compared to the goals that were set for the initiative as well as from feedback from stakeholders, namely teachers in this case
  • It is important to give attention to each of those components. It is without question important to ensure the TIA system is resulting in the identification, retention, recruitment and compensation of effective educators who are ultimately increasing student achievement. However, even if this is the case, but a majority of teachers do not feel the system is accurate, fair or reliable, this will result in an untenable situation over time and will undercut the system (some disagreement is absolutely to be expected given the nature of accurately defining teacher effectiveness, and this is ok)

Best Practices

  • Administer a district climate survey 2x per year (Fall and Spring) to allow for real-time data that can be acted upon during the school year
  • Create focus groups across many positions (principals, teachers, central administrators) to consistently solicit feedback and give guidance on system improvements. This will give confidence to others in the district that leaders are following the implementation progress and are wanting to hear from those most effected by the initiative
  • Annual adjustments to a strategic compensation system is not out of the ordinary and also not a signal that the initiative is unsuccessful – these are complex systems that impact human beings, so changes are often appropriate and necessary
  • Administer an annual “risk assessment” to gauge the perception and understanding of district employees. This is especially important in larger districts, as in any given year there are a number of new employees who have not experienced any stakeholder engagement or interaction with the Teacher Incentive Allotment

Lessons Learned

  • Don’t be adverse to system changes – this is the sign of an effectively designed system and strong district leadership to be open to and welcoming system improvements
  • When a district holds focus groups and receives feedback, either through an annual survey or other outlets, it is imperative the district act to remedy any glaring issues of concerns. If feedback is not acted on or addressed (if a change is not made even when people are asking for it, which in certain circumstances would be appropriate), the feedback and continuous improvement process will be seen as a compliance only exercise that stakeholders will not take seriously in the future. It will also undercut the district’s ability to move forward other initiatives
  • There are going to be circumstances where regional or state factors will dictate a change to a district system, even if feedback and survey data are all positive. This is also not problematic, as districts do not operate in a vacuum and have to be nimble and respond to a number ofexternal factors

Key Practice G

Key Practice G: Support for designated teachers new to a campus

Success Criteria

  • District has a plan to support designated teachers who are new to a campus including:
  • Providing context of the campus with respect to rural status and level of socio-economic need
  • Providing best practices for achieving student growth on the new campus
  • Providing training on campus-based norms, traditions, and school culture

Descriptive Indicators

  • Research show that districts with highly effective campus ‘onboarding programs’ alongside district orientation have a higher campus retention rate. Effective onboarding plans have clear goals and clear leadership and are grounded in the school culture. The goals for the new teachers are differentiated and provide quality, ongoing training on effective strategies as well as encourage reflective practice.

Best Practices

  • On site orientation plans should include orientation to the school’s structure, physical lay out as well as instructional and administrative expectations.
  • Ensure school expectations are understood early with high quality, meaningful, targeted contact. For example, allow teachers to read material aligned to your school philosophy (i.e., Teach Like a Champion).
  • Allow teachers an opportunity to internalize culture and performance expectations prior to campus orientation. For example, review performance rubric and select two PD goals for the first 3 months of school.
  • Campus orientation opportunities that include model classroom sessions for ideal classroom set up and the option to engage with experienced teachers in their grade level or content area are highly recommended.

Lessons Learned

  • Onboarding begins from the moment you extend the job offer to the candidate, throughout the orientation period and throughout the first year of service on campus. During the uncertainty of the upcoming school (Fall 2020 and beyond), leaders should plan to have strong onboarding plans for both in person and virtual orientations.

Resources

New Teacher Onboarding and Cultivation Plan

TNTP Covid Resource document to help school leaders design and develop their on-campus or remote new teacher onboarding process as well as new hire cultivation strategies. It includes general guidance and specific considerations if schools return to their physical buildings in the fall or continue remote learning.