Teacher Incentive Allotment

The Teacher Incentive Allotment is a state program that provides an opportunity for eligible teachers to earn additional compensation while remaining in the classroom.

Teachers may earn a designation through an approved local designation system. The state then generates additional funding based on the teacher's designation and applicable campus factors.

TIA uses a multi-step state validation process. After a full school year of teacher observation and student growth data is collected, the district submits the data for validation. Proposed designations must successfully complete validation and receive state approval before they can be finalized.

For example, teachers participating in the 2025–26 data collection year may receive their first payment in August 2027 if the system successfully completes validation and the individual teacher qualifies for a designation.

Liberty Hill ISD's local TIA system uses two components:

• T-TESS: 30%
• Student Growth: 70%

Student growth measures vary by grade and content area and may include NWEA MAP, iStation, STAAR growth data, or other approved assessments.

Beginning in 2026–27, the base allotments associated with the four designation levels are:

• Acknowledged: $3,000
• Recognized: $5,000
• Exemplary: $9,000
• Master: $12,000

Actual allotment amounts may vary based on the state funding formula and applicable campus factors.

TIA compensation is issued separately through the district payroll process after designations and state allotment funding are finalized.

Liberty Hill ISD's first TIA payments were issued in August 2026 based on the 2024–25 data collection year.

A TIA designation is valid for five years. For example, a designation earned in August 2026 remains active through August 2031.

Effective with the 2026–27 school year, if a teacher leaves Liberty Hill ISD before the district's August payout, the allotment remains at the campus and is distributed among TIA-designated teachers on that campus in accordance with the district's spending plan.

A teacher's designation remains with the teacher. If the teacher remains in an eligible position, the allotment amount is based on the campus assignment reported through the state's winter roster process.

Because campus factors affect the state calculation, the allotment amount may increase or decrease when a teacher changes campuses.

A designated teacher may be submitted for a higher designation if future performance qualifies. An active designation is not reduced to a lower designation during the five-year designation period.

Yes. Data is collected annually for teachers in TIA-eligible assignments. This supports state requirements, continued system validation, and opportunities for teachers to earn a higher designation.

Liberty Hill ISD has expanded TIA in three phases. The initial group collected data in 2024–25, the second expansion collected data in 2025–26, and the third expansion begins data collection in 2026–27.

The district will continue to evaluate opportunities to include additional teaching assignments as reliable student growth measures are developed.

The approved 2026–27 expansion includes selected CTE Principles courses in Applied Engineering; Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources; Business, Marketing, and Finance; Health Science; and Law and Public Safety.

Additional CTE pathways may be considered as appropriate student growth measures are developed.

Teachers are evaluated using eligible teaching assignments included in the district's approved TIA plan. If a teacher teaches both TIA-eligible and non-eligible courses, only eligible courses are included for TIA purposes.

Yes. Liberty Hill ISD provides T-TESS guidance, training, calibration, and coaching support to strengthen consistency across campuses.

Yes. The state's campus-based calculation may change annually as student enrollment and demographic information change.

The allotment is based on the campus where the designated teacher is assigned rather than the individual students taught by that teacher.

TIA compensation is subject to applicable payroll deductions, taxes, and retirement contributions. TIA compensation is TRS-eligible compensation.

To be submitted for a new designation, a teacher must remain in an eligible teaching assignment during the applicable submission process following the data collection year.

If a teacher moves into a non-eligible position before the designation is submitted, the district cannot submit that designation for state approval. If the teacher later returns to an eligible teaching assignment, a new data collection cycle would apply.

An approved TIA designation stays with the teacher for the remainder of the designation period.

Future allotment funding is based on where the teacher is employed and is administered under the receiving district's TIA spending plan.

State law requires districts to spend at least 90% of TIA allotment funds on teacher compensation at the campus where the designated teacher works.

Liberty Hill ISD uses the district portion to support assessments, data validation, training, compliance, and systems required to administer and expand the TIA program.

Teachers in TIA-eligible assignments must participate in the T-TESS requirements associated with the district's TIA data collection process.

Teacher observation and student growth are both required components of Liberty Hill ISD's local TIA system.

Teachers serving in TIA-eligible teaching assignments participate in the district's approved local designation system during applicable data collection years and must complete the required components of the system.

The state reviews Liberty Hill ISD's TIA system as part of the validation process. Teacher observation data and student growth outcomes are reviewed to determine whether the district's system demonstrates an appropriate relationship between the two measures.

Strong calibration and reliable data are important because validation occurs at the district-system level, not only at the individual teacher level.

New designations and related funding are subject to the state's validation and approval process.

If the district's system does not meet validation requirements for a particular data collection year, proposed new designations from that year may not be approved. Previously approved active designations remain subject to applicable state requirements.