Texas Teacher Incentive Allotment (TIA): The Complete Guide for Teachers

If you’re a Texas teacher who hasn’t heard of the Teacher Incentive Allotment — or you’ve heard the acronym “TIA” tossed around in PD sessions without anyone explaining it clearly — this guide is for you.

The Teacher Incentive Allotment is the single biggest opportunity for Texas teachers to earn a significant, permanent pay increase based on their effectiveness in the classroom. We’re talking $3,000 to $32,000 or more per year on top of your regular salary, depending on your designation level and where you teach.

No extra degree required. No administrative role. Just recognition — and compensation — for what you already do: teach well and grow students.

Let’s break down exactly how it works.

What Is the Teacher Incentive Allotment?

The Teacher Incentive Allotment (TIA) was created by House Bill 3 in 2019 as part of a sweeping school finance overhaul. The idea is straightforward: identify the most effective teachers in Texas and pay them accordingly, especially if they teach in high-need schools.

Here’s the core concept:

Districts opt in to TIA by submitting a local designation system to TEA for approval.
Teachers earn designations (Recognized, Exemplary, or Master) based on their performance.
The state sends additional funding to the district for each designated teacher.
The teacher receives a pay increase — the amount depends on the designation level and whether the teacher works at a high-need campus.

This isn’t a one-time bonus. TIA designations are portable across Texas districts and last for five years before renewal. If you earn a Master designation in Houston ISD and move to a rural district in West Texas, your designation follows you — and that rural district receives even more funding because of the high-need multiplier.

The Three TIA Designation Levels

TIA has three tiers of teacher designation. Each comes with a different level of state funding that flows to your district (and ultimately to your paycheck):

Recognized

Annual allotment: $3,000–$9,000
What it means: You consistently demonstrate effective teaching practices and your students show measurable growth.
Base funding: $3,000 per year
High-need campus multiplier: Up to $9,000 per year

This is the entry-level designation, but don’t let the word “entry” fool you. Earning Recognized status still requires strong evidence of effectiveness. It’s a meaningful accomplishment.

Exemplary

Annual allotment: $6,000–$18,000
What it means: You demonstrate highly effective teaching and produce strong, consistent student growth results.
Base funding: $6,000 per year
High-need campus multiplier: Up to $18,000 per year

Exemplary teachers are the ones other teachers come to for advice. Your data backs up what your colleagues already know — you move students.

Master

Annual allotment: $12,000–$32,000
What it means: You are among the most effective teachers in the state, with exceptional student growth and distinguished observation performance.
Base funding: $12,000 per year
High-need campus multiplier: Up to $32,000 per year

At the Master level, you’re earning what amounts to a second salary in some cases. A Master-designated teacher at a high-need rural campus could see an increase of $32,000 or more annually. That’s life-changing money — and it’s designed to keep the best teachers where students need them most.

The High-Need Campus Multiplier

Notice the ranges above. The state intentionally rewards teachers who work at campuses serving economically disadvantaged students. The multiplier is based on the percentage of students who are economically disadvantaged at your campus:

0–34% economically disadvantaged: Base allotment only
35–54%: Moderate increase
55–74%: Higher increase
75%+: Maximum allotment

This means a Master teacher at a campus with 80% economically disadvantaged students receives significantly more than the same Master teacher at an affluent suburban school. It’s an intentional design to recruit and retain top teachers in the schools that need them most.

The Two Pillars: How Teachers Earn Designation

Every TIA designation system approved by TEA must evaluate teachers on two pillars:

Pillar 1: Student Growth (at least 20% of the evaluation)

This is the data side. Your district’s system must include an objective measure of how much your students grow academically under your instruction. Common measures include:

STAAR progress measures (for tested grades/subjects)
District-approved pre/post assessments (for non-tested grades/subjects)
Student Learning Objectives (SLOs) with measurable growth targets
Other approved assessment data

The key word here is growth, not achievement. TIA doesn’t just reward teachers whose students score high — it rewards teachers who move students forward, regardless of where those students started.

A 4th-grade teacher who takes students from “Did Not Meet” to “Approaches” on STAAR is demonstrating powerful growth, even if those students aren’t yet at “Meets.” TIA recognizes that.

Pillar 2: Teacher Observation (at least 20% of the evaluation)

This is the qualitative side. Most Texas districts use the Texas Teacher Evaluation and Support System (T-TESS) for their observation rubric. Your observation scores in domains like:

Planning
Instruction
Learning Environment
Professional Practices and Responsibilities

…feed directly into your TIA designation. Higher observation scores push you toward higher designation levels.

Some districts use alternative observation rubrics (like NIET’s TAP rubric), but all must be approved by TEA as part of the district’s TIA application.

The Balance

Each district determines the exact weighting, but TEA requires:

Student growth: minimum 20% of the overall evaluation
Teacher observation: minimum 20% of the overall evaluation
The remaining percentage can be distributed between the two pillars as the district sees fit

Most districts weight observations more heavily (around 60-70%) with student growth at 30-40%, but this varies. Check your district’s specific TIA plan to understand the exact formula.

Does Your District Participate in TIA?

This is the first question to answer because TIA is district-driven. A teacher cannot independently apply for TIA designation — your district must opt in and have an approved system.

Here’s how to find out:

Ask your principal or HR department. This is the fastest route. Simply ask: “Does our district have an approved TIA designation system?”
Check TEA’s list of approved districts. TEA maintains a list of districts with approved TIA systems on their website. Search for “TIA approved districts” on the TEA website.
Check your district’s website. Many participating districts have dedicated TIA pages explaining their local system.

As of the 2025-2026 school year, hundreds of Texas districts have approved TIA systems, and more are joining each year. If your district doesn’t participate yet, you can advocate for adoption — talk to your superintendent or school board. TEA provides technical assistance to help districts design and submit their systems.

What If My District Doesn’t Participate?

If your district hasn’t opted in:

You cannot earn a TIA designation through your current district. There’s no individual application path.
You can advocate. Share information about TIA with your administration and school board. TEA has resources specifically for districts considering adoption.
You can prepare. Even without TIA, the practices that earn designation — strong student growth and excellent teaching — are worth pursuing. When your district does opt in, you’ll be ready.
You can move. If TIA compensation is a priority, consider districts that have approved systems. Your effectiveness travels with you.

How to Start Pursuing TIA Designation

If your district participates, here’s your action plan:

Step 1: Learn Your District’s Specific System

Every approved TIA system is slightly different. You need to know:

What assessments count for student growth at your grade/subject?
What observation rubric does your district use?
What are the exact scoring thresholds for Recognized, Exemplary, and Master?
What’s the timeline for the evaluation cycle?

Your district’s TIA coordinator or HR department should have this information. If they don’t share it proactively, ask directly.

Step 2: Understand Your Current Data

Pull your most recent observation scores and any available student growth data. Where do you stand right now? This baseline tells you:

Which designation level you might already qualify for
Where you need to improve
Whether to focus more on student growth or observation scores

Step 3: Focus on Student Growth

Student growth is where many teachers have the most room to move the needle. Key strategies:

Use data-driven instruction. Know exactly where each student is and what they need next.
Track growth systematically. Use pre/post assessments for every unit. Document everything.
Target the growth zones. Students moving from “Did Not Meet” to “Approaches” or from “Approaches” to “Meets” often show the most measurable growth.
Differentiate relentlessly. Small-group instruction based on data produces growth.

We cover this in depth in our article on how STAAR scores connect to TIA designation.

Step 4: Sharpen Your Observation Performance

If your district uses T-TESS, study the rubric like a playbook. Know exactly what “Distinguished” looks like in each domain and deliberately build those practices into your daily instruction.

Key areas to focus on:

Student-centered learning — observers want to see students doing the thinking
Higher-order questioning — move beyond recall into analysis and evaluation
Data-informed planning — your lesson plans should reference specific student data
Differentiation in action — not just planned, but visible during the observation

Read our detailed guide on T-TESS observation tips for TIA.

Step 5: Document Everything

Start building a portfolio of evidence even before you formally enter the TIA evaluation cycle. Keep:

Student growth data (assessment scores, progress tracking)
Observation feedback and scores
Lesson plans that show data-driven differentiation
Student work samples showing growth over time
Professional development records

This documentation serves you whether TIA evaluates you this year or next.

Step 6: Seek Feedback and Mentorship

Find teachers who’ve already earned designation at your campus or district. Ask them:

What did the process actually look like?
What evidence mattered most?
What would they do differently?

Their experience is more valuable than any guide (including this one).

Common Questions About TIA

How long does a TIA designation last?

Five years. After that, you go through the evaluation process again to renew.

Is TIA designation portable?

Yes. If you earn designation in one Texas district and move to another, your designation follows you. The new district receives the state allotment for you.

Do I have to teach at a high-need campus to participate?

No. Any teacher in a participating district can pursue designation. However, the financial allotment is higher at high-need campuses.

Can part-time teachers earn TIA designation?

This depends on your district’s specific system. Most require full-time classroom teaching assignments, but check with your district.

What if I teach a non-STAAR grade or subject?

TIA isn’t limited to STAAR-tested areas. Districts must include pathways for all teachers, including those in non-tested subjects. These typically use district-approved assessments or Student Learning Objectives (SLOs) to measure growth.

Does TIA affect my TRS retirement?

Yes — TIA allotments paid as salary count toward your TRS retirement calculations, which makes the long-term financial impact even greater.

The Bottom Line

The Teacher Incentive Allotment is real money for real teaching. It’s not a pipe dream or a legislative promise that never materialized — thousands of Texas teachers are already earning TIA designations and seeing the pay increases hit their checks.

If you’re an effective teacher (and if you’re reading a 2,000-word guide about teaching effectiveness, you probably are), TIA is worth pursuing. The work you put into earning designation — sharpening your instruction, tracking student growth, nailing your observations — makes you a better teacher regardless of the financial outcome.

But the financial outcome is pretty great too.

Start today: Find out if your district participates, learn the local system, assess where you stand, and build your plan. Your students — and your bank account — will thank you.

Have questions about TIA? We’re building a community of Texas teachers navigating the designation process together. Check out our other guides on STAAR and TIA and T-TESS observation tips.