Local Designation System
Local Designation System
Local Designation System Requirements
House Bill 3 provides districts with local control and flexibility in choosing how to evaluate teachers and assign designations. Developing a local teacher designation system requires significant planning, robust stakeholder engagement, adequate time to prepare all necessary materials for rollout and a strong communication plan prior to the first implementation year. Once a local designation system is approved, districts may recommend their effective teachers for designation. There is no limit to the number of teachers that a district may designate as long as their teachers meet the district’s designation criteria and the eligibility requirements under the rules defined by TEA.
At minimum, the designation system must include both a teacher observation and a student performance component:
- Teacher observation based on T-TESS; a third-party rubric, such as the NIET TAP, Marzano, or Danielson rubric. District application must show evidence of validity and reliability.
- Student growth measures determined by district. Can include pre- and post-tests, value-added measures, student learning objectives (SLOs), and portfolios. District application must show evidence of validity and reliability.
- Districts can use other factors in determining the teachers eligible to receive a designation, such as student surveys, teacher leadership responsibilities, teacher mentorship responsibilities, family surveys, demonstration of district core values, teacher peer surveys, and contributions to the broader school community.
The systems must be submitted to TEA for approval and undergo a data-validation process, which will be conducted by Texas Tech University. As part of the validation process, Texas Tech will:
- Review alignment between teacher observation ratings and student performance ratings.
- Review alignment between student performance ratings and value-added ratings for applicable teachers.
- Review data validity by appraiser/rater, by campus, across campuses in a district, and by teaching assignment.
- Compare district data to state data by comparing the percentage of teachers a district puts forth for designation to overall district performance.
STEP 1
Submit Your Application
Submit your application for a local teacher designation system to TEA
STEP 2
Data Submission
Use the resources below to complete the step 2 data submission process. The documents currently reflect the process and requirements for 2023 data submission and validation.
STEP 3
Approved Districts
TEA will review the results of the
data validation process and the
system application to determine a district’s final approval status for the Teacher Incentive Allotment.
For approved districts, teacher
designations are awarded and
placed on certificates and TEA
notifies districts of the allotment for that school year.
Learn More About TIA and How to Participate
To ensure access to relevant TEA resources and training, districts are advised to set a target school year to submit their system application. This school year will tie the district into a “cohort” of districts on track to apply within the same school year. TEA provides regular, cohort-specific trainings throughout system development and implementation. The table below displays comparative timelines for potential Teacher Incentive Allotment cohorts based on the data capture year. Please consult the table to determine which cohort best matches your district’s current level of implementation/planning for strategic compensation based on teacher effectiveness.
| Cohort A | Cohort B | Cohort C | Cohort D | Cohort E | Cohort F | Cohort G | Cohort H | Cohort I | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Data-Capture Year | 2018–2019 | 2019–2020 | 2020–2021 | 2021–2022 | 2022–2023 | 2023–2024 | 2024–2025 | 2025–2026 | 2026–2027 |
| System Application Posted | N/A | N/A | N/A | 1-Nov-20 | 1-Nov-21 | 1-Nov-22 | 1-Nov-23 | Fall 2024 | Fall 2025 |
| Application Due Date | N/A | N/A | N/A | 15-Apr-21 | 15-Apr-22 | 17-Apr-23 | 15-Apr-24 | Spring 2025 | Spring 2026 |
| Application Acceptance Notification | N/A | N/A | N/A | 15-Aug-21 | 15-Aug-22 | 15-Aug-23 | 15-Aug-24 | Summer 2025 | Summer 2026 |
| Data Submission to Texas Tech University | N/A | N/A | N/A | 20-Oct-22 | 19-Oct-23 | 17-Oct-24 | 16-Oct-25 | Fall 2026 | Fall 2027 |
| Final Approval Notification | N/A | N/A | N/A | Feb 2023 | Feb 2024 | Feb 2025 | Feb 2026 | Winter 2027 | Winter 2028 |
| Final Designation and Allotment Notification | N/A | N/A | N/A | Apr-23 | Apr-24 | Apr-25 | Apr-26 | Spring 2027 | Spring 2028 |
| Approved Districts Receive Payout and Reimbursement Through FSP | September 2020 | September 2021 | September 2022 | Sept 2023 | Sept 2024 | Sept 2025 | Sept 2026 | Sept 2022 | Sept 2022 |
| Required Annual Program Submission for Approved Districts | By 31-Aug Began 2020 | By 31-Aug Began 2021 | By 31-Aug Begins 2022 | By 31-Aug Begins 2023 | By 31-Aug Begins 2024 | By 31-Aug Begins 2025 | By 31-Aug Begins 2026 | By 31-Aug Begins 2027 | By Aug-31 Begins 2028 |
Cohort A
| Data-Capture Year | 2018–2019 |
|---|---|
| System Application Posted | N/A |
| Application Due Date | N/A |
| Application Acceptance Notification | N/A |
| Data Submission to Texas Tech University | N/A |
| Final Approval Notification | N/A |
| Final Designation and Allotment Notification | N/A |
| Approved Districts Receive Payout and Reimbursement Through FSP | September 2020 |
| Required Annual Program Submission for Approved Districts | By 31-Aug Began 2020 |
Cohort B
| Data-Capture Year | 2019–2020 |
|---|---|
| System Application Posted | N/A |
| Application Due Date | N/A |
| Application Acceptance Notification | N/A |
| Data Submission to Texas Tech University | N/A |
| Final Approval Notification | N/A |
| Final Designation and Allotment Notification | N/A |
| Approved Districts Receive Payout and Reimbursement Through FSP | Sept 2021 |
| Required Annual Program Submission for Approved Districts | By 31-Aug Began 2021 |
Cohort C
| Data-Capture Year | 2021–2022 |
|---|---|
| System Application Posted | N/A |
| Application Due Date | N/A |
| Application Acceptance Notification | N/A |
| Data Submission to Texas Tech University | N/A |
| Final Approval Notification | N/A |
| Final Designation and Allotment Notification | N/A |
| Approved Districts Receive Payout and Reimbursement Through FSP | Sept 2022 |
| Required Annual Program Submission for Approved Districts | By 31-Aug Began 2022 |
Cohort D
| Data-Capture Year | 2021–2022 |
|---|---|
| System Application Posted | 1-Nov-20 |
| Application Due Date | 15-Apr-21 |
| Application Acceptance Notification | 15-Aug-21 |
| Data Submission to Texas Tech University | 20-Oct-22 |
| Final Approval Notification | Feb 2023 |
| Final Designation and Allotment Notification | Apr-23 |
| Approved Districts Receive Payout and Reimbursement Through FSP | Sept 2023 |
| Required Annual Program Submission for Approved Districts | By 31-Aug Begins 2023 |
Cohort E
| Data-Capture Year | 2022–2023 |
|---|---|
| System Application Posted | 1-Nov-21 |
| Application Due Date | 15-Apr-22 |
| Application Acceptance Notification | 15-Aug-22 |
| Data Submission to Texas Tech University | 19-Oct-23 |
| Final Approval Notification | Feb 2024 |
| Final Designation and Allotment Notification | Apr-24 |
| Approved Districts Receive Payout and Reimbursement Through FSP | Sept 2024 |
| Required Annual Program Submission for Approved Districts | By 31-Aug Begins 2024 |
Cohort F
| Data-Capture Year | 2023–2024 |
|---|---|
| System Application Posted | 1-Nov-22 |
| Application Due Date | 17-Apr-23 |
| Application Acceptance Notification | 15-Aug-23 |
| Data Submission to Texas Tech University | 17-Oct-24 |
| Final Approval Notification | Feb 2025 |
| Final Designation and Allotment Notification | Apr-25 |
| Approved Districts Receive Payout and Reimbursement Through FSP | Sept 2025 |
| Required Annual Program Submission for Approved Districts | By 31-Aug Begins 2025 |
Cohort G
| Data-Capture Year | 2024–2025 |
|---|---|
| System Application Posted | 1-Nov-23 |
| System Application Due to TEA (no fee required for submission) | 15-Apr-24 |
| System Application Result Final Notification | 15-Aug-24 |
| Data Review due to Texas Tech University (data processing fee required for each teacher put forth for designation) | 16-Oct-25 |
| Final Approval Notification | Feb 2026 |
| Final Designation and Allotment Notification | Apr-26 |
| Approved Districts Receive Initial Payout through the Foundation School Program including Reimbursements | September 2026 |
| Annual Program Submission for Approved Districts | 31-Aug Begins 2026 |
Cohort H
| Data-Capture Year | 2025–2026 |
|---|---|
| System Application Posted | Fall 2024 |
| Application Due Date | Spring 2025 |
| Application Acceptance Notification | Summer 2025 |
| Data Submission to Texas Tech University | Fall 2026 |
| Final Approval Notification | Winter 2027 |
| Final Designation and Allotment Notification | Spring 2027 |
| Approved Districts Receive Payout and Reimbursement Through FSP | Sept 2022 |
| Required Annual Program Submission for Approved Districts | By 31-Aug Begins 2027 |
Cohort I
| Data-Capture Year | 2026–2027 |
|---|---|
| System Application Posted | Fall 2025 |
| Application Due Date | Spring 2026 |
| Application Acceptance Notification | Summer 2026 |
| Data Submission to Texas Tech University | Fall 2027 |
| Final Approval Notification | Winter 2028 |
| Final Designation and Allotment Notification | Spring 2028 |
| Approved Districts Receive Payout and Reimbursement Through FSP | Sept 2022 |
| Required Annual Program Submission for Approved Districts | By 31-Aug Begins 2028 |
Step 1: System Application
Use the resources below to complete the Step 1 System Application for Cohort E.
Step 2: Data Submission
Districts in cohorts A-E with an approved Step 1 System Application may utilize the resources below to complete the 2023 Step 2 Data Submission process. Data submission requirements are due by October 19, 2023.
Step 2 Data Submission Directions 2023 (PDF)>
Data Submission File (Observation and Student Growth Data)
Data Submission File for Fall 2023 T-TESS (Excel)>
Data Submission File for Fall 2023-Danielson (Excel)>
To implement the Teacher Incentive Allotment, House Bill 3 also requires the setting of “performance and validity standards” to ensure that the identification of highly effective teachers under the three designation categories – Recognized, Exemplary and Master – yields reliable and comparable results across the state. Applicants will be expected to use performance standards along with district teacher observation and student performance standards to determine which teachers qualify for designations. Part of the data validation process will include a review of the accuracy of how district systems align their designations to the statewide performance standards.