Determining the percentages for student growth and teacher observations in the Weighting Tab of your TIA application is a critical decision. Those percentages will significantly impact which designation, if any, a teacher receives. For this reason, it is important to gather stakeholder input before your TIA team decides what those percentages will be.
Let’s look at a couple of different examples to see why this is such an essential part of your TIA Local Designation System application.
Designation Levels for Student Growth
To receive a designation of Recognized, TEA recommends the percentage of students in a teacher’s class who meet or exceed their growth target to be at least 55%. For a designation of Exemplary, the recommended minimum percentage is 60%, and for Master, it is 70%. These are only guidelines. While it would not be advisable to use smaller percentages, increasing them is fine if the district feels this bar is set too low.
Designation Levels for Teacher Observation
To receive a designation of Recognized, TEA recommends the average T-TESS score for Domains 2 and 3 to be at least 3.7, or 74% of the possible points. For a designation of Exemplary, the recommended minimum average score is 3.9, or 78% of the possible points. To receive a designation of Master, the recommended average score is 4.5, or 90% of all possible points for Domains 2 and 3.
Again, these are only guidelines, but you won’t want to use a lesser average. Also, remember that teachers must have a minimum of Proficient (3 points) on all observable dimensions to earn a designation.
Determining Designations
Once you’ve collected student growth and teacher observation data for a year, how do you determine which teachers will receive designations? If you follow the TEA recommended guidelines noted above for teacher observation points and student growth percentages, the total combined scores required for a designation will look like this:
Recognized = 64.5% of the total student growth and teacher observation points
Exemplary = 69% of the total student growth and teacher observation points
Master = 80% of the total student growth and teacher observation points
Let’s look at some examples that could be used in the weighting tab of a local designation system application and how those different percentages can impact teacher designations. We’ll use the same data for teachers 1 and 2 in two scenarios. In the first scenario, the district has decided to base designation scores as follows: 40% on T-TESS observations and 60% on student growth. In the second, scores are based 70% on T-TESS observations and 30% on student growth.
Example #1 – 40% of the designation score is based on T-TESS & 60% is based on Student Growth
Example #2 – 70% of the designation score is based on T-TESS & 30% is based on Student Growth
Breaking Down the Numbers
If you’re curious, here’s how the math works for that. Let’s use Teacher 1 in example #1. First, you must convert the average score for the dimensions in T-TESS Domains 2 and 3 to a number we can compare to the percentage of student growth. Since the T-TESS scores are based on 1-5 and the student growth rate is based on 1-100, the T-TESS Domains 2 & 3 Average must be multiplied by 20. In our example, we would use 3.8 * 20 = 76.
Once we do the conversion, we simply use the equation (76 * .4) + (54 * .6) = 62.8. We multiply 76 times .4 since we are basing 40% of the teacher’s designations on their T-TESS scores, and we multiply 54 times .6 because 60% of their designation score is based on student growth. Finally, we compare that result (62.8) to the required percentages in the designation categories to determine the teacher’s designation. In this example, Teacher 1 would receive no designation since to be Recognized, their score must fall between 64.5 and 68.99.
Finally, we know the TIA Application process can feel overwhelming. We’re here to help guide you through the entire process with our customized consultations for your district. We provide guidance on choosing a cohort, understanding the Teacher Incentive Allotment Success Factors, and planning a system.
John is an Administrative Specialist for Educator Evaluation and Leadership at ESC Region 13.
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