R9 TIA News & Notes - January 2025

Dear TIA Leads,

Happy New Year!
We hope this message finds you well-rested and re-energized after the holiday season. As we step into a new year, we are excited to continue supporting your important work with the Teacher Incentive Allotment.

Exciting News: Digital Application Launches January 15th
The much-anticipated digital application for TIA will officially go live on January 15th! This streamlined process aims to simplify the application experience for districts. Read on for details on upcoming opportunities to learn more about this new system.

Introducing TIA Teacher Tidbits
We’re thrilled to announce a new resource designed specifically for teachers—TIA Teacher Tidbits! This quarterly newsletter will provide timely updates, clarify common misconceptions, and highlight key deadlines related to National Board Certification. For example, teachers who want to register for National Board Certification for the current annual cycle must purchase at least one component by February 28, 2025. If this deadline is missed, teachers can still begin the process during the next cycle, which historically opens in late May each year. The first edition of TIA Teacher Tidbits will be available next week, and we encourage you to share it widely with your teachers. TIA leads from each district will automatically receive this newsletter. Teachers can subscribe by filling out the form here: tinyurl.com/R9TIATeacher. Please share out this link, and any questions can be directed to chelsea.howells@esc9.net.

Thank you for your continued dedication to supporting educators in your district. Here’s to a productive and successful year ahead!

Sincerely,

The Region 9 TIA Team

On January 16, 2025, Region 9 Education Service Center, along with Vernon College, Midwestern State University, Texas Retired Teachers Association, and Workforce Solution North Texas, will host SparkED, a future educators conference designed for 11th and 12th-grade students from across our region. The event aims to inspire and equip the next generation of teachers through engaging keynote addresses, breakout sessions, and scholarship opportunities.

The conference will feature keynote speaker Aric Bostick, a nationally recognized motivational speaker, along with the following breakout sessions:

• EngagEd for 11th graders,

• EmpowerEd for 12th graders,

• EncouragEd for the teachers accompanying the students.

At the end of the conference, scholarships will be awarded to selected students as they embark on their journey toward becoming educators.

We are eager to share how SparkED will help impact future teachers in Region 9. Please reach out to kelly.morris@esc9.net to get your Juniors and Seniors registered!

Do your teachers have questions? We've got answers! If your teachers were unable to attend the fall Teacher Informational sessions, please check out the video below. Mary Beth (Region 15 TIA) does an amazing job explaining TIA from a teacher's perspective while also addressing many common misconceptions. This is for any teacher who wants to learn more about TIA, even in districts with established Local Designation Systems. Click the image to access the recording. Email chelsea.howells@esc9.net with any questions.

We want to pass along a free opportunity from the TEA Teacher Incentive Allotment (TIA) team. TEA and Education Elements opened a second spring student perception survey registration window this week. Fourteen districts participated in the first window, and the agency would love to add more LEAs!

Participating in this survey enhances your TIA designation system and empowers your teachers with actionable feedback. It also increases the reliability of your evaluation process with a third, research-validated growth measure. Your LEA can participate in this valuable spring survey administration free of charge! Education Elements also offers comprehensive support, including detailed classroom, school, and district reporting and coaching sessions to ensure you get the most out of this initiative.

If you're interested in participating, we encourage you to schedule a meeting with Ed Elements for a deeper discussion.

Space will be limited so please be sure to start the discussions now with your leadership team so you can submit a letter of intent using this electronic form by January 31, 2025.

Region 9 will be hosting an R9 TIA Office Hours on the second Tuesday of every month from 9am-10am. The next one will be on January 13th- please note that this date is a change to a Monday. This Office Hours will be a Zoom only for Region 9 districts. We’ll start each Office Hours with any updates you need to know, and then give you time to ask our TIA Team any specific questions that you have about your designation system, your data for submission or anything else related to TIA.

Once you register, open the zoom registration email and add it to your calendar. This will add all of the dates for the year!

💻TEA offers high quality zoom trainings throughout the school year. There are often testimonials from district personnel, and you can get your questions answered straight from the source!

Please note: TEA will be providing an overview of the new application process on January 15th. We recommend attending this session or the January 22nd session we are offering.

Click the image below to access the link.

Click the image to access the live links.

Look down in the appropriate category below to keep track of PD opportunities, action items, and deadlines. Each section is a one stop shop for all timely information for your category. We hope that this newsletter keeps you up to date with everything that you need to know in the world of TIA!

Please take some time to look over the Action Steps listed below and determine how many steps you have completed. We have resources available to assist you in completing each task as you prepare to submit your application. If you have any questions, need resources, or would like some support in working through the checklist, please reach out to scott.slater@esc9.net.

The next mandatory zoom session will cover: Navigating the New Application, the Weighting Tab, and Student SLOs and Portfolios. Please mark your calendars- there is only one zoom opportunity for this month.

Date: January 22, 2025

Time: 9am-4pm

AM: Application Launch and Weighting Tab

PM: Student SLOs and Portfolios

Location: Zoom

Who should attend: TIA Lead (required), TIA Core Admin Team (PM only)

Click the button below to register.

Are you interested in expanding or modifying your current local designation system? Don't wait until the last minute – reach out now for personalized support! Scott Slater is available to assist you with this process and guide you every step of the way. Whether you're making small adjustments or undertaking a larger revision, don't go it alone.

For assistance, contact Scott at scott.slater@esc9.net. The application deadline is April 15, so make sure to get in touch early to ensure you have plenty of time to navigate the process. We're here to help you succeed!

The next zoom session will cover Navigating the New Application, the Weighting Tab, and Student SLOs and Portfolios. Please consider joining us if you'd like a refresher, are planning to expand/modify this year, or have new staff who need better understanding of these topics!

Date: January 22, 2025

Time: 9am-4pm

AM: Application Launch and Weighting Tab

PM: Student SLOs and Portfolios

Location: Zoom

Who should attend: TIA Lead for Expand/Modify districts (All Day), TIA Core Admin Team for any district (PM only)

Click the button below to register.

If your district uses DMAC, there is an opportunity to learn more about how to use DMAC for Calibration and Reporting:

January 15, 2025

9:30a-10:30a

Link to Register

There are also recordings on this DMAC Landing Page.

Data Capture Year Landing Page

Data Submission and Validation Landing Page

Are you interested in expanding or modifying your current local designation system? Don't wait until the last minute – reach out now for personalized support! Scott Slater is available to assist you with this process and guide you every step of the way. Whether you're making small adjustments or undertaking a larger revision, don't go it alone.

For assistance, contact Scott at scott.slater@esc9.net. The application deadline is April 15, so make sure to get in touch early to ensure you have plenty of time to navigate the process. We're here to help you succeed!

The next zoom session will cover Navigating the New Application, the Weighting Tab, and Student SLOs and Portfolios. Please consider joining us if you'd like a refresher, are planning to expand/modify this year, or have new staff who need better understanding of these topics!

Date: January 22, 2025

Time: 9am-4pm

AM: Application Launch and Weighting Tab

PM: Student SLOs and Portfolios

Location: Zoom

Who should attend: TIA Lead (All Day), TIA Core Admin Team (PM only)

Click the button below to register.

If your district uses DMAC, there is an opportunity to learn more about how to use DMAC for Calibration and Reporting:

January 15, 2025

9:30a-10:30a

Link to Register

There are also recordings on this DMAC Landing Page- scroll down to "Let's Talk TIA" to find more information about how DMAC can be used to help your district succeed with TIA.

Data Capture Year Landing Page

Data Submission and Validation Landing Page

Awarding Designations Landing Page

Click any image below to access the resource!

Check them out below:

2024-2025

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