District Awards for Teacher Excellence (DATE) Grant

In May 2006, the 79th Texas Legislature passed House Bill 1, subchapters N and O, creating the largest statewide investment in teacher incentive programs in the nation. Subchapter O, funded at $147.5 million for the 2008-09 school year, was named the District Awards for Teacher Excellence (DATE) Program.

The purpose of DATE is to allow districts to create or continue a system of awards for educators demonstrating success in improving student achievement. Award systems are highly aligned with the overall instructional goals for the district.

In order to qualify for the grant, district plans must designate at least 60% of funds for awards paid to classroom teachers based on quantifiable, objective, and reliable measures of student achievement. These funds are called Part I funds. The remaining funds, called Part II funds, can be used to pay awards to other staff members, to provide staff development, to improve the district’s data management capability, and to cover administrative costs associated with the grant. In addition, local districts must match 15% of the grant amount.

Implementation by FBISD

Fort Bend ISD has chosen to participate in the DATE program and to focus the program on the 13 campuses involved in the K-6/7-8 initiative. The 2008-2009 participating campuses are Armstrong Elementary, Blue Ridge Elementary, Briargate Elementary, E. A. Jones Elementary, Edgar Glover Elementary, Hunters Glen Elementary, Lantern Lane Elementary, Quail Valley Elementary, Ridgegate Elementary, Ridgemont Elementary, Christa McAuliffe Middle School, Missouri City Middle School, and Quail Valley Middle School.

Program Goals

1. Increased percentage of students meeting state standards.
2. Increased achievement by all students as measured by TAKS scale scores.

Guiding Principles

1. The classroom teacher is the school employee who most impacts student achievement.
2. Students vary in their preparation and inclination towards learning when they enter a teacher’s classroom, so awards should be based on improvement whenever possible.
3. Teacher collaboration is a critical component of school improvement. Alignment of curriculum and instructional strategies within and between grade levels and subjects is essential for raising the achievement of all students.
4. All staff impact student achievement even if their impact is not directly measured by TAKS or other tests.

For the purposes of this grant, Fort Bend ISD has chosen in year one of implementation to use the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) as the assessment on which to base student achievement decisions.

Awards

Staff members can earn awards in up to 3 different tiers as described below. Award amounts depend on the number of tiers for which the staff member qualifies and the number of criteria met in each tier. Any funds remaining after all awards have been paid will be distributed as additional awards to teachers who have already received an award or used for additional staff development. All salary related benefits including TRS will be deducted from the total award amount received.

General Eligibility Requirements

• A participating employee must remain at their assigned campus during the grant period for each grant funded year.
• A participating employee must be hired and have started work no later than October 1 of each grant funded year.
• A participating employee on a Teacher in Need of Assistance (TINA) plan or in the case of an administrator, a Growth Plan, must meet the criteria outlined in the TINA or Growth Plan as well as the grant criteria in order to be eligible for an award.
• Employees who retire or resign prior to April 1 of any grant funded year are not eligible for an award.
• Employees must demonstrate a consistent record of attendance in order to be eligible to receive a DATE award. The primary purpose of the DATE program is to increase student achievement.  Student achievement is impacted most when teachers are present and actively engaged in instruction. Employees who take protected leave such as FMLA are eligible to receive DATE awards that may be earned. 
• An employee who is under investigation by TEA due to a testing irregularity will have his award held until the investigation is resolved.  If the employee is found guilty of a testing irregularity, he will not be eligible to receive a DATE award.
• An employee who works less that full time at a DATE campus will receive a prorated portion of any award earned.
• Contracted service employees and consultants are not eligible for a DATE award.

Tier I (Part I) – Teacher Level Awards - Eligibility Requirements

The employee must be a classroom teacher which is defined as a degreed and certified individual who instructs students a minimum of four hours per day. A teacher must be the teacher of record for a group of students tested by TAKS as verified by the master schedule on the October snapshot day of each school year.

Tier I – Teacher Level Awards – General Award Criteria

For grade levels and subjects that are TAKS tested in the prior year, award amounts are based on 1) the percentage of students who pass after having previously failed and 2) the average increase in scale score of all students (with a prior test score). The students must remain continuously enrolled with that teacher from the October snapshot date through the first administration of TAKS. For grade levels and subjects where no prior year TAKS test is given, awards are based on the average scale score of all students assigned to that teacher by the October snapshot date and who remain continuously enrolled with that teacher through the first administration of TAKS.

Tier II (Part I)– Grade Level (Elementary) or Departmental (Middle) Awards - Eligibility Requirements

The employee must be a classroom teacher which is defined as a degreed and certified individual who instructs students a minimum of four hours per day. All teachers of TAKS tested subjects as well as teachers in specialized positions (i.e. Special Education, Reading Specialist, Math Specialist, ESL Support Teacher, Reading Recovery Teacher etc.) who teach in the core content areas are eligible for Tier II awards regardless of grade level. Pre-kindergarten, kindergarten, 1st, and 2nd grade teachers are also eligible for Tier 2 grade level awards. By October 1, all specialized teachers must be paired to the most appropriate grade level or department. Principals and specialized teachers will work together to determine the match and will document in writing the decision that is made.

Tier II – Teacher Level Awards – General Award Criteria

The criteria for a grade level or department to earn an award are the same as the criteria for individual teachers for that grade and subject area.

Tier III (Part II)– Campus Level Awards - Eligibility Requirements

All instructional and administrative staff members are eligible for this award. Counselors, school nurses, social workers, speech therapists, LSSPs, diagnosticians, Title I specialists, campus improvement specialists, and librarians are also eligible for Tier III awards. Award amounts are based on the number of criteria met by the campus.   Tier III awards are paid with Part II funds.

Tier III – Campus Level Awards – General Award Criteria

There are 6 (elementary) or 7 criteria (middle) for the campus level award. The award amount is determined by the number of criteria met by the campus. Two criteria involve reading performance, two involve math performance, and one each involves writing, science and social studies (middle school only) performance. Like the criteria used for Tiers I and II, the criteria for Tier III are based on improvement wherever possible (i.e. reading and math) and based on average scale scores elsewhere. Unlike Tiers I and II, improvements in average scale score are cumulative over the period of the grant.

Other Part II Expenditures

Approved activities under Part II will be available beginning September 1, 2008.

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Activities will include but are not limited to:

• training directly related to transitioning into the K/6, 7/8 campus configuration
• training designed to target the greatest area of need (GAN) for each campus as identified in their Campus Improvement Plan
• training designed to close the achievement gap between identified subgroups
• training in higher order thinking and questioning strategies
• training in Response to Intervention and Differentiated Instruction

Stipends will be paid at a flat rate of $100 per day for approved professional development activities. Approved activities for which teachers are eligible to receive a stipend must occur during off-contract hours.

LOCAL DATA CAPABILITIES TO SUPPORT INSTRUCTION AND ACCOUNTABILITY
-To enable the district to design, develop, and implement data systems to efficiently and accurately manage, analyze, disaggregate, and use individual student to teacher data. 
-Purchase of the Inova system to assist the district and the DATE campuses in generating and using accurate and timely data to support teacher instruction, to support decision-making at the district, campus, and classroom levels, and to facilitate research needed to eliminate achievement gaps and improve learning of all students.

ADMINISTRATIVE FEES

• Payroll costs for Grant Coordinator, Data Specialist, and Clerk – Responsible for collecting, organizing, analyzing, and reporting data communications, project implementation, fiscal management, and all other functions pertinent to the administration of the DATE project.
  Data Specialist – collect data, implement and monitor collection, write reports and evaluations.
• Professional and Contracted Services – Consultant fees for additional training in the Inova Process
• Supplies and Materials – Printing, equipment, and other material needed to effectively manage and implement the grant program