Education Commission of the States Reports

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Educator Excellence Awards

Texas : Educator Excellence Awards -State Level

Program Statistics

Name and Level The Educator Excellence Awards Program
This is a state level program.
Enabling Policy: Texas HB1

Status The Educator Excellence Awards Program
The enabling legislation, Texas HB1 (Education Reform Act), was signed by Governor Perry on May 31, 2006.
Texas HB1 (Education Reform Act) amends the Education Code, Chapter 21, Subchapters N and O.
Enabling Policy: Texas HB1

Program Description The Educator Excellence Awards Program
The Educator Excellence Awards Program provides grants to school districts for the purpose of providing incentive payments to employees under the terms of locally developed awards plans approved by the commissioner. The goal of both programs is to reward teachers who have a positive impact on improving student achievement.
Enabling Policy: Texas HB1

Other Programs Houston Independent School District and Aldine ISD Performance Incentives.

Hard-to-Staff, High Needs, At-Risk Component

Program Target Components
Hard to staff subject

Description of Component The Educator Excellence Awards Program
An eligible campus may also consider a classroom teacher's assignment to teach a subject that is experiencing a critical shortage of teachers or a high teacher turnover rate as well as his/her demonstration of ongoing initiative, commitment, professionalism, and involvement in an activity that directly results in improved student achievement.
Enabling Policy: Texas HB1

Incentive Structure

Compensation Structure The Educator Excellence Awards Program
Incentive payments and award payments for individual teachers that are based on student learning gains and collaboration with other faculty and staff resulting in overall student achievement. Teachers serving in critical shortage areas and hard to staff schools can also be awarded incentives.
Enabling Policy: Texas HB1

Incentives The Educator Excellence Awards Program
An eligible campus must submit to the Texas Education Agency for approval a campus incentive plan that is designed to reward teachers who have a positive impact on improving student achievement. In distributing incentive payments to classroom teachers, an eligible campus may distribute an incentive payment only to a classroom teacher who:

Demonstrates success in improving student achievement using objective, quantifiable measures, such as local benchmarking systems, portfolio assessments, end-of-course assessments, and value-added assessments; and
Successfully collaborates with other faculty and with staff in a manner that contributes to improving overall student achievement at the campus.
An eligible campus may also consider a classroom teacher's assignment to teach a subject that is experiencing a critical shortage of teachers or a high teacher turnover rate as well as his/her demonstration of ongoing initiative, commitment, professionalism, and involvement in an activity that directly results in improved student achievement.
Enabling Policy: Texas HB1

Incentive Recipients The Educator Excellence Awards Program
Individual teachers receive incentives.
Enabling Policy: Texas HB1

Methods of Evaluation

Method of Evaluation The Educator Excellence Awards Program
No information found at this time.
Enabling Policy: Texas HB1

Stakeholder Involvement

Teachers and Teacher's Unions The Educator Excellence Awards Program
No information found at this time.
Enabling Policy: Texas HB1

Other Stakeholders The Educator Excellence Awards Program
Other stakeholders include legislators and school districts.
Enabling Policy: Texas HB1

Program Funding

Cost The Educator Excellence Awards Program
Grants from funds appropriated for the program shall be awarded beginning with the 2006-2007 school year and may not exceed $100 million in the 2006-2007 school year except as expressly authorized by the General Appropriations Act or other law. State cost in fiscal year 2008 is estimated at $261 million in general revenue, increasing to $328 million by fiscal year 2011.
Enabling Policy: Texas HB1

Funding The Educator Excellence Awards Program
Each state fiscal year, the commissioner shall deposit the sum of $1,000 multiplied by the number of classroom teachers in this state to the credit of the educator excellence fund in the general revenue fund. Each state fiscal year, the agency shall use:

Not more than $100 million of the funds in the educator excellence fund to provide grant awards under the awards for student achievement program; and
Any remaining funds in the educator excellence fund to provide a qualifying school district a grant in an amount determined by:

Dividing the amount of remaining money available for distribution in the educator excellence fund by the total number of students in average daily attendance in qualifying districts for that fiscal year; and
Multiplying the amount determined under Paragraph (A) by the number of students in average daily attendance in the district.

Enabling Policy: Texas HB1
Enabling Policy: Texas HB1

Results and Outcomes

Results and Outcomes The Educator Excellence Awards Program
The program is in the beginning stages of implementation, so there is no available information on the results or outcomes at this time.
Enabling Policy: Texas HB1

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Helping State Leaders Shape Education Policy

Program Statistics
Name and Level	The Educator Excellence Awards Program This is a state level program. Enabling Policy: Texas HB1
Status	The Educator Excellence Awards Program The enabling legislation, Texas HB1 (Education Reform Act), was signed by Governor Perry on May 31, 2006. Texas HB1 (Education Reform Act) amends the Education Code, Chapter 21, Subchapters N and O. Enabling Policy: Texas HB1
Program Description	The Educator Excellence Awards Program The Educator Excellence Awards Program provides grants to school districts for the purpose of providing incentive payments to employees under the terms of locally developed awards plans approved by the commissioner. The goal of both programs is to reward teachers who have a positive impact on improving student achievement. Enabling Policy: Texas HB1
Other Programs	Houston Independent School District and Aldine ISD Performance Incentives.
Hard-to-Staff, High Needs, At-Risk Component
Program Target Components	Hard to staff subject
Description of Component	The Educator Excellence Awards Program An eligible campus may also consider a classroom teacher's assignment to teach a subject that is experiencing a critical shortage of teachers or a high teacher turnover rate as well as his/her demonstration of ongoing initiative, commitment, professionalism, and involvement in an activity that directly results in improved student achievement. Enabling Policy: Texas HB1
Incentive Structure
Compensation Structure	The Educator Excellence Awards Program Incentive payments and award payments for individual teachers that are based on student learning gains and collaboration with other faculty and staff resulting in overall student achievement. Teachers serving in critical shortage areas and hard to staff schools can also be awarded incentives. Enabling Policy: Texas HB1
Incentives	The Educator Excellence Awards Program An eligible campus must submit to the Texas Education Agency for approval a campus incentive plan that is designed to reward teachers who have a positive impact on improving student achievement. In distributing incentive payments to classroom teachers, an eligible campus may distribute an incentive payment only to a classroom teacher who: Demonstrates success in improving student achievement using objective, quantifiable measures, such as local benchmarking systems, portfolio assessments, end-of-course assessments, and value-added assessments; and Successfully collaborates with other faculty and with staff in a manner that contributes to improving overall student achievement at the campus. An eligible campus may also consider a classroom teacher's assignment to teach a subject that is experiencing a critical shortage of teachers or a high teacher turnover rate as well as his/her demonstration of ongoing initiative, commitment, professionalism, and involvement in an activity that directly results in improved student achievement. Enabling Policy: Texas HB1
Incentive Recipients	The Educator Excellence Awards Program Individual teachers receive incentives. Enabling Policy: Texas HB1
Methods of Evaluation
Method of Evaluation	The Educator Excellence Awards Program No information found at this time. Enabling Policy: Texas HB1
Stakeholder Involvement
Teachers and Teacher's Unions	The Educator Excellence Awards Program No information found at this time. Enabling Policy: Texas HB1
Other Stakeholders	The Educator Excellence Awards Program Other stakeholders include legislators and school districts. Enabling Policy: Texas HB1
Program Funding
Cost	The Educator Excellence Awards Program Grants from funds appropriated for the program shall be awarded beginning with the 2006-2007 school year and may not exceed $100 million in the 2006-2007 school year except as expressly authorized by the General Appropriations Act or other law. State cost in fiscal year 2008 is estimated at $261 million in general revenue, increasing to $328 million by fiscal year 2011. Enabling Policy: Texas HB1
Funding	The Educator Excellence Awards Program Each state fiscal year, the commissioner shall deposit the sum of $1,000 multiplied by the number of classroom teachers in this state to the credit of the educator excellence fund in the general revenue fund. Each state fiscal year, the agency shall use: Not more than $100 million of the funds in the educator excellence fund to provide grant awards under the awards for student achievement program; and Any remaining funds in the educator excellence fund to provide a qualifying school district a grant in an amount determined by: Dividing the amount of remaining money available for distribution in the educator excellence fund by the total number of students in average daily attendance in qualifying districts for that fiscal year; and Multiplying the amount determined under Paragraph (A) by the number of students in average daily attendance in the district. Enabling Policy: Texas HB1 Enabling Policy: Texas HB1
Results and Outcomes
Results and Outcomes	The Educator Excellence Awards Program The program is in the beginning stages of implementation, so there is no available information on the results or outcomes at this time. Enabling Policy: Texas HB1