CASE STUDY
Student Growth Measures
By working with DEEP Dive, school districts have more than doubled their number of designated teachers for the Teacher Incentive Allotment (TIA).
Our team has expand TIA eligible teaching assignments with valid and reliable student growth measures—including adding all non-STAAR tested core content area teachers, Fine Arts teachers, CTE teachers, AP teachers, and Special Education Teachers.
The Challenge
Under the Texas Teacher Incentive Allotment (TIA), districts across the state are in pursuit of designing local designation systems aiming to recognize and reward exceptional teaching across diverse subject areas. DEEP Dive associates began supporting school districts in 2021, beginning with the pioneering work with Lubbock Independent School District in creating growth scores for non-STAAR tested subjects. The collaboration aimed to establish equitable and robust growth measures that encompassed subjects such as Career and Technical Education (CTE), Fine Arts, special education, Advanced Placement (AP) courses, and more, thereby ensuring that all teachers, regardless of subject area or grade level, could be eligible for TIA.
Lubbock ISD sought our expertise in designing a customized growth model to acknowledge exceptional teaching across various subjects and grade levels. Our deep knowledge of growth models allowed us to create a comprehensive framework tailored to Lubbock ISD’s context. Our innovative approach used advanced quantitative techniques, using a variety of data sources, performance metrics, and subject-specific traits. This approach addressed the challenge of variable data across grade-levels and subject areas while providing a robust solution for evaluating teacher effectiveness in non-STAAR tested subjects.
The Solution
The outcome of this collaborative effort was a robust and adaptable growth measurement system. This system provided Lubbock ISD with a tool to fairly assess teacher effectiveness across subjects, empowering educators in CTE, Fine Arts, special education, and AP subjects to qualify for the Teacher Incentive Allotment. By catering to the unique needs of Lubbock ISD while leveraging our expertise in growth modeling, we paved the way for a more inclusive and comprehensive teacher incentive program that recognizes and encourages excellence for all educators.
This case illustrates the importance of tailoring solutions to the specific requirements of each organization working with DEEP Dive, leveraging our expertise in advanced research methodology and large-scale management, and aligning with the broader goal of supporting school improvement by recruiting and retaining effective teachers.
Serving Small & Rural Districts
Recognizing the unique challenges faced by smaller and/or rural districts, we acknowledge that not all organizations have the same resources or capacity to design systems similar to what we implemented for Lubbock ISD. These districts may require tailored approaches that take into consideration their specific circumstances, while still promoting teacher effectiveness and ensuring access to incentives through TIA. At DEEP Dive, we are dedicated to working collaboratively with districts of all sizes to implement solutions that align with their capacity, needs, and goals, thus fostering excellence among educators and ultimately benefiting students and communities across the state.
