What is DATE?

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Date Committee

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Questions & Answers

Q – Why isn’t every teacher in the District eligible?

A – By state rule, every eligible teacher in the DATE program must be guaranteed a minimum of $1000.  Dividing the total award ($1,498,103.80) by the number of teachers in Irving ISD (approximately 2200) would bring the minimum award to less than $1000.  It was never the intent of the Legislature, nor TEA, to have a program in which every teacher could qualify.


Q – How did the Texas Education Agency determine the Total Award amount of $1,498,103.80?

A – The state has budgeted $147,500,000 for the DATE program.  The District’s share is determined by the number of Texas districts participating in the plan, and by the district’s average daily attendance.  The larger the district, the more money it receives.


Q – Could the total amount be changed before implementation of the program?

A – It is possible.  The total amount is divided by the number of participating school districts, based on their average daily attendance.  If the number of participating districts decline, then Irving ISD could see more money in the total award.  It will not, however, be any less than $1,498,103.80


Q –  Why are the total funds split between Part 1 and Part 2 at 67% and 33%

A –  TEA required the split to be a minimum of 60% in Part 1.  The DATE Committee decided to go with 67% to maximize the number of teachers eligible under Part 1, yet keep a significant amount of money in Part 2.


Q –  When is the timeline for the implementation of the DATE program, as well as when will eligible teachers get paid?

A – The program is in effect for the 2008-2009 school year, and payments will be made in September 2009 to those who qualify.


Q – Are part time teachers eligible?

A – No, according to TEA rules, a educator must teach in an instructional setting for at least four hours per day.


Q –  What does “Teacher of Record” mean?

A –  A “Teacher of Record” is one who plans and implements instruction in a classroom, and is the primary person responsible for assigning grades to students.  A regular third grade teacher with 22 students assigned to his/her classroom is the Teacher of Record.  A teacher who works with individual students in several classrooms, such as an inclusion special education teacher, is not the Teacher of Record.


Q –  Why are only 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade teachers included in elementary Part 1?

A –  In an attempt to narrow down the number of eligible teachers, the Committee determined that eligible teachers at the elementary level should be restricted to just the TAKS administration levels.


Q –  First and second grade teachers contribute to the TAKS scores in upper grade levels, as do special education, music, PE, and other non-TAKS grade level teachers.  Are they not as important?

A – Absolutely!  The DATE plan is not intended to indicate that 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade teachers are any better or any more important.  However, when required to directly tie achievement to the DATE program, this was the best group of teachers to identify.  Remember, the DATE program does not allow all teachers to be eligible, so the DATE Committee had to make some very hard decisions.


Q –  Is the secondary Part 1 program by school or by subject?

A –  Actually both.  If the subject area TAKS scores on a secondary campus reach the minimum qualifications, then all the teachers on that campus who teach that subject will qualify for the award.


Q –  So, if a teacher only teaches one social studies class, and the social studies TAKS scores meet the minimum, then that teacher qualifies for the award – the same as a teacher who teaches six sections?

A –  That is correct.  All teachers, whether teaching one section or six, contributes to the TAKS score in that subject.  This will also encourage more teamwork in planning and evaluation.  The Committee considered a tiered award system, but with a minimum of $1000 that had to be guaranteed, the money did not work.


Q –  What about Government teachers who teach only seniors?  Why should they be included if they don’t directly teach for TAKS assessment.

A –  Government TEKS are sprinkled throughout the Social Studies curriculum, and at the secondary level, the Committee wants to encourage teamwork within a department.  This would encourage a senior Government teacher to do some tutoring with TAKS tested students at lower grade levels, as well as work harder at planning with fellow teachers to make sure Government TEKS are taught well at the lower grades.


Q –  Why does Writing/Reading/Language Arts and Social Studies require 90%, and science and math only require 70%?

A –  Our current students testing in Writing, Reading, Language Arts, and Social Studies are already achieving at a high level, while math and science are not as high.  The Committee wanted to set the bar high for each level, yet be realistic and attainable.


Q –  Why is Reading and Writing not separated at Middle School?  Our writing scores make it much easier for English teachers to be awarded if we don’t include Reading scores.

A –  The Committee believes teamwork is an important aspect of teaching, and the TEKS are the same for both subject areas.  The District has also had a philosophy that you must read well to write well and vice versa, and balanced literacy supports teaching both in all curriculum areas.  Combining Reading and Writing in middle school seems to best support the District’s current goals and philosophies.


Q –  Can a person teach part of the year and be eligible?

A –  A teacher must be on duty no later than the last Friday in October and continue to be employed through the last day of duty in the 2008-2009 school year.


Q –  Why are not more subgroups included besides “Economically Disadvantaged?”

A –  Our data has indicated that it is the Economically Disadvantaged student that is most at-risk in any of the sub-groups.  If the District’s TAKS scores can rise in this category, it is our belief they will rise in all categories.


Q –  With the understanding that $1000 is the minimum payout for Part 1, what can a qualified  realistically expect to receive in 2009?

A –  Looking at our latest scores, from the TAKS administration in 2007, 192 teachers would qualify at both the elementary and secondary level, which would result in a payment of $5208.33 per teacher.  By 2009, it is expected that our TAKS scores will increase, qualifying more teachers.  However, more teachers qualifying means a lower payment per teacher.


Q –  If a teacher retires, resigns, and/or leaves for any reason after completing the 2008-2009 school year, will he/she still participate in the award?

A –  Yes, any teacher who is eligible and qualified will participate in the reward for their contributions during the implementation year.  Checks will be mailed to their forwarding address.


Q –  Why are the Committee members receiving a $500 stipend for simply coming to meetings?

A –  The DATE Committee spent many hours developing this plan, and will continue to spend many hours as the plan is implemented.  This is just a small token for their hard work.  It is only 2% of the Part 2 Funds, and the District was allowed to spend up to 5% for administrative costs.


Q –  Who is the DATE Committee?

A –  The DATE Committee is a subcommittee of the District Improvement Committee.  The voting members include three persons from the DIC, plus 16 other teachers and campus administrators from across the District.  Several central office administrators served as facilitators.  The complete list is attached.


Q – Why are Wheeler and Secondary Reassignment Center teachers receiving a stipend?

A –  Both schools do not receive a rating, nor are TAKS scores directly correlated to those schools.  Yet, these teachers do contribute to the overall academic achievement of the District.  So, if the District reaches Recognized or Exemplary, they will receive a $500 stipend.  If the District does not reach one of those two levels, the money will go into the Group 3 funds under Part 2.


Q –  Most of the Part 2 money is to be spend on campuses that are either Recognized or Exemplary?  Why not use some of this money to reward teachers in critical needs areas, teaching on difficult campuses, retention bonuses, master degreed teachers, etc.?

A –  While the suggestions are all valid, the Committee focused on student achievement.  With a limited amount of money, and $475,000 does not go very far, it was decided to make these funds available to all certified teachers who help their campuses reach high levels of achievement.  This is an opportunity for teachers in other grades and subject areas not covered in Part 1 to receive an award.


Q –  With the limited amount of money in Part 2, how much will a teacher receive if the campus reaches Recognized?

A –  Using 2007 Accountability Ratings, 277 teachers would have qualified for an award of $1763.91.


Q –  Can an administrator, or central office personnel, ever qualify for the DATE plan, Parts 1 or 2?

A –  No, administrators are excluded from the DATE plan.


Q –  Why are paraprofessionals not included in the DATE plan?  Don’t they work hard toward increased student achievement?

A – Without a doubt paraprofessionals are an important group of employees for Irving ISD that have a significant impact on student learning.  However, TEA excludes everyone but classroom teachers from Part 1.  Part 2 could include paraprofessionals and classified employees, but the amount of available money would make the award insignificant.


Q –  How do you calculate how much each employee would get in Part 2, Group 3?

A –  You would take the total amount allocated to Group 3 ($475,603.80) and divide by the number of certified educators on each Recognized/Exemplary Campus.  For example, if 10 campuses earned Recognized or Exemplary, and each campus had 50 certified employees, for a total of 500 qualified educators.  Each educator in this scenario would receive $951.20. 


Q – Can a person receive an award in Part 1 and Part 2?

A – No, if an employee receives Part 1 funds, they are not eligible for Part 2 funds.


Q.- Which state assessment scores are included in DATE?

A - The state assessment scores that will be included in the state accountability ratings of campuses and districts in 2009 are included in DATE.  For 2009, those assessments include TAKS and TAKS-Accommodated for students in grades 3-11.  TAKS-Accommodated will be calculated into TAKS passing rates in science (grades 5, 8, 10 and 11), social studies (grades 8, 10 and 11), ELA (grade 11) and math (grade 11).  In the SSI grades the results for the first and second administration of reading (grades 3, 5 and 8) and mathematics (grades 5 and 8) will be included.