GISD to distribute GIFT awards for student achievement

Next month, Graham ISD will distribute approximately $116,000 based on the Graham Incentive for Teachers (GIFT) plans which provide incentive-based pay based on the results of STAAR/EOC.

The GIFT plans were developed during the 2017-2018 school year, with the first financial awards being distributed in fall 2019. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the program was not able to be implemented in 2020 or 2021.

The compensation plans approved in 2018 were the GIFT Pay for Performance Award Model for Teachers Grade 3-EOC STAAR Test Subject Areas Only and the GIFT Pay for Performance Academic Distinction Award Model. The district spoke about the award distribution during the GISD Board of Trustees meeting Wednesday, Nov. 9.

“It is a locally developed incentive program to reward teachers for student achievement (...). We haven’t had an opportunity to put this program into action since 2019 because of COVID and the STAAR restrictions and the lack of a growth measure. But this year we got back to it and so we wanted to tell you a little bit about that and update you on the progress in that area,” GISD Director of Curriculum and Instruction Gary Browning said. “There are two models within the Graham Incentive for Teachers (Plan). The first is the student achievement and growth model. It’s called achievement/growth, because there are some grade levels where we have a previous grade-level STAAR where we can measure growth, and there are certain grade levels that do not have a previous grade-level STARR. Like fifth grade science, eighth grade science, we can’t measure growth over multiple years. So we developed those two sections within this growth model and the awards are based on achievement and growth for what from one year to the next on STAAR.”

For the full story, see the Wednesday, Nov. 23 edition of The Graham Leader.