Teacher and School Leader Incentive Program (TSL)

Overview

<p>The purpose of TSL is to assist States, local educational agencies (LEAs), and nonprofit organizations to develop, implement, improve, or expand comprehensive Performance-Based Compensation Systems (PBCS) 1 or Human Capital Management Systems (HCMS) for teachers, principals, and other School Leaders (educators) (especially for educators in High-Need Schools who raise student growth and academic achievement and close the achievement gap between high- and low-performing students). In addition, a portion of TSL funds may be used to study the effectiveness, fairness, quality, consistency, and reliability of PBCS or HCMS for educators. The FY 2021 TSL competition is designed to support entities in implementing, improving, or expanding their HCMS, which by definition must include a PBCS, or implementing, improving, or expanding only a PBCS.</p> <p>TSL is also intended to primarily serve educators in High-Need Schools who raise student academic achievement and close the achievement gap between high- and low-performing students, although the program may also fund services for educators serving in high-need subject areas (though not necessarily in High-Need Schools), as determined by the LEA or the State. The Department has established a new definition of High-Need Schools that clarifies the requirement that TSL program activities primarily serve High-Need Schools, and Absolute Priority 2 addresses the extent to which TSLfunded grant project activities are concentrated in High-Need Schools. The Department established the definition and priority based on lessons learned from recent TSL competitions, which highlighted the need to better target the program to educators and students in High-Need Schools.</p> <p>This notice contains two absolute priorities and two competitive preference priorities (we consider only applications that meet both absolute priorities).</p> <ul> <li><strong>Absolute Priority 1: Human Capital Management Systems (HCMS) or Performance Based Compensation Systems (PBCS) </strong><span style="font-size:1em">Under this priority, eligible applicants must propose a project to develop, implement, improve, or expand, in collaboration with teachers, principals, other School Leaders, and members of </span>the public, a PBCS or HCMS.</li> <li><strong>Absolute Priority 2: High-Need Schools </strong>Under this priority, eligible applicants must concentrate proposed activities on teachers, principals, or other School Leaders serving in High-Need Schools.</li> <li><span style="font-size:1em"><strong>Competitive Preference Priority 1: Supporting Educators and their Professional Growth</strong> </span><span style="font-size:1em">(up to 5 points) </span>Projects that are designed to increase the number and percentage of wellprepared, experienced, effective, and diverse educators—which may include one or more of the following: Teachers, principals, paraprofessionals, or other School Leaders as defined in section 8101(44) of the ESEA—through Evidence-Based strategies.</li> <li><strong>Competitive Preference Priority 2: Increasing Educator Diversity</strong> (up to 5 points) Under this priority, applicants must develop projects that are designed to improve the recruitment, outreach, preparation, support, development, and retention of a diverse educator workforce.</li> </ul>