About D.A.T.E.

In May 2006, the 79th Legislature passed House Bill One. This bill was one of the most sweeping education reform bills in the state since the education code was re-codified in 1995. Included in this bill were two teacher performance award programs that, when fully funded at $245 million annually, create the largest investment in teacher awards in the nation.

House Bill One created the Texas Educator Excellence Grant (TEEG) and the District Awards for Teacher Excellence (D.A.T.E.). TEEG, first implemented in the 2006-2007 school year, provides $100 million annually to the state's most economically disadvantaged campuses that have demonstrated the highest levels of student achievement or improvement. D.A.T.E., which will begin implementation in the 2008-09 school year, makes funding available to all districts in the state to participate in the implementation of a performance award program either district-wide or on selected campuses. D.A.T.E. is funded at $147.5 million for the 2008-09 school year.