The Iowa Department of Education is allocating $8.5 million in federal funding for a competitive grant program to supplement the pay of public school teachers “who accelerate student learning beyond one year’s growth.” According to a news release, Iowa’s public school districts will be eligible for the competitive grant, not to exceed $500,000 a year for each of the 2024-25 and 2025-26 school years. Iowa public school districts that commit to developing and implementing a methodology for identifying and recognizing teachers who accelerate student learning beyond one year’s growth are eligible to apply. Districts that are awarded the grant funds can provide supplementary pay of up to $2,500 per year to up to the top 10% of teachers within the district who accelerate student learning. The state will fund the Teachers Accelerating Learning grant program through State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds through the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, according to the release. “In addition to locally determined measures of effectiveness that are objective and transparent, districts must incorporate the Education Visualization and Analytics Solution (EVAAS) growth visualization tool as a core component growth measure from grades [four through eight] and participate in state training opportunities focused using data to support teachers and students,” the release says.