This page provides comprehensive information emphasizing the implementation of high-impact tutoring practices to address learning gaps in students. It outlines key legislative changes in House Bill 1416, details how students failing assessments can receive specialized tutoring, and lists the characteristics of effective high-impact tutoring programs. The page offers tools, guidance, webinars, and examples, highlighting the importance of targeted support to accelerate learning and improve student outcomes in the Texas education system.
Texas law requires all students who do not achieve approaches or higher on STAAR grades 3 through 8 or EOC assessments be provided accelerated instruction. These requirements, modified by House Bill 4545 of the 87 th legislature and recently updated with the passage of House Bill 1416 in the 88 th legislature, provide that qualifying students must be:
House Bill 1416 updated accelerated instruction requirements from House Bill 4545 by:
Additional details are available in the resources section below.
* HB 1416 requires TEA to define requirements for students requiring 30 hours of supplemental instruction through the rulemaking process. TEA will propose rules that will provide that students who fall into the "Low Does Not Meet" category of STAAR performance receive no less than 30 hours of supplemental instruction. The rules will also provide that students in third grade who do not approach grade level or higher will be required to receive 30 hours of supplemental instruction.
The school districts or open-enrollment charter schools listed below are eligible for a one-year accelerated instruction waiver. School systems on this list met all relevant criteria (TAC §104.1001), including having at least 60% of students progress from did not meet grade level in the previous year to approaches grade level this year without any overrepresentation of student subgroups, such as those receiving special education services or who are educationally disadvantaged.
While this waiver is well-earned, we recognize the ongoing importance of offering additional academic support, such as tutoring or assigning a TIA-designated teacher, to students who have not yet met grade level expectations. This waiver is optional and should not discourage school systems from continuing to provide the support that enabled them to reach this academic milestone.
| District # | Name of School District/Open-Enrollment Charter School |
|---|---|
| 138904 | BENJAMIN ISD |
| 227814 | CHAPARRAL STAR ACADEMY |
| 092801 | EAST TEXAS CHARTER SCHOOLS |
| 071804 | EL PASO ACADEMY |
| 101878 | HOUSTON CLASSICAL CHARTER SCHOOL |
| 133902 | HUNT ISD |
| 132902 | JAYTON-GIRARD ISD |
| 058905 | KLONDIKE ISD |
| 019910 | MALTA ISD |
| 198906 | MUMFORD ISD |
| 244905 | NORTHSIDE ISD |
| 071803 | TRIUMPH PUBLIC HIGH SCHOOLS-EL PASO |
| 062905 | WESTHOFF ISD |
*This list does not include districts who did not have any students requiring accelerated instruction.
Eligible school districts and open-enrollment charter schools have 45 business days to apply for the waiver using the Accelerated Instruction Waiver via TEA Login (TEAL). Guidance on additional required information and supporting documentation is available in the 2024-2025 State Waivers Guidebook (texas.gov), pages 18 and 19.
Early data indicates that school closures and disruptions in SY19-20 and SY20-21 are likely to result in unfinished learning for many students statewide, making multi-year recovery and acceleration supports even more crucial. As LEAs consider how to best facilitate learning acceleration, many are considering high impact tutoring (HIT), as there is strong evidence that high impact tutoring is one of the most effective ways to increase learning gains for students.
High-impact tutoring programs have a few key characteristics:
Well-trained, consistent tutor (can be a teacher, paraprofessional, or teacher candidate) who builds a strong relationship with students
Texas students have experienced academic growth post-Covid but learning acceleration is still critically needed, particularly in Math. On the 2022 STAAR, only 52% of students met grade level expectations in Reading Language Arts while only 40% of students met grade level in math. 1
Evidence suggests that high impact tutoring can have a significant impact on outcomes for students:
A 2020 meta-analysis of 96 studies of high-quality tutoring programs found that students made 5 months of additional progress on average, a large pooled 0.37 effect size. 1
The average effect of tutoring programs on student achievement is larger than the effects found in approximately 85% of studies evaluating education interventions and equivalent to moving a student at the 35th percentile of the achievement distribution to the 50 th . 2
“Teachers reported students' enthusiasm, and progress. They saw many positives to the program which they believed led to student success including the small teacher to student ratio, consistently teaching the same small group of students, consistent tutoring days and times and utilizing the program with fidelity.
Over 90% of students in the High Impact Tutoring reading program increased reading fluency from March 2022 to mid-May 2022. During that same time period, a majority of students gained ½ year reading level in less than 3 months as measured by our district reading assessment and most students improved substantially in basic reading TEKS as measured by our universal screener.”
— Administrator, Greenville ISD
1 Nickow, Andre Joshua, Philip Oreopoulos, and Vincent Quan. (2020).
2 Kraft, M. A. (2020).
Early data indicates that school closures and disruptions in SY19-20 and SY20-21 are likely to result in unfinished learning for many students statewide, making multi-year recovery and acceleration supports even more crucial. As LEAs consider how to best facilitate learning acceleration, many are considering high impact tutoring, as there is strong evidence that high impact tutoring is one of the most effective ways to increase learning gains for students.
The High Impact Tutoring Toolkit (PDF) is designed to help districts think through key pieces of program design and make connections to other helpful resources. While this toolkit is not exhaustive, it outlines the foundational principles and key considerations that all LEAs should consider when implementing a high impact tutoring program.
