Welcome! I'm Jeannie Istre, your dedicated Curriculum Coordinator for Region 5. This page is your go-to hub for all things related to LASO I, II, and III, tutoring, and the latest updates on HB 4545/1416. From workshops to news and valuable resources, I've got you covered. Don't hesitate to reach out with any questions or workshop needs—I'm here to support you every step of the way! Be sure to bookmark this page and check back regularly for upcoming trainings and the latest tutoring updates.

Email: jistreistre@esc5.net
Phone: 409-951-1721

Registration is open for this free and exciting event for Secondary ELAR educators and administrators! Register today by scanning the QR code above or by clicking on the flyer to access the registration site!

The LASO 3.0 will provide 10 grant opportunities embedded in three learning acceleration strategies. This grant application will open on October 14th and close on December 15th at 5:00 PM. This will give LEAs 60 days to complete the application for the grants that they wish to apply.

In response to the March 21, 2024 TAA titled: 2021-2024 Texas COVID Learning Acceleration Supports (TCLAS) Grant Updates: Timeline, Movement of Grant Funds, and Liquidation Extension for ESSER III- funded Grants

TEA would like to clarify that TCLAS Decision 6 Tutoring grantees are eligible for a liquidation extension for contracted services associated with this grant. This opportunity permits an LEA to extend properly obligated contracted services until 2/28/2026. The tool to apply for this application will be available in the summer of 2024 and will be provided by TEA’s Department of Grant Compliance and Administration.

If there are specific questions about the TCLAS grant the LEAs can reach out to tclas@tea.texas.gov

The LEA Fidelity of Implementation (FOI) rubric is a tool used to self-evaluate High Impact Tutoring (HIT) programs at the district level. This self-evaluation rubric is required for all TCLAS Decision 6 districts. Non-TCLAS Decision 6 districts can use these materials as optional self-evaluation measures.

The 2023-2024 EOY LEA FOI Rubric is available here Accelerated Instruction | Texas Education Agency under the Fidelity of Implementation Self-Evaluation section. LEAs must download the FOI rubric to fill out their responses and may begin to complete all sections of the rubric except for Measure 3: Outcomes in the LEA Summative Tool tab; as LEAs will need their STAAR scores for this section.

LEAs must also complete the 2024 End of Year Accelerated Instruction Survey. The link is embedded at the top of the Instructions tab and at the top of the Survey tab. The link is also accessible here. A preview of the survey questions is available in the Survey tab. LEAs can submit this survey prior to submitting the FOI rubric.

TEA will offer an LEA FOI Rubric Office Hour on Tuesday, May 14 at 9:30 A.M. CST. LEAs can register on the website or here.

LEAs may email their completed FOI rubrics to me and I will make note of the submission in the the FOI Tracker in accordance with TEAs guidelines. The EOY 2024 rubric and survey submission deadline for D6 LEAs is Friday, June 14.

Tutoring is hard. Scheduling times to collaborate with tutors and teachers can be even harder. But the hardest of all is meeting the demands of tutoring students that struggle the most. Between lack of motivation, lack of a growth mindset, and the students' lack of sheer will to even attend tutoring, how are we to make a difference? Along with the stringent mandates of HB 4545 came the realization that schools would need additional support to talk through ideas, work through challenges, and train teachers and tutors on how to accelerate instruction.

We are your support. Our tutoring team at Region 5 is committed to providing the trainings and resources districts need to fulfill grant compliance and tutoring demands.

Call and set up your meeting with us today!

Jeannie Istre - Region 5 Tutoring Program Coordinator

Office (409)951-1721

Susan Cooper - Region 5 Tutoring Program Coordinator

Office (409)951-1761

Please see the attached document for important information regarding the close-out of ESSER Funds and the timelines for doing so.

HB 1416 (Bell/Paxton) was signed by the governor on June 9 and goes into effect immediately. The bill requires at least 15 hours of accelerated instruction for students who fail to achieve satisfactory performance on state tests. If students perform significantly below satisfactory as determined by commissioner rule, schools must provide at least 30 hours of accelerated instruction. The bill increases student-to-teacher ratios to four students per teacher for this instruction and makes provisions for exceptions to this requirement.

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 87th legislature and recently updated with the passage of House Bill 1416 in the 88th legislature, provide that qualifying students must be:

• Assigned a TIA designated teacher for the subsequent school year in the applicable subject area;

OR

• Provided supplemental instruction aligned with the research on high impact tutoring in the TEKS for the applicable grade levels and subject area in the following manner:
  • No less than 15 or 30 hours depending on student performance and is provided in the summer or at least once per week in the school year;
  • Limited to two subjects per year, prioritizing math and RLA;
  • Provided in a group of no more than four students, unless the parent or guardian of each student in the group authorizes a larger group;
  • Designed to assist the student in achieving satisfactory performance in the applicable grade level and subject area and includes effective instructional materials designed for supplemental instruction;
  • Provided by a person with training in the applicable instructional materials for the supplemental instruction and provided by one person for the entirety of their accelerated instruction.

House Bill 1416 updated accelerated instruction requirements from House Bill 4545 by:

• Removing the requirement for Accelerated Learning Committees while requiring Accelerated Education Plan after student fails to achieve approaches or higher on two consecutive assessments in the same subject area
• Limiting tutoring to 2 subjects and no longer including optional assessment administrations
• Increasing student to tutor ratio from 3:1 to 4:1 ratio for tutoring group size
• Reducing minimum hour requirement from 30 to 15 for some students*
• Providing student to teacher ratio waivers for use of approved online curriculum (approvals available spring 2024)

The legislative session is in full swing. The following bills will be worth tracking. You can set up alerts for the bills if you create an account: https://capitol.texas.gov/Home.aspx

HB 1416 was read in the House Public Education Committee two weeks ago and has committee substitution changes posted with other members joining the bill.

Texas Tutoring Vendor Information

April 2023 - Amplify, BookNook, & Zearn

Amplify Tutoring

TEA contact: Zach Lyons

Amplify mClass TOT Summer 2023 Sessions:

● Email went out on March 27, 2023 from Allison Pilley with registration information and dates. Sign up if you need one!

Amplify mClass Intervention Data Sheet(s) & other related Amplify topics:

● Please email: Zachary.Lyons@tea.texas.gov.

FAQ & COMMUNICATION “CHEAT SHEET” | Please refer to the TEA-Amplify Communication & Questions Cheat Sheet, which provides information about commonly-asked questions about Amplify Tutoring and refers you to the right place if you still need more information.

TUTOR TRAINING COURSE PRIORITIES | We recommend tutors move through the course in order from beginning to end; however, if time is a constraint, Module 4 and Module 8 are critical to understanding materials and assessments for tutoring, and being prepared for the synchronous Tutor Capstone session. ESC staff may consult this guidance. LEAs should consult with their region’s Education Service Center to prioritize based upon the needs of your tutors and students.

ADDITIONAL AMPLIFY TUTORING WEBSITES | We created this one-pager which lists the Amplify websites that host tutoring and training information. If you have misplaced the password and/or need support with accessing these websites, please contact texastutoring@amplify.com.

AMPLIFY TUTORING PROGRAM SUPPORT WEBSITE | Please visit the Amplify Tutoring Support Website. This site hosts program and training information, links to register for office hours, and additional resources and information about mCLASS Intervention and high-impact tutoring for all stakeholder groups: https://amplify.com/texastutorsupport/ (password = amplify).

DIRECT TUTORING SERVICES | Amplify is a TEA-approved provider for direct, full-service tutoring. To learn more, please send an email with “Direct tutoring services” in the subject line to Tara Hewitt (thewitt@amplify.com).

mCLASS PLATFORM SUPPORT | The chat feature is always the fastest and easiest way to get tech support. Please locate the chat icon on the bottom right of any Amplify site and click to initiate. You may also contact Amplify Customer Care & Support by email at help@amplify.com or via Amplify’s Texas Tutoring-specific helpline: 888-671-3789.

BookNook Tutoring

TEA contact: Isabella Maldonado

Review the BookNook Decision Timeline letter for LEAs here.

● Isabella sent it to LEAs the week of 2/27/23. Please check with your BN LEAs to ensure receipt and that they have filled out the survey with their vendor choice.

Read BookNook’s summary on the Teachers College study that was conducted about tutoring outcomes in Texas schools.

BookNook Office Hours & Contacts

● We conduct regularly scheduled meetings to provide updates and address questions from ESC and LEA staff. Find the schedule and meeting links HERE. BookNook contacts are also listed at the bottom of the document.

● You may submit your questions for BookNook HERE.

● For any issues using the platform, please contact customer support: https://support.booknooklearning.com/hc/en-us.

The BookNook team is available to help with planning, training and implementing an engaging, high-impact reading program for students. BookNook requires no teacher prep, making it ideal for summer programs.

The Implementation Specialists at BookNook are available to provide professional learning support to educators during initial launch and implementation. The Impact Managers at BookNook are available to provide ongoing professional learning support to educators beyond initial launch, building advocacy within school and district sites.

We can help by

● Providing teacher (guides) and student rostering for schools and districts.

● Providing an overview of the BookNook platform and how to access it.

● Providing an overview of the student reporting features.

● Providing guidance on creating student groups, starting lessons, pausing/ending lessons and additional features.

● Providing guidance on accessing resources within the BookNook platform.

● Scheduling school/district trainings for a group of educators (Please contact your Impact Manager for pricing and additional information).

Zearn Tutoring

TEA contact: Sarah McCaslin

What should Zearn districts be doing right now?

Zearn is beginning to reach out to districts about renewing their Zearn Accounts for 2023-24 under TEA’s TCLAS initiative.

Zearn will share with each district an update on their schools’ Zearn usage.

Fidelity Schools are meeting the fidelity usage requirements of 90+ minutes per week and 3+ grade-level lessons per week.

Active Schools are regularly using Zearn but not meeting the fidelity usage bar of 90+ minutes per week and 3+ grade-level lessons per week.

No Usage schools appear to not be utilizing Zearn (less than 10 students logging into Zearn each week).

In order to be considered for 2023/2024 Zearn license renewals, districts are required to show fidelity usage or a plan for how to improve usage. Fidelity schools are ready to renew. In order to renew Zearn licenses for “Active” and “No Usage” schools, in the upcoming weeks the district will be required to complete a short form indicating what actions it will take to improve Zearn usage. Click here to preview the form.

Zearn is happy to meet with districts to answer any questions and to provide support with implementing Zearn Math.

Zearn Resources:

● Resources to support tutoring planning and implementation are available on the Texas Tutoring Page.

● Zearn’s Getting Started Checklist can help as you prepare to launch Zearn for tutoring.

Email chanda@zearn.org with questions.

Do your K–5 students need extra practice in reading skills? Don’t miss your chance to secure FREE high-impact tutoring materials that are proven to accelerate reading growth. Apply by the funding deadline on May 19!

In order to help schools and districts take advantage of this opportunity, Amplify is hosting a series of informational sessions designed to provide an overview of Amplify Tutoring and walk participants through the process to obtain TEA-subsidized licenses. Apply now for free high-impact tutoring materials and training or attend one of our live informational sessions to learn more.

Join us on March 1st as we look at and reflect on accelerated instruction and its impact on our students. This will be a time to network with districts, review your own data to determine success and make plans for final adjustments in time for STAAR performance.

Admission is FREE!

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.

HB 4545 requires Texas school districts to implement at a minimum supplemental accelerated instruction, an accelerated learning committee, and modified teacher assignments based on the following requirements:

• Elimination of grade retention and retesting requirements in grades 5 and 8.
• For any student who does not pass the STAAR test in grade 3, 5, or 8 in math or reading, a new LEA requirement to establish an accelerated learning committee to develop an individual educational plan for the student and monitor progress.
• For any student who does not pass the STAAR test in grades 3–8 or STAAR end-of-course (EOC) assessments, clarification of prior supplemental accelerated instruction requirements, specifying that it must include either:

*Being assigned a classroom teacher who is a certified master, exemplary, or recognized teacher or
*Receiving supplemental instruction (tutoring) before or after school, or embedded in the school day.

The mission of ESC 5 is to assist schools through various

initiatives​ in meeting the needs of students through

efficient and economical means.

Email: jistre@esc5.net
Website: www.esc5.net
Location: 350 Pine Street, Beaumont, TX, USA
Phone: 409-951-1721

The LASO Grant is officially open for applying! The application timeframe is from November 7th through December 22nd.

The Qualtrics application link can be accessed via the email sent to the LEA's Superintendent on November 7th. If LEA's Superintendent has not received the email with the application link, click here to complete a form to request one. If LEAs would like to print the application, download link is available here. Please note that the formal submission of the application requires a Qualtrics survey submission.