Texas STAAR Tutoring For Learning Loss

Tutoring for learning loss is something that educators have been doing for decades. When a student falls behind, the obvious key is to help them out with a more focused approach. That’s the state of Texas’s logic behind legislation that targets students who have experienced learning loss as measured by the Texas STAAR assessments.

In this article, we’ll discuss Texas House Bill 4545 and how to implement these policies into your everyday school schedule.

Texas House Bill 4545 Explained

Texas HB 4545 states that any students in grades 3rd-8th that fail any of the four Texas STAAR exams in their grade level must complete 30 hours of accelerated instruction per class. So if a student fails all four exams, they would be required to do 120 hours of accelerated instruction. That’s a lot when you consider that it’s in addition to the typical school day.

What is accelerated instruction according to the state of Texas?

It is essential reteaching or tutoring of the material in a faster manner. So instead of spending a year on the exam material, the student spends 30 hours. Students are taught in small groups (3 students to 1 teacher).

High-dosage tutoring: tutoring small groups during the school day

When Texas HB4545 is implemented in schools, it takes the form of high-dosage tutoring. This method is highly effective but can be quite expensive. Its effectiveness stems from the very small group sizes, allowing teachers to tailor their instruction to individual students and ensure no one falls through the cracks. In Texas, the law mandates a maximum of three students per teacher, which can significantly increase the personnel and time costs associated with such intensive instruction. However, this low student-to-teacher ratio is crucial for providing personalized attention and support, ultimately leading to better educational outcomes.

How do you tutor inside of the school day?

How do we fit tutoring into the school day if we know that high-dosage tutoring is effective and required? Many schools embed tutoring into the school day to reduce COVID learning loss. We’ve compiled some tips to make it work at your school.

Scheduling is key

Many schools have found success with the right schedule. Creating a tutoring time during the day means you don’t have to worry about squeezing in enough tutoring time throughout the day. You also don’t have to worry about staffing issues. You can use your school’s own teachers to do the accelerated . Many schools will label this period “enrichment.” Students who require tutoring are prioritized, and those not getting tutored participate in enrichment activities like academic clubs. With the right schedule, you can place tutors with students that need them most.

Find the right tutors

It may not always be possible to rearrange your school schedule to prioritize tutoring. It might be there aren’t enough students requiring tutoring to make such a significant change. School districts can employ tutors from the community for pull-out tutoring.

It can be tough to find suitable tutors, but be sure to evaluate the resources in your community.

Retired teachers are perfect for this job. Retired teachers typically miss the student interaction but don’t want to lesson plan or grade for a large class. Tutoring gives them the best parts of teaching in a smaller environment.
College and high school students are often looking for ways to volunteer in the community. With the right structure, these students can follow the materials given to them.

Conduct assessments to measure growth frequently

If you’re going to invest time and resources into tutoring, then you need to measure its effectiveness at your school. Conduct assessments to measure growth frequently. Do smaller assessments that measure specific skills so you can pinpoint exactly what students know.

If you’re working alongside a tutor, you can coordinate these assessments using online tools. Read on how you can do this.

Manage workflows with tech tools

If your school is working with tutors, then you no doubt have run into a few issues:

Keeping tutors on the same page
Producing enough materials that tutors can work through during tutoring sessions
Staying on top of assessment

These are common issues, and with the right tools, you can manage workflows to prevent these headaches. There needs to be a practice and assessment tool that addresses these problems. That’s where TeacherMade fits.

How can TeacherMade help with Texas STAAR tutoring for learning loss?

TeacherMade is a vital part of your tutoring workflow. With TeacherMade, teachers can facilitate tutoring online:

Teachers use materials they already have and convert PDFs to online digital worksheets.
Co-teachers or tutors can be added to each assignment. Our co-teacher feature makes it easy for multiple teachers and tutors to collaborate. You can collaborate on the contents of the assignment and look at the results.
Students get instant feedback on each assignment so they are more invested in their own success.

Students can do TeacherMade’s online worksheets anytime and anywhere. So the student’s primary teacher does not need to be present during tutoring sessions. A student can complete practice, and teachers can leave feedback (even recorded audio instructions!).

TeacherMade brings flexibility to the required tutoring in Texas.