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South Texas Independent School District (STISD) is excited to announce its acceptance by the Texas Education Agency (TEA) as one of up to 30 school districts in the state to participate in the agency’s first cycle of the High-Impact Tutoring (HIT) Implementation Workshop Series for the 2021-2022 school year.

The HIT Implementation Workshop Series is a training program designed for local education agencies (LEAs) interested in implementing a high-impact tutoring program. According to TEA, with early data indicating that school closures and disruptions in the 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 school years are likely to result in unfinished learning for many students statewide, multi-year recovery and acceleration supports have become even more crucial. Many LEAs are considering high-impact tutoring, as there is strong evidence that it is one of the most effective ways to increase learning gains for students.

High-impact tutoring responds to individual needs and complements students’ existing curriculum, leading to substantial learning gains for students by supplementing their classroom experiences. Characteristics of these types of programs include: 

• Well-trained, consistent tutors who build strong relationships with students
• High-quality instructional material aligned to standards and core classwork
• One-to-one or small groups for individualized support
• Embedded in the school day or immediately before or after to maximize student access
• Data-driven, utilizing aligned formative assessments, with tutors building sessions around student strengths and needs

TEA structured this month-long, intensive series of eight workshops to provide step-by-step technical assistance on the key decisions LEAs need to make to establish high-impact tutoring programs quickly (e.g., program design, program implementation, and tutor selection). The training, which will be led by an experienced provider specializing in high-impact tutoring, will involve a mixture of synchronous and asynchronous support, alongside networking opportunities with other members of the cohort for learning and sharing of best practices.

Upon receiving notice of acceptance, STISD committed to participating in Cohort 1 of the program, which is scheduled to run June 21-July 16. The STISD Curriculum & Instruction department will participate in the workshop, as the district works with current staff to build upon and improve existing tutoring programs and increase effectiveness to better serve students district wide. 

“We appreciate this opportunity for guidance and ideas for strengthening our tutoring programs for the benefit of our students,” said Nereyda Treviño, chief academic officer at STISD. “As a district, we have made proactive efforts to curb learning loss and to address needs for remediation along the way; however, we look forward to continual improvement in this area to help all students recover and reach the highest level of academic success possible.”