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For more information, e-mail reading@esc4.net or call 713.744.4457. Follow the links below for additional resources.

READING AND WRITING LEARNING PROGRESSIONS
Need a way to spot potential student learning gaps?
Reading comprehension and written composition are reciprocal processes. Explicit instruction that integrates reading and writing supports an enhanced literacy experience. Each of these skills develop through a learning progression taught in first-time instruction or revisited through intervention.

Region 4 offers these two guidebooks to help teachers identify where their students are in the continuum of reading and writing. And, importantly, these guidebooks provide information on where teachers should take their instruction to help students progress positively along that continuum. Download a flyer for these resources here.

Reading Guidebook: Pathways to Reading Comprehension

This resource is a guidebook for reading, with a focus on students in Kindergarten through Grade 5. Developed to be concise and compact, Pathways to Reading Comprehension provides teachers easy-to-use instructional targets in the areas of phonological awareness, word analysis, levels of fluency, facets of vocabulary, and comprehension skills. Each section features a continuum on the development of the skill, which provides guidance on where to begin instruction and how to build toward effective reading comprehension. A set of 5 guidebooks is available for $20. ORDER ONLINE

Using Pathways to Reading Comprehension to Accelerate and Differentiate Reading Instruction
Pathways to Reading Comprehension outlines the developmental continuums of phonological awareness, word analysis, vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension that make up effective reading comprehension. This short training offers educators a snapshot into how to use the continuums in the booklet to accelerate and/or differentiate reading instruction for their learners. Register for the FREE on-demand session here.

Writing Guidebook: Written Composition in Moti on

This teacher guidebook can be used to determine instruction and intervention targets when working with students in Kindergarten through Grade 5. The areas covered in this resource include mechanics/handwriting, word study, levels of fluency, facets of vocabulary, composition, and conventions. This resource provides a continuum on the development of each skill, which guides the educator on where to begin instruction and how to build toward effective written composition. A set of 5 guidebooks is available for $25. Order Set | Order Single

STELLAR: STAAR ®​ TECHNIQUES TO ENGAGE LEARNERS IN LITERACY AND ACADEMIC RIGOR STAAR preparation series for reading and English end-of-course assessments.

This resource incorporates multigenre pieces, thematically linked to seamlessly align to the STAAR platform for assessments. Each module is creatively crafted to inspire inquiry, discussion, and ongoing reflection, offering added-value enrichments through technology, research, listening, speaking, and study skills. STELLAR provides relevant scaffolding options for diverse learners and gifted and talented students and includes summative and formative assessment options and suggestions for extensions that support authentic literacy experiences. Available for grades 4-8 and English I-III. $50 per grade level. ORDER ONLINE | Samples

STELLAR ESSAY WRITING

Explore multigenre modules linked to seamlessly align with high school writing assessments.
Modules are crafted to inspire inquiry, discussion, and ongoing reflection, offering added-value enrichments through technology, research, listening, and speaking. STELLAR Essay Writing provides relevant scaffolding options for diverse learners and includes suggestions for extensions that support authentic writing experiences.$100 per copy. ORDER ONLINE | Download a sample

DECONSTRUCTING COGNITIVE COMPLEXITY IN THE READING/LANGUAGE ARTS CURRICULUM: INFORMATIONAL GUIDE
Unwrap the TEKS for planning lessons that meet the cognitive demands of the reading/language arts curriculum.
Learn how to critically analyze a standard to determine the skills, reasoning, and strategic thinking necessary for students to achieve mastery of an expectation through practical examples and step-by-step instructions. This information will help educators better understand the standards beyond "the verb" to help students achieve the cognitive demands of the reading/language arts curriculum. Set of 5 for $25.ORDER ONLINE

ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS AND WRITING TEKS CHARTS
TEKS at a glance: Time-saving Texas curriculum tool
Each TEKS Chart is a foldout with pre-punched holes that fit into a three-ring binder. All of the English language arts/reading TEKS for K-8, English I-IV, English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL), and English Language Development and Acquisition (ELDA) are captured in their own charts. These charts can be used to highlight TEKS by unit or reporting category or to easily examine vertical alignment. Grade levels available: kindergarten-grade 8, English I-IV, ESOL I-II, and ELDA. Set of 10 for $20.

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For more information, e-mail reading@esc4.net or call 713.744.4457. Follow the links below for additional resources. READING AND WRITING LEARNING PROGRESSIONS Need a way to spot potential student learning gaps? Reading comprehension and written composition are reciprocal processes. Explicit instruction that integrates reading and writing supports an enhanced literacy experience.

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Acceleration vs. Remediation vs. Intervention: What's the Difference?

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Acceleration vs. Remediation vs. Intervention: What's the Difference?

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Acceleration, remediation, and intervention have the same fundamental goal: supporting struggling students to ultimately achieve academic success. Dig a little deeper, however, and you'll find that the differences between these three flavors of support are critical to determining what sort of environment, time, and approach might be required to best serve your students. Let's take a closer look at these terms to unpack the differences and provide guidance on when and where they might fit into your instructional day.

Acceleration

Acceleration is the concept of teaching grade-level material but weaving in stopping points periodically to address a small missing piece in fundamental understanding before popping back up to the original skill. This concept is intended to overcome the vicious circle of reviewing below-grade-level concepts with struggling learners repeatedly, never giving them sufficient opportunity to demonstrate grade-level mastery.

Proponents of this approach note that the brain is flexible enough to allow for these quick pivots in instruction, and they are leaning on new research from TNTP (The New Teacher Project) to support this strategy. TNTP recommends acceleration over remediation based on evidence in elementary math classrooms, particularly following pandemic-affected learning that occurred from March 2020 to May 2021, which perpetuated learning loss and achievement gaps for so many.

The ED COVID-19 Handbook by the U.S. Department of Education describes acceleration as a focus on quickly diagnosing gaps in critical concepts that may impede students from accessing grade-level coursework. Acceleration includes accessing prior knowledge and teaching prerequisite skills that students need to learn at a pace that allows them to stay engaged in grade-level content and lays a foundation for new academic vocabulary.

Remediation

At a basic level, remediation (or reteaching) means "teaching again" content that students previously failed to learn. As teachers recognize misconceptions or errors in understanding, they may focus on this missing, below-grade-level materials before returning to grade-level learning. This is done early on and for the benefit of all learners during core instruction in hope of preventing the majority of students from requiring more targeted, intensive interventions later on. Many teachers engage in remediation regularly as a natural part of instruction, without using a formal process or even explicitly recognizing their actions as intentional reteaching.

Remediation is also often guided by some sort of formative assessment, whether formal or informal, in order to gather enough insight to recognize the large breakdown in knowledge that students are experiencing. For this approach to be impactful, teachers must use a different method than the one initially used-one that builds on previous learning and focuses on the specific gaps in student thinking experienced the first time around. Ideally, remediation or reteaching is done early in the learning process, before additional skills are taught or more formal mastery tests or summative exams are administered.

Intervention

Intervention, popularized by two common models: response to intervention (RTI) and multi-tiered system of supports (MTSS), is often identified as a formal process for helping students who are struggling, where research-based instructional approaches are implemented around very specific skill deficits and where progress is regularly tracked. This intensive approach was first introduced with the 2004 reauthorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA) as a method to help identify students with specific learning disabilities. In today's teaching, most school districts use intervention to prevent learning gaps from widening in later grades and to identify students for special education referral.

Intervention frameworks like RTI and MTSS are often divided into three sections, where about 80 percent of students are considered tier 1 and receive core instruction and small doses of necessary remediation or reteaching. Tier 2 (5 to 15 percent of students) and tier 3 (less than 5 percent of students) students are then most directly involved in regular small-group or one-to-one interventions. To determine which students require intervention services, a formalized screening and diagnostic assessment process is often used, during which specific strengths and needs are identified, growth targets are set, and a regimented plan for delivery and progress monitoring is outlined.

When to Employ Each Approach

Different circumstances and student needs can lead to a need for all three instructional approaches. In between delivering core instruction for a specific standard in accordance with curriculum, regularly pausing to reflect and reteach, while similarly baking in intentional intervention time for those who might be struggling with underlying skills or concepts is simply good teaching. This balancing act can often feel like navigating a decision tree but for instruction. Look at the following graphic for one such example.

This graphic illustrates the nuanced differences between acceleration and remediation for addressing learning gaps with large populations of students and simultaneously demonstrates where and how intervention fits alongside each approach.

As an educator, it is important to understand the key differences between instructional approaches and the value each one holds. This can make your practice more intentional.

For example, if only 10 percent of your students require a small dose of acceleration or extended remediation style of instruction, it may not be necessary to organize all students into small groups for an intervention block. Similarly, if only a subset of learners would benefit from a hands-on alternative instructional method to achieve understanding, it may not be necessary to stop and remediate a concept to the whole class.

Knowing when to turn to remediation versus intervention to best meet student needs will make for a more balanced learning ecosystem. This way, everyone is receiving the right level of services at just the right time.

Interested in learning more about tiered intervention? Discover how to support tier 1, tier 2, and tier 3 students with proven programs.
This blog was originally published October 2018 and has been updated.

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Acceleration vs. Remediation vs. Intervention: What's the Difference?

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Intervention and remediation (also commonly referred to as reteaching) have the same fundamental goal: supporting struggling students with focused learning opportunities to achieve academic success. But still, the differences between these two flavors of instruction are critical to determining what sort of environment, time, and approach might be required to best serve your students.

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Accelerated instruction was addressed by the 87th Regular Session of the Texas Legislature in House Bill (HB) 4545.

Schools have new requirements for ensuring students are achieving learning targets. Accomplishing this task may impact staffing, master scheduling, and an increased use of tutors in schools.

Accelerated Instruction

HB 4545 establishes new requirements for schools implementing accelerated instruction for students who do not pass the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR). The new statute, effective June 16, 2021, requires accelerated instruction to be implemented for students beginning with the 2021-2022 school year.

A broad overview of the requirements for school districts and campuses include the following:

Elimination of the grade placement committee (GPC) to be replaced by an accelerated learning committee (ALC) for any student who did not pass the STAAR test in grade 3, 5, or 8 in math or reading in spring 2021. The ALC committee will develop an individual educational plan for the student and provide a copy to the parent or guardian, as well as monitor student progress over the year.

Accelerated instruction must be provided for students who failed to perform satisfactorily on any grade 3 through 8 STAAR assessment or any end of course (EOC) assessment.

Instruction must occur in the 2021-2022 school year (beginning in fall 2021) or the subsequent summer (2022).

The student must be assigned to either a classroom teacher who is certified as a master, exemplary, or recognized teacher for the subsequent school year in the applicable subject area or be provided at least 30 hours of supplemental instruction (i.e., tutoring) in the applicable subject area(s).

Districts must establish a process allowing the parent or guardian of a student who fails to perform satisfactorily on a STAAR or EOC assessment to make a request that the student be assigned to a particular classroom teacher in the applicable subject area for the subsequent school year (if more than one classroom teacher is available). Districts are also required to adopt a policy providing for a parent or guardian grievance process directly related to HB 4545 requirements.

Students requiring accelerated instruction cannot be removed from the following:

Instruction in grade level foundation curriculum (e.g., English language arts and reading, mathematics, science, social studies)

Instruction in enrichment curriculum for the grade level (e.g., career and technical education, fine arts, health education, languages other than English, physical education, technology applications)

Recess or physical activity that is available to other students enrolled in the same grade level

Any supplemental instruction delivered to students in summer 2021 must meet HB 4545 requirements to be considered applicable for the 2021-2022 school year. More details can be found in the Texas Education Agency (TEA) frequently asked questions document related to HB 4545 implementation.

Master schedule and staffing implications

HB 4545 broadens a parent's or guardian's right to choose a teacher for a student for the school year (through the ALC process) which could impact master scheduling. Requirements to embed supplemental instruction during the school day or outside of the regular school day could impact both staffing and scheduling.

To accomplish a one tutor to three or less student ratio will increase other staff to student ratios for the 30-minute block during the school day. This may require hiring additional staff to maintain a pre-determined student to staff ratio.

Schools will have to rethink master scheduling and staffing patterns to ensure students receiving supplemental instruction during the school day are provided the same instructional opportunities as peers. Schools may need to hire extra staff to supplement instruction or redesign master schedules to provide more flexibility for instruction throughout the school day.

To accomplish supplemental instruction during the school day at a secondary campus the master schedule may need to be modified, including the insertion of intervention periods. A traditional seven- or eight-period schedule may result in shorter periods three of the five days in a week to carve out the 30-minute tutoring sessions. The same scenario could be applied to a block schedule by shortening the three "A" block days week one and the three "B" block days week two and so forth to balance the instructional time provided for all class periods.

Elementary campuses also may adjust their daily schedule to build in these same types of interventions. All foundation and enrichment curriculum could be shortened to carve out 30 minutes three days per week.

Consideration will have to be given for students not needing the supplemental instruction. Activities not related to the foundation or enrichment curriculum will need to be offered. These may include club participation, personal skill building (e.g., knitting, basket-weaving, scrapbooking, horseshoes), or extracurricular practices. This may also provide an opportunity for a peer tutoring program for students struggling in an academic area but not identified in need of intervention due to failing an assessment.

Surveying for student interests and tapping into staff talents may provide opportunities to build student skills in areas not otherwise available.

Unfortunately, students participating in the supplemental instruction program would miss out on these non-foundation and non-enrichment curriculum activities.

High impact tutoring

A recommendation for supplemental instruction provided by the TEA is to design high impact tutoring programs. High-impact tutoring programs lead to substantial learning gains by supplementing students' classroom experiences. It focuses on students' individual needs and is a complement to the existing curriculum.

Key attributes of these high-impact tutoring programs include:

Well-trained, consistent tutors providing instruction in small groups consisting of ratios between one and three students per tutor

High-quality instructional materials aligned to standards and core curriculum

Embedded instruction during the school day or immediately before or after school to maximize student access for a minimum of three sessions per week of at least 30 sustained minutes or more

Data-driven sessions with tutors building sessions around student needs and strengths

Data-tracking of formative assessment to ensure student growth and progress

While high-impact programs are recommended by TEA, staffing these tutoring programs will be a challenge for many school districts. One option, supported by new legislation in Senate Bill (SB) 288 and SB 1356, may be to hire retired teachers to help address learning loss.

These bills provide relief for school districts and retirees making it a viable option. TEA is collaborating with the Texas Retirement System (TRS), Texas Retired Teachers Association (TRTA), and local education service centers (ESCs) to develop additional guidance for districts related to this legislation. Additional details about the two bills can be found in the HRX article, Legislative Update: Teacher Retirement System Issues .

Additional thoughts

HB 4545 doesn't require a tutor to be a teacher, and research shows different tutor types can be successful. School districts could consider hiring college students, active or retired teachers, or engaging community volunteers and paraprofessionals to provide tutoring during the school day or before or after school.

School districts will have to be creative to implement a supplemental instructional program while preserving a student's foundation and enrichment curriculum opportunities in a budget conscious environment. Through careful planning and leveraging additional resources such as the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funding, districts should be successful in accomplishing this task.

Resources

TEA has created a HB 4545 FAQ containing a lot of helpful information. The Accelerated Learning Resources page on the TEA website provides a HB 4545 overview and retention and retesting and learning acceleration information. TEA is providing the following series of webinars:

For further implementation questions email TEA at Accelerated.Instruction@tea.texas.gov.
Jennifer Barton is an HR and compensation consultant at TASB HR Services. Send Jennifer an email at jennifer.barton@tasb.org. Karen Dooley is a senior HR consultant at TASB HR Services. Send Karen an email at karen.dooley@tasb.org.
Stay up to date with all the latest HR news and trends by joining the HRX mailing list!

Tagged: Hiring, Staffing, TEA, "Teacher Retirement System", "Texas Education Agency", TRS

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Accelerated instruction was addressed by the 87th Regular Session of the Texas Legislature in House Bill (HB) 4545.

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10 Key Practices for All Middle and High Schools with strong evidence of effectiveness from high-quality research—including selected grade-level descriptions of what students should know and be able to do—

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10 Key Practices for All Middle and High Schools with strong evidence of effectiveness from high-quality research—including selected grade-level descriptions of what students should know and be able to do—

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STELLAR®! STAAR Techniques to Engage Learners in Literacy and Academic Rigor

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Region 4 serves a seven-county area composed of 47 public school districts and 40 public charter schools, representing more than 1.2 million students, 105,000 educators, and 1,500 campuses.

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STAAR® Techniques to Engage Learners in Literacy and Academic Rigor (STELLAR), English I Page 4 (4 of 195)

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STAAR Techniques to Engage Learners in Literacy and Academic Rigor (STELLAR) Value-Added Components STELLAR STELLAR Thematic Instruction STELLAR

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Free 6 hour course

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Literacy for All is a Course

Literacy for All

Self-paced
6 credits

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Full course description

Literacy for All! Designing Inclusive Literacy Learning Environments is designed to help educators understand the importance of teaching students who struggle to read on grade level in grades 4-12 foundational reading skills. You will learn about the science of teaching reading, including an overview of what skills need to be mastered to become a proficient reader, how the brain learns to read, the characteristics of dyslexia and dysgraphia, how a student's learning abilities associated with reading can impact a student's ability to learn how to read, and what instruction and accommodations can remove barriers to learning. This session was developed by the Inclusion in Texas Network in collaboration with the Texas Education Agency (TEA).

Sign up for this course today!

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Literacy for All - Inclusion in Texas Network

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Literacy for All is a Course Self-paced 6 credits Enroll Literacy for All! Designing Inclusive Literacy Learning Environments is designed to help educators understand the importance of teaching students who struggle to read on grade level in grades 4-12 foundational reading skills.