Section 104.1001 - Accelerated Instruction and Modified Teacher Assignment(a) Definition of accelerated instruction. For purposes of this chapter, " accelerated instruction" means instruction required under Texas Education Code (TEC), §28.0211(a-1) and, if applicable, (a-4).(b) Requirements for accelerated instruction. (1) Each time a student fails to perform satisfactorily on an assessment instrument administered under TEC, § 39.023(a), in Grades 3-8, or on an end-of-course assessment instrument administered under TEC, § 39.023(c), other than an assessment instrument developed or adopted based on alternative academic achievement standards, the school district or open-enrollment charter school the student attends shall provide to the student accelerated instruction in the applicable subject area during the subsequent summer or school year and, subject to TEC, § 28.0211(a-7) and (a-8), either: (A) allow the student to be assigned a classroom teacher who is certified as a master, exemplary, or recognized teacher under TEC, § 21.3521, for the subsequent school year in the applicable subject area; or(B) provide the student supplemental instruction under TEC, § 28.0211(a-4).(2) The superintendent of each school district and chief administrative officer of each open-enrollment charter school shall establish procedures to ensure that each eligible student who is absent or does not receive a test score for any test administration shall receive appropriate accelerated instruction as warranted on an individual student basis.(3) Paragraph (2) of this subsection may not be used to excuse a student from appropriate accelerated instruction required by this subsection.(c) Participation in accelerated instruction. Accelerated instruction may require a student to participate before or after normal school hours and may include participation at times of the year outside normal school operations. Each school district and open-enrollment charter school shall be responsible for providing transportation to students required to attend accelerated instruction programs if the programs occur outside of regular school hours, unless the school district or charter school does not operate, contract, or agree with another entity to operate a transportation system.(1) In providing accelerated instruction, a school district or an open-enrollment charter school may not remove a student from recess or from the foundation or enrichment curriculum as defined in TEC, § 28.002, except under circumstances for which a student enrolled in the same grade level who is not receiving accelerated instruction would be removed. The foundation curriculum includes English language arts, mathematics, science, and social studies. Courses in the enrichment curriculum include languages other than English; health, with emphasis on physical health, proper nutrition, and exercise; mental health, including instruction about mental health conditions, substance abuse, skills to manage emotions, establishing and maintaining positive relationships, and responsible decision making; suicide prevention; physical education; fine arts; career and technical education; technology applications; religious literature; and personal financial literacy.(2) In the event that a school week is three or less instructional days, the school is exempt from meeting the requirement of meeting once per week for accelerated instruction.(d) Content and delivery of supplemental instruction. Supplemental instruction shall be based on, but not limited to, targeted instruction in the essential knowledge and skills for the applicable grade levels and subject areas and be provided by a person with training in the applicable instructional materials for the supplemental instruction and under the oversight of the school district or open-enrollment charter school. Supplemental instruction shall be provided as outlined in TEC, § 28.0211(a-4)(1) and (2), to a student individually or in a group of no more than four students, unless the parent or guardian of each student in the group authorizes a larger group. School districts and charter schools choosing to provide supplemental instruction to a student under subsection (b)(1)(B) of this section shall provide students who fail to perform satisfactorily on an assessment instrument specified under TEC, § 28.0211(a-1): (1) no less than 15 hours of supplemental instruction; or(2) no less than 30 hours of supplemental instruction for students who scored Low Did Not Meet Grade Level as indicated by state-provided district-level data files or failed to perform satisfactorily on any Grade 3 assessment.(e) Accelerated education plans. For each student who does not perform satisfactorily on an assessment instrument specified under TEC, § 28.0211(a-1), for two or more consecutive school years in the same subject area, the school district or open-enrollment charter school the student attends shall develop an accelerated education plan as described by TEC, § 28.0211(f), and provide the student at least 30 hours of supplemental instruction. A school district or charter school shall make a good faith attempt to provide to the parent or guardian of a student to whom TEC, § 28.0211(b), applies a parent-teacher conference with the student's primary teacher at the start and end of the subsequent school year. At the conference, the school district or charter school shall provide the student's parent or guardian with: (1) the notice required under TEC, § 28.0211(a-14); and(2) an explanation of: (A) the accelerated instruction to which the student is entitled under this section; and(B) the accelerated education plan that must be developed for the student under TEC, § 28.0211(f), and the manner in which the parent or guardian may participate in developing the plan.(f) Request for teacher assignment. In accordance with TEC, § 28.0211(a-5), the parent or guardian of a student who fails to perform satisfactorily on an assessment instrument specified under TEC, § 28.0211(a-1), may follow established school district or open-enrollment charter school processes to 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.(g) Approval of Ratio Waiver List products using automated, computerized, or other augmented method. The Texas Education Agency (TEA) shall approve one or more products that use an automated, computerized, or other augmented method for providing accelerated instruction under TEC, § 28.0211(a-1)(2), that may be used in lieu of some or all of the individual or group instruction required under TEC, § 28.0211(a-4)(6), as appropriate for the applicable grade level and subject area and a student's academic deficiency. Products on the Ratio Waiver List do not require live, in-person or online educators to deliver primary mode of instruction. TEA may approve a product under this subsection only if evidence indicates that the product is more effective than the individual or group instruction required under TEC, § 28.0211(a-4)(6). (1) For the purposes of this subsection, the Ratio Waiver List consists of products that use an automated, computerized, or other augmented method for providing accelerated instruction under TEC, § 28.0211(a-1)(2), that may be used in lieu of some or all of the individual or group instruction required under TEC, § 28.0211(a-4)(6), as appropriate for the applicable grade level and subject area and a student's academic deficiency.(2) School districts and open-enrollment charter schools may provide accelerated instruction using a product on the Ratio Waiver List on the TEA website with information related to accelerated instruction. The 4:1 student-to-teacher ratio requirement in subsection (d) of this section does not apply to a school district or charter school using a listed product to provide accelerated instruction to its students.(3) School districts and open-enrollment charter schools shall: (A) notify the parent or guardian of the use of a product on the Ratio Waiver List for providing the required accelerated instruction;(B) ensure that the required hours of supplemental instruction are completed prior to the subsequent State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR®) administration;(C) use a product on the Ratio Waiver List remotely, regardless of primary mode of instruction (i.e., in-person, virtual, or hybrid) only if the school district ensures that time spent by the student engaged in the product is aligned with approved product usage expectations documented by the school district;(D) adhere to the product usage fidelity requirements by product as approved by TEA to waive ratio requirements. A school district not fulfilling usage fidelity with a product will be required to revert to the 4:1 ratio for supplemental instruction as specified in subsection (d) of this section; and(E) be responsible for contracting and funding the selected vendors included on the TEA list of approved vendors.(4) Entities seeking Ratio Waiver List vendor approval shall follow a process required by TEA.(h) Accelerated instruction waivers. Under TEC, § 28.0211(q), the commissioner of education may waive requirements of accelerated instruction for a school district or an open-enrollment charter school as outlined in this subsection.(1) For the purposes of this subsection:(A) "significantly below satisfactorily" is defined as achieving a performance level of Low Did Not Meet Grade Level on a STAAR® mathematics or reading administration;(B) "satisfactorily" is defined as achieving a performance level of Approaches or better on a STAAR® mathematics or reading administration; and(C) "educationally disadvantaged" is defined as being identified in the Texas Student Data System Public Education Information Management System (TSDS PEIMS) as being eligible to participate in the national free or reduced-price lunch program established under 42 U.S.C. §1751 et seq.(2) Only those subject areas for which two consecutive years of assessment instrument distribution can be positively identified (i.e., mathematics and reading) for all students based on their grade level shall be considered in the determination of this waiver.(3) A school district or an open-enrollment charter school shall be eligible for the one-year waiver if it meets all of the following conditions when reviewing the most recent available year of STAAR® data:(A) 60% of total students eligible to receive accelerated instruction in mathematics and 60% of total students eligible to receive accelerated instruction in reading score satisfactorily on the applicable subject area assessment instrument;(B) 60% of students eligible to receive accelerated instruction who scored significantly below satisfactorily in the prior year score satisfactorily on the applicable subject area assessment instrument(s). This condition is only applicable if at least 10 students receiving accelerated instruction scored significantly below satisfactorily in the prior year; and(C) at least 50% of students receiving special education services or qualifying as educationally disadvantaged who received accelerated instruction in mathematics and/or reading score satisfactorily on the subsequent applicable subject area assessment instrument(s). This condition is only applicable if at least 10 students who received accelerated instruction receive special education services or qualified as educationally disadvantaged.(4) TEA shall generate a yearly report that identifies all school districts and open-enrollment charter schools that meet all applicable conditions and are consequently eligible for the one-year waiver.(5) Eligible school districts and open-enrollment charter schools shall be notified via TEA communication pathways upon the publication of the annual list.(6) Upon distribution of the annual notification, eligible school districts and open-enrollment charter schools shall have 45 days to apply for the waiver using the Accelerated Instruction Waiver under TEA Login (TEAL).(7) The one-year waiver application shall contain the following at minimum: (A) the school district or open-enrollment charter school's name;(B) the signature of the school district's superintendent or the chief administrative officer of an open-enrollment charter school;(C) documentation of the approval of the board of trustees or governing board, as applicable; and(D) an explanation of how the school district or open-enrollment charter school will evaluate the impact of the waiver on student performance.(i) Repeating a high school course. (1) For the purpose of this subsection, credit recovery means completing a certain number of assignments to satisfy the course requirements after failure or a certain number of seat hours after excessive absences.(2) For courses taken for high school credit, a student who is required to repeat any course in which the student was enrolled in during the previous school year and who is eligible for accelerated instruction for the current school year is exempt from accelerated instruction requirements for that specific course if that course is retaken in its entirety (i.e., to earn a full credit). However, a student who is participating in credit recovery is still required to receive accelerated instruction.19 Tex. Admin. Code § 104.1001
Adopted by Texas Register, Volume 47, Number 22, June 3, 2022, TexReg 3255, eff. 6/9/2022; Amended by Texas Register, Volume 49, Number 20, May 17, 2024, TexReg 3526, eff. 5/22/2024