TEFA Tutoring for Students with an IEP

An IEP describes what your child can already do as well as what comes next, which makes it a strong plan to teach from. Good tutoring uses it in four ways:

• Lessons aim at the IEP goals. Each lesson works on a goal from the plan, alongside the schoolwork your child has that week.
• Accommodations carry over. If the IEP gives extra time, breaks, read-aloud or a reduced workload, lessons do the same.
• Progress is written down. You can see movement toward each goal, which helps at your next IEP meeting.
• The same adult each time. A teacher who knows your child's plan does not need it explained again.

At Tutero, you share your child's IEP on the first call and its goals and accommodations go into the plan before lesson one. Your child keeps the same teacher every week, and you get a written report after each lesson. Tutero teachers support children with dyslexia, dysgraphia, dyscalculia, ADHD, autism and processing differences. See our online tutoring page for learning differences, or TEFA tutoring for autism if your child is on the autism spectrum.

The extra money depends on where your child learns, according to the Texas Comptroller. If your child has a current Texas IEP on file with the Texas Education Agency (TEA) and attends a participating private school, your child's TEFA account can hold the $10,474 base plus the amount your school district would receive under that IEP, up to $30,000 a year. Most students receive less than that. A homeschooled child with an IEP gets $2,000, the same as other homeschool students. The rules behind that:

• Which IEP counts. A Texas IEP from the 2023-24, 2024-25 or 2025-26 school year, on file with TEA by the end of the application period. Other proof, such as an expired or out-of-state IEP, gives priority only.
• What sets the extra amount. Your school district of residence and the instructional arrangement code on the IEP. Odyssey's code list explains each code, and the amount in your award notice can change once your district is confirmed, according to the Comptroller's special education funding page.
• Getting an IEP outside public school. You can ask your school district for an evaluation even if your child is not in public school. The district must complete it within 45 school days of your consent and, if your child is eligible, write an IEP and upload it to TEA's system. Parents cannot upload it themselves.
• At a private school. State law requires families to be told that a private school is not subject to federal and state special education laws in the same way as a public school. TEA says your child may still get some services from the district where the private school is located, so ask that district about equitable services.
• PDSES. TEA's one-time $1,500 PDSES grant is for public school students, so a child cannot use PDSES and TEFA at the same time.

Whether a new or updated IEP will count for 2027-28 has not been announced. Our guide to TEFA for students with disabilities covers appeals and the full proof table, and TEFA eligibility and account amounts covers income tiers.

Some honest limits. A tutor cannot write or change an IEP, and tutoring does not replace the services your district provides. Tutero lessons are online, so a child who needs in-person support may need a different setting. TEFA approval is a legal check. The Comptroller says a vendor's place in the marketplace "does not constitute an endorsement", so judge any tutor on how well they teach your child.

Still on the waitlist? You can talk to us now and start lessons once your funds arrive. Lessons are online, so families in Houston, Dallas, San Antonio and every other part of Texas have the same choice of teachers, with lesson times on weekday afternoons, evenings and weekends.