Reteach and Enrich in Arizona: Why This Instructional Framework Works
If you have spent time in Arizona schools, you have likely heard the term Reteach and Enrich. Your campus may already be using it, or you may be watching another district adopt it and wondering whether it is worth the effort. Either way, it is helpful to understand why this Arizona instructional framework has become so widely used across the state and what makes it effective when implemented well.
It Started in the Desert
The Reteach and Enrich model did not originate from a publisher or a state mandate. It grew out of real classroom challenges in Arizona schools, which is a big reason educators across the state trust the approach.
The story is often traced back to Mesquite Elementary School in Tucson. At the time, the school was operating with some of the lowest per-pupil funding levels in southern Arizona. When math scores came in at the 39th percentile, the instructional team decided not to wait for a top-down solution. Instead, they designed a daily, schoolwide system.
Each day from 12:30 to 1:00 p.m., every student and teacher participated in a structured instructional block. Students were intentionally grouped based on their understanding of the week’s standard, allowing teachers to focus on either targeted reteaching or deeper enrichment.
Within six months, Mesquite Elementary earned Arizona’s highest school rating. The school maintained an “Excelling” designation for eight consecutive years and received the A+ School of Excellence Award twice. During that period, math achievement increased by more than 30 percent.
The framework later gained momentum through Beyond Textbooks, a collaborative, teacher-driven curriculum platform that originated in the Vail School District. What began as a shared wiki for lesson plans aligned to essential standards eventually grew into a network serving more than 9,000 teachers and 137,000 students across Arizona and beyond.
Within that system, the Reteach and Enrich model became the instructional engine that supports the curriculum calendar.
So What Is Reteach and Enrich?
At its core, Reteach and Enrich is a structured, data-driven approach to differentiated instruction. Rather than addressing learning gaps informally, the framework follows a clear instructional cycle that helps teachers respond quickly to student performance.
The Reteach and Enrich Cycle
- Teach to the Standard
Teachers deliver instruction on an essential standard, typically over the course of a week or two. The Beyond Textbooks curriculum calendar organizes these standards using two priorities:
-
- Endurance, which focuses on knowledge and skills that extend beyond a single test
- Readiness, which identifies the learning students need for success at the next grade level
- Assess
At the end of the instructional cycle, students complete a short common formative assessment. These assessments are typically five questions aligned directly to the standard and administered consistently across grade-level teams. - Group Intentionally
Student results determine the next step.
-
- Students scoring 4 or 5 out of 5 (approximately 80 percent mastery or higher) move into enrichment, where they apply the concept in new contexts or explore related skills at higher Depth of Knowledge levels.
- Students scoring 3 or below move into reteach, where they receive targeted instruction on the same standard through a different approach or with additional scaffolding.
- Repeat
Student groups remain flexible. A student who participates in reteach one week may move into enrichment the next. This allows instruction to adjust continuously based on current understanding.
When implemented consistently, Reteach and Enrich turns differentiated instruction into a repeatable system rather than an informal or ad hoc process.
Why It Works: The Research Makes the Case
Reteach and Enrich is intuitive, but it is also supported by research.
An independent correlational study commissioned through the Arizona Department of Education examined outcomes when schools adopted the Beyond Textbooks framework, including the Reteach and Enrich structure. Across both ELA and math, and across most tested grade levels, schools using the framework showed meaningful increases in proficiency on state assessments.
In the most statistically significant cases, the estimated increase in students reaching proficiency ranged from 4.7 to 12.1 percentage points. Researchers concluded that the gains were associated with the framework itself rather than other external factors.
These findings also align with broader research on effective instructional practices.
Frequent Formative Assessment Improves Outcomes
Black and Wiliam’s review of more than 250 studies found that formative assessment produces effect sizes between 0.4 and 0.7 on student achievement. Reteach and Enrich embeds that feedback cycle directly into the weekly rhythm of instruction, giving teachers frequent insight into student understanding.
Mastery-Based Progression Helps Prevent Learning Gaps
When students move forward without mastering prerequisite skills, gaps compound over time. Revisiting a standard through targeted reteaching allows teachers to address misunderstandings before students move on to new content.
Enrichment Supports Students Who Have Already Mastered the Standard
A strong Reteach and Enrich model does not focus only on remediation. Students who demonstrate mastery engage in deeper learning and more complex applications rather than waiting for classmates to catch up.
Flexible Grouping Encourages Growth
Research has shown that fixed ability grouping can reinforce achievement gaps and negatively affect students’ academic identity. Because Reteach and Enrich groups shift regularly based on current performance, students experience both challenge and support across different topics instead of being placed into permanent ability tracks.
Because these instructional principles are widely supported, many districts across the country have adopted similar approaches, often under different names.
It Goes by Different Names
Outside Arizona, this instructional cycle often appears under different names. Professional Learning Communities influenced by Richard DuFour’s work frame the same challenge with two guiding questions:
- What do we do when students have not yet learned the standard?
- What do we do when they already have?
Districts address this through a variety of structures, including:
- WIN Time (What I Need), a scheduled block where students receive targeted support or extension based on recent assessment data
- Flex Period or Flex Block, common in middle and high schools, where student groups shift based on current learning needs
- Student Support Time, a more neutral label for structured intervention periods
- Enrichment Period, which emphasizes deeper learning while other students receive targeted reteaching
What distinguishes Arizona’s Beyond Textbooks implementation is how clearly the model is operationalized. It is not simply an instructional philosophy. Schools implement it through a curriculum calendar, common formative assessments, intentional grouping decisions, and a protected block of instructional time.
That structure helps ensure the framework is used consistently and allows teachers to spend more time on instruction rather than logistics.
The Honest Challenge: Time and Data
Educators across Arizona are candid about one reality. While the Reteach and Enrich model makes sense conceptually, the logistics can be challenging.
Collecting formative assessment data is only the first step. Teachers must then analyze results, organize students into groups, assign appropriate resources, and plan separate instructional paths. Ideally, this work happens quickly, often before the next school day. When handled manually, these tasks can consume valuable planning time.
Schools where Reteach and Enrich runs smoothly often share several characteristics:
- Collaborative planning time built into the schedule
- A culture where instructional decisions are guided by data
- Systems that simplify the process of identifying learning gaps and organizing student groups
When these supports are in place, teachers can spend less time managing logistics and more time focusing on instruction. For more blogs, webinars, and other resources about closing learning gaps, subscribe below.
