Locate the free online study guides available from the Texas Education Agency. Directions are available in both English and Spanish. Choose either interactive, online guides or print versions. Select desired grade level and skill area. Study the tutorials and then answer the "try it" questions.
Participate in your school's tutoring groups. If school personnel believe a student is at risk for failing TAKS, the student could be pulled out of her class to attend a tutoring session during the school day, according to Ledwith.
Enroll in a special TAKS class in lieu of an elective. Students who have not performed well on TAKS receive extra help in these classes. If you fail the ninth grade math TAKS, you'll be enrolled in a course called TAKS Math or Math Models as a tenth-grader. This elective might replace your art, band or choir class.
Review TAKS concepts outside class time. Teachers at Texas public schools provide students with extra help on TAKS objectives. These tutorial sessions occur before or after school or on weekends.
Determine whether you qualify for supplemental educational service tutoring. Tutoring companies provide free tutoring to students; Title I funding from the U.S. Department of Education reimburses the tutoring companies. There are stipulations to this program, according to Ledwith. The student must attend a school designated as a "school in improvement." The school must be in stages 2, 3, 4 or 5 of the improvement phase. The student must be from a low-income family, and an approved tutoring company must be chosen.
Use the TRACK (TAKS Readiness and Core Knowledge) tutorials that are offered online by the University of Texas systems. TRACK is geared toward eleventh-grade students. They take diagnostic assessments rooted in the expectations of TAKS. Based upon their diagnostic results, students are pointed to appropriate TRACK tutorials.