4 California School Districts Join Statewide Cohort to Advance Outcomes Based Contracts for High-Dosage Tutoring

The Center for Outcomes Based Contracting to help districts design, implement, and evaluate tutoring agreements that connect provider payments to measurable student outcomes

DENVER, Oct. 22, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- The Center for Outcomes Based Contracting, in partnership with the California Department of Education's Expanded Learning Division, announced four school districts across California are joining a new cohort to design and implement outcomes based contracts for high-dosage tutoring.

Outcomes based contracting is a procurement approach that aligns school districts and service providers around shared student outcomes. Rather than paying solely for the delivery of services, districts can tie a portion of provider compensation to whether defined student outcomes are achieved. New research finds learning interventions implemented under outcomes based contracts can improve student outcomes, strengthen partnerships between school districts and service providers, and build district capacity.

"Early adopter districts in California have already shown what's possible when contracts are designed around student outcomes," said Brittany Miller, the Center's executive director. "We're excited to build on that early momentum by bringing four more districts together to learn, test, and refine this approach. This cohort is an opportunity to turn lessons from early implementation into a broader body of practice that can help districts connect tutoring investments more directly to student progress."

Launching this month, each participating district will form a 3-5 person leadership team and implement a tutoring program serving at least 400 students, with at least 40% of provider payment tied to outcomes. Participating districts will receive expert coaching, implementation tools, evaluation support, and opportunities to learn alongside peers at no cost. They will also participate in workshops, site visits, and continuous improvement cycles as they put their contracts into practice.

Participating districts include:

• Elk Grove Unified School District
  
  
• Inglewood Unified School District
  
  
• Visalia Unified School District
  
  
• San Jacinto Unified School District

The cohort builds on outcomes based contracting work already underway in California, including efforts by Santa Ana Unified School District (SAUSD), Fresno Unified School District, and Milpitas Unified School District.

In Santa Ana, for example, the district partnered with the Center in 2023 to help redesign literacy supports for its most vulnerable students, tying 55% of provider payments to student outcomes. The program grew from a small pilot of 42 students across two schools to 1,152 students across 27 schools the next year, and 72% of students met at least one contracted outcome. Moreover, students maintained strong engagement with 78% attendance across the program, and the refined systems achieved an 89% tutor-student match rate.

About the Center for Outcomes Based Contracting
The Center for Outcomes Based Contracting is a nonprofit organization that helps districts and providers implement outcomes based contracting with a focus on innovation, mutual accountability, and continuous improvement. By embedding measurable student outcomes into contracts, the OBC model ensures that districts can make strategic, data-driven decisions even amid resource constraints—keeping student learning at the forefront. Through direct support, research insights, public resources, technical assistance, and cohort-based learning, the Center equips districts and providers with the knowledge and tools to implement OBC effectively. Additionally, the Standards of Excellence for Outcomes Based Contracting™ establish clear benchmarks for outcomes based contracting across the K–12 landscape, balancing the need for robust support with accountability for maintaining high-quality contracts that drive meaningful outcomes for districts, educators, and students.

SOURCE The Center for Outcomes Based Contracting