Frisco ISD’s reading and math lab classes are transforming student outcomes, helping those who once struggled achieve remarkable academic growth.
These lab courses, taken in place of an elective, use the HMH Read 180 and Math 180 programs to support students identified through MAP and STAAR scores, and teacher input. Students are tested for their progress at the beginning, middle and end of the year.
Frisco ISD students who took math and reading labs in 2024-25 outperformed expected growth overall, according to end-of-year data.
Reading and lab courses aren’t extra versions of core classes, but targeted, personalized interventions for students two or more years below grade level in that subject. Labs are designed as two-year programs to provide individualized support; however, some students may only need one year to close the gap.
Lawler Middle School teacher Theresa Koepp has seen firsthand how these labs change lives.
While shopping recently, she ran into a former student, now college-bound. “Mrs. Koepp! You fixed my reading, and I’m going to OSU!” he said, hugging her.
Koepp was gratified but not surprised. She knew this student, one of many she’d helped in her reading lab class, was taking advanced classes in high school and on the college track. But hearing how her class had impacted his future meant so much.
“It’s so neat to see them achieve,” Koepp said. “These interventions are imperative in middle school. They need all the tools for success.”
A ‘power up’ in reading lab
Reading lab focuses on comprehension, vocabulary, fluency and critical reading strategies. Students start at their reading level, choose books that interest them, and build confidence.
“Once they build their reading, they definitely do better in other classes,” Koepp said. “When they’re struggling elsewhere, it often goes back to vocabulary.”
She puts it in video game terms: Reading lab is like a “power up,” a boost for students who are behind and need to catch up to their peers.
One student who entered the District in fourth grade began reading lab at the lowest level in sixth grade — and is now testing at the highest level, planning to take advanced ILA next year. Another sixth grader is on track thanks to Koepp’s class — years after his older brother, a 2025 graduate headed to college on an academic scholarship, was in the same reading lab.
When the older brother found out the younger one needed reading lab, he said, “Don’t worry, Mrs. Koepp will help you. It’s a really good class.”
Koepp just wants students to understand that where they are now, isn’t where they always will be. They just have to work hard — and they do.
“The kids have the best grit and growth mindset,” Koepp said. “They work hard and push themselves because things haven’t come easy to them. In the long run, when you’ve had to struggle, and had to overcome that, it’s preparing you for college and life in general.”
Closing gaps in math lab
At Fowler Middle School, Lauren Haddox teaches seventh and eighth grade math lab. Like reading lab, her class offers individualized support in a low-risk, pass/fail environment.
“They have the chance to see where they are, whether they’re two or three years behind, and get dedicated help and individualized curriculum,” she said.
Students in Haddox’s class do warm-ups and collaboration at all grade levels. They’re evaluated for their math level, and the curriculum — like in reading lab — is tailored to their needs.
“This class is to fill in gaps,” Haddox said. “Parents want to see their students succeed, and they know the data is solid.”
Her students often see gains well over 100%. One student, two years behind in math, reached grade level and passed the STAAR for the first time. The family later moved, but his parents keep in touch, telling Haddox recently that their student is doing very well, and crediting her class.
“When I first started teaching this student, he said he would never understand math,” she said. “Students like this are afraid of math, of failing. By the time they leave, there’s confidence and success. That means everything."