The industry standard for students participating in Edtech programs meeting their recommended dosage is only 5%. By contrast, students participating in EdTech as part of the OBC 2025 cohort was 69%. That’s 14x percent the industry baseline!
The data tells an unusual story: as OBC expanded from 5 to 46 completed contracts nationwide (dashed line), performance didn’t just hold steady—it improved, rising from 50% to 56% of contracted outcomes achieved (solid bars).
Each outcome represents a meaningful, measurable gain tied directly to an individual student’s learning needs, proving that quality and scale can grow together.
When Santa Ana Unified School District leaned into outcomes based contracting, the goal was simple but ambitious: make sure investments in literacy translated into real progress for students. Not someday. Not hypothetically. Now.
By shifting from paying for participation to paying for results, SAUSD aligned partners around accountability, implementation, and impact. The momentum is showing up in reading growth, stronger collaboration, and a renewed belief that better contracts can drive better outcomes. For funders, districts, and providers, this story offers a clear signal: when partnerships are built for results, futures change.
Outcomes based contracting works. Across states and districts, leaders are turning to the Center to build partnerships grounded in accountability, collaboration, and measurable results.
5
high-dosage tutoring contracts worth
31% of total contract value contingent on outcomes
2022
8
high-dosage tutoring contracts worth
33% of total contract value contingent on outcomes
2023
21
high-dosage tutoring and edtech contracts worth
40% of total contract value contingent on outcomes
2024
46
outcomes based contracts
worth
42% of total contract value contingent on outcomes
2025
Impact does not happen by chance. Outcomes based contracting gives districts the structure to turn intention into results and delivers outcomes for students!
Navy represents 6 states with state-level initiatives supporting outcomes based contracting adoption
Light Blue represents states with 87 individual LEAs that have engaged with the Center and/or adopted OBC
After watching outcomes based contracting drive math tutoring results from 53% to over 100% of contracted outcomes, Duval County Public Schools knew the model worked. So they went bigger. Powered by the Standards of Excellence for Outcomes Based Contracting™, DCPS partnered with Amira to bring the same accountability to literacy, reaching more than 2,600 students reading below grade level and delivering learning gains for over 65% of participating middle schoolers on the state assessment.
What does a high-quality outcomes based contract actually look like? The Center for OBC created the Standards of Excellence for Outcomes Based Contracting™ to promote consistency, ensure quality, and increase scalability across K–12 education. This rigorous framework gives districts, providers, and stakeholders the tools to replicate and scale OBC across grade levels, intervention types, and contexts.
Watch as Brittany Johnson explains how the Standards are transforming educational contracting and driving meaningful outcomes for students.
When Santa Ana USD committed $3 million to support nearly 3,000 students reading below the 40th percentile, they didn’t just buy services. They invested in results. Powered by the Standards of Excellence for Outcomes Based Contracting™, SAUSD tied provider payment directly to student growth, turning every dollar into a commitment to measurable literacy progress for English learners, students experiencing homelessness, and youth in foster care.