The National Institute for Excellence in Teaching (NIET) surprised six districts with the TAP Award of Distinction for their achievements in improving instruction and student learning using TAP: The System for Teacher and Student Advancement.

The TAP Award of Distinction recognizes an organization for its commitment to advance educator effectiveness. The award comes with a $10,000 prize. The recipients for this year are Avondale Elementary School District #44, Arizona; Cross County School District, Arkansas; DeSoto Parish Schools, Louisiana; Osborn School District #8, Arizona; Perry Township Schools, Indiana; and Somerset Independent School District, Texas.