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November 2016 Committee of the Full Board Wednesday Item 3

Report from the Commissioner of Education Regarding Instructional Materials Offered for Adoption under Proclamation 2017

November 18, 2016

COMMITTEE OF THE FULL BOARD: ACTION
STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION: ACTION

SUMMARY:
Proclamation 2017 of the State Board of Education (SBOE) calls for new instructional materials to be used by school districts and open-enrollment charter schools beginning in the 2017-2018 school year. The subjects and courses included in Proclamation 2017 are career and technical education (CTE), languages other than English (LOTE), Special Topics in Social Studies, Algebraic Reasoning, and Statistics. This item presents the final report from the commissioner of education regarding the coverage of the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) and English Language Proficiency Standards (ELPS), alleged factual errors, and information regarding whether a publisher on the list has previously refused to rebid instructional materials.

STATUTORY AUTHORITY: Texas Education Code (TEC), §31.023 and §31.024.

TEC, §31.023, requires the SBOE to adopt a list of instructional materials that meet applicable physical specifications and contain material covering at least half of the applicable Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) in the student and teacher materials. TEC, §31.024, requires the SBOE to make decisions on the adopted list by majority vote and to provide a list of adopted materials to each school district no later than December 1 of the year prior to the year the materials are expected to be in classrooms.

PREVIOUS BOARD ACTION: The SBOE called for instructional materials for CTE in Proclamation 2001, which was issued in May 2001 and amended in November 2001. The board voted to adopt the materials in November 2003 and implemented them in the 2004-2005 school year. CTE materials were included in the Midcycle 2011 Proclamation, which was issued in March 2010. The board adopted materials in January 2011 and implemented them in the 2011-2012 school year. The SBOE called for instructional materials in LOTE in Proclamation 2002, which was issued in May 2002 and amended in July 2003 and February 2004. The board adopted the materials in November 2004, and they were implemented in the 2005-2006 school year. LOTE materials were included in the Midcycle 2010 Proclamation, which was issued in January 2009. The board adopted materials in January 2010 and implemented them in the 2010-2011 school year. The board adopted TEKS for two new high school mathematics courses, Algebraic Reasoning in April 2015 and Statistics in January 2015. The board issued Proclamation 2017 at its April 2015 meeting and amended it at its November 2015 and April 2016 meetings.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION AND SIGNIFICANT ISSUES:
The review of Proclamation 2017 instructional materials concluded in August 2016. The board held a public hearing for instructional materials under consideration for adoption under Proclamation 2017 at its September 2016 meeting. TEA provided the SBOE with lists of reported errors in the materials and with comments received from the review panels and the public at that meeting.

FISCAL IMPACT: Senate Bill 6, 82nd Texas Legislature, First Called Session, 2011, created an instructional materials allotment (IMA) for the purchase of instructional materials, technological equipment, and technology-related services. An allotment is credited to each district’s and charter school’s instructional materials account as provided by TEC, §31.0212. Remaining funds can be carried forward to the next school year as well as the next biennium. The IMA for the 2018-2019 biennium is expected to be available for district purchase of Proclamation 2017 materials.

PUBLIC AND STUDENT BENEFIT: Benefits include the availability of instructional materials aligned to existing, new, and revised standards.

PROCEDURAL AND REPORTING IMPLICATIONS:
None.

PUBLIC COMMENTS: A public hearing was held on September 13, 2016. Another public hearing is scheduled for November 15, 2016.

OTHER COMMENTS AND RELATED ISSUES: A public hearing regarding instructional materials submitted for adoption by the SBOE under Proclamation 2017 is included as a separate item in this agenda.

MOTION TO BE CONSIDERED: The State Board of Education:

Require that all publishers make corrections listed in the Report of Required Corrections of Factual Errors;

Require that all instructional materials meet established manufacturing standards and specifications;

Approve changes and corrections submitted in response to written comments and public testimony;

Place instructional materials submitted for adoption on the adopted list as indicated on the Report from the Commissioner of Education Regarding Instructional Materials Offered for Adoption under Proclamation 2017.

Staff Members Responsible:

Monica Martinez, Associate Commissioner
Standards and Support Services

Kelly Callaway, Senior Director
Instructional Materials

Attachment:
Statutory Citations (PDF, 54KB)

Separate Exhibits:
Report from the Commissioner of Education Regarding Instructional Materials Offered for Adoption under Proclamation 2017
(to be provided prior to the November SBOE meeting)

Report of Required Corrections of Factual Errors
(to be provided prior to the November SBOE meeting)