November 2019 Committee of the Full Board Item 6
Update on Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) Review
November 15, 2019
COMMITTEE OF THE FULL BOARD: ACTION
STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION: ACTION
SUMMARY: This item provides the opportunity for staff to present an update on the review of the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) and the English Language Proficiency Standards (ELPS). The item also provides the opportunity for the board to provide additional guidance to TEKS and ELPS review work groups.
STATUTORY AUTHORITY: Texas Education Code (TEC), §§7.102(c)(4); 28.002(a) and (c); and 28.025(a).
TEC, §7.102(c)(4), requires the State Board of Education (SBOE) to establish curriculum and graduation requirements.
TEC, §28.002(a), identifies the subjects of the required curriculum.
TEC, §28.002(c), requires the SBOE to by rule identify the essential knowledge and skills of each subject in the required curriculum that all students should be able to demonstrate and that will be used in evaluating instructional materials and addressed on the state assessment instruments.
TEC, §28.025(a), requires the SBOE to by rule determine the curriculum requirements for the foundation high school graduation program that are consistent with the required curriculum under the TEC, §28.002.
The full text of statutory citations can be found in the statutory authority section of this agenda.
PREVIOUS BOARD ACTION: The SBOE adopted the TEKS for all subjects effective September 1, 1998. The English language arts and reading TEKS were amended effective September 4, 2008. The Spanish language arts and reading TEKS were amended effective November 26, 2008. The TEKS for high school English elective courses were amended effective August 23, 2010. In May 2017, the SBOE gave final approval to revisions to the English and Spanish language arts and reading TEKS for Kindergarten-Grade 8 with a scheduled implementation date of the 2019-2020 school year. The SBOE gave final approval to revisions to the English language arts and reading and English as a second language (ESL) TEKS for high school with a scheduled implementation date of the 2020-2021 school year. The mathematics TEKS were amended effective August 1, 2006. The secondary mathematics TEKS were amended effective February 22, 2009. The mathematics TEKS were again amended effective September 12, 2012. The science TEKS were amended effective August 4, 2009 and were amended again to streamline the science TEKS effective August 27, 2018. The social studies TEKS were amended effective August 23, 2010 and were amended again to streamline the social studies TEKS in 2018. The streamlined social studies TEKS for middle and high school social studies were effective August 1, 2019 for implementation beginning with the 2019-2020 school year. The streamlined Kindergarten-Grade 5 social studies TEKS are scheduled for implementation in the 2020-2021 school year. The career and technical education (CTE) TEKS were amended effective August 23, 2010. The CTE TEKS were again amended effective August 28, 2017 and implemented in the 2017-2018 school year. The fine arts TEKS were amended effective August 24, 2015. The TEKS for languages other than English (LOTE) were amended effective July 15, 2014, and December 31, 2014, and were implemented in the 2017-2018 school year. The technology applications TEKS were amended effective September 26, 2011.
At the June 2019 SBOE meeting, the board held a work session to discuss updating the TEKS and instructional materials review and adoption schedule. At the September 2019 meeting, the board approved the schedule through the 2028-2029 school year.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION AND JUSTIFICATION: The board received training from a standards writing advisor at the July 2014 meeting. The standards writing advisor provided additional training to Texas Education Agency (TEA) staff in October 2014 to support future facilitation of the TEKS review committees.
The 2017 TEKS review and revision process was used for the streamlining of the social studies TEKS. At the November 2018 meeting, the SBOE approved updates to the 2017 TEKS review and revision process to better clarify the process. The complete updated process will be used for the review of the physical education and health education TEKS.
The SBOE began the review of the English Language Proficiency Standards (ELPS) in early 2019, in accordance with the SBOE's approved TEKS and instructional materials review schedule. Applications to serve on ELPS review work groups were posted on the TEA website in December 2018. Also in December 2018, TEA distributed a survey to collect information from educators regarding the review and revision of the ELPS.
In preparation for the review and revision of the health education TEKS, the board in September 2017 approved a request for the commissioner to convene a group of experts to develop a study to provide guidance for the development of revised health education TEKS. At that time, the SBOE also approved parameters for the recommendations of the commissioner's committee to include a framework for what the strands should be for Kindergarten-Grade 12, distinctions regarding grade levels and/or grade bands at which health concepts are most appropriately taught, and a summary of all statutory requirements related to health education and suggestions regarding the most appropriate way to integrate those requirements into the framework. In 2018, TEA convened a group of experts to develop recommendations to address the SBOE’s charge related to the health education TEKS. This health education advisory committee drafted a response to the SBOE’s charge, and the response was submitted to the commissioner of education. Based on the response, the commissioner of education provided recommendations to the SBOE at the June 2019 meeting.
The review of the health education TEKS is taking place concurrently with the review of the physical education TEKS. In March 2019, applications to serve on the health education and physical education TEKS review work groups were posted on the TEA website. At the April meeting, SBOE members were asked to designate content advisors for the health education and physical education TEKS reviews. Names of content advisors were due May 1, 2019. In May 2019, TEA distributed surveys to collect information from educators regarding the review and revision of the health education and physical education TEKS. TEA staff provided applications for the health education and physical education review work groups to SBOE members at the June 2019 SBOE meeting, on July 22, 2019, on August 19, 2019, at the September 2019 meeting, and on October 8, 2019.
PUBLIC BENEFIT AND COST TO PERSONS: Benefits include better alignment of the ELPS and TEKS and coordination of the standards with the adoption of instructional materials.
PUBLIC COMMENTS: None.
Staff Member Responsible:
Monica Martinez, Associate Commissioner, Standards and Support Services
Shelly Ramos, Senior Director, Curriculum Standards and Student Support