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March 2015 Work Session

Work Session on Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) Review and
Instructional Materials Adoption Cycle

March 30, 2015

COMMITTEE OF THE FULL BOARD: DISCUSSION
STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION: NO ACTION

SUMMARY:
This item provides an opportunity for the board to discuss the schedule for review and revision of Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) and the review and adoption cycle for instructional materials aligned to revised TEKS.

STATUTORY AUTHORITY: Texas Education Code (TEC), §§7.102(c)(4), 28.002, 28.025, and 31.003.

BOARD RESPONSE: This item is presented for review and comment.

PREVIOUS BOARD ACTION:
The State Board of Education (SBOE) adopted the TEKS for all subjects to be effective September 1, 1998. The mathematics TEKS were amended to be effective August 1, 2006. The English language arts and reading (ELAR) TEKS were amended to be effective September 4, 2008. The Spanish language arts and reading TEKS were amended to be effective November 26, 2008. The secondary mathematics TEKS were amended to be effective February 22, 2009. The science TEKS were amended to be effective August 4, 2009. The career and technical education (CTE) TEKS were amended to be effective August 23, 2010. The social studies and high school English electives TEKS were amended to be effective August 23, 2010. The technology applications TEKS were amended to be effective September 26, 2011. The board gave final approval to revisions to the mathematics TEKS at the April 2012 meeting. The mathematics TEKS were amended to be effective September 12, 2012. The revised mathematics TEKS for kindergarten through eighth grade were implemented in the 2014-2015 school year and the revised mathematics TEKS for high school are scheduled to be implemented beginning with the 2015-2016 school year, depending upon the availability of instructional materials funding. In April 2013, the board approved for second reading and final adoption proposed revisions to the fine arts TEKS. The revised fine arts TEKS are scheduled to be implemented beginning with the 2015-2016 school year, depending upon the availability of instructional materials funding. In April 2014, the board gave final approval to revised TEKS for languages other than English (LOTE), which are scheduled to be implemented beginning with the 2017-2018 school year.

The board took action at the May 2009 meeting to approve a revised process for review and revision of the TEKS. The board approved additional revisions to the process in November 2009. This process was used for the review and revision of the technology applications TEKS. The board approved revisions to the process for review and revision of the TEKS in January 2011 and directed staff to use the revised process beginning with review and revision of the mathematics and fine arts TEKS. At the November 2011 SBOE meeting, the Committee of the Full Board held a work session to examine the instructional materials adoption cycle and the timeline for the review and revision of the TEKS. At the January 2012 meeting the board adopted a revised instructional materials adoption cycle and updated the schedule for the review and revision of the TEKS to better align with the new instructional materials adoption cycle. The board took action at the July 2012 meeting to approve revisions to the process for the review and revision of the TEKS. On January 30, 2013, the board approved changes to its operating rules and directed staff to update the process for review and revision of the TEKS to align with changes to its operating rules. The revised process was used for the review and revision of the LOTE TEKS. In April 2014, the board again revised the process for review and revision of the TEKS to include more specific direction to TEKS review committees. The revised process is being used for the review and revision of the CTE TEKS. At the September 2014 SBOE meeting, the Committee on Instruction heard invited testimony from representatives from each of the CTE TEKS review committees. At the July 2014 meeting the board took action to change the effective date of Proclamation 2016 to delay for one calendar year.

Proclamation 2010 was issued by the SBOE in November 2007. Proclamation 2011 was issued by the SBOE in May 2008. In May 2010, the board voted to postpone Proclamation 2012 indefinitely. In its place, the board issued a Request for Supplemental Science Materials for science, grades 5-8, Biology, Chemistry, Integrated Physics and Chemistry (IPC), and Physics. Proclamation 2014 was issued by the SBOE in April 2012. Proclamation 2015 was issued by the SBOE in April 2013. At the July 2014 meeting the board took action to change the effective date of Proclamation 2016 to delay for one calendar year.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION AND SIGNIFICANT ISSUES: 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 current subject under review and revision is CTE. The SBOE approved proposed revisions to Chapters 127 and 130 for first reading and filing authorization at its February 2015 meeting. Proposed new Chapters 127 and 130 will be presented for second reading and final adoption at the April 2015 meeting. The board postponed action on one course, §130.183, Financial Mathematics (One Credit) Adopted 2015. A discussion item for the remaining CTE courses in Chapter 130, Subchapters A, B, F, H, K, L, O, and P, was also presented to the SBOE at the February 2015 SBOE meeting and will be presented for first reading and filing authorization along with Subchapter F, Finance, §130.183, Financial Mathematics (One Credit) Adopted 2015, at the April 2015 meeting.

A revised adoption cycle for instructional materials was approved by the SBOE in January 2012. In July 2014, the SBOE took action to change the effective date of Proclamation 2016 to delay for one calendar year, and combine the subject areas included in Proclamation 2016 with those that were scheduled to be included in Proclamation 2017. House Bill 188, 80th Texas Legislature, 2007, requires the SBOE to designate each proclamation by the school year in which the instructional materials are intended to be made available in classrooms. Proclamation 2017, which advertises for bids on new instructional materials for career and technical education, languages other than English, and Special Topics in Social Studies, is scheduled to be adopted by the SBOE at the April 2015 meeting.

The SBOE is scheduled to begin the review and revision of the ELAR TEKS and the Spanish language arts and reading and English as a Second Language (ESL) TEKS in 2015. Applications for appointment to ELAR and Spanish language arts and reading and ESL TEKS review committees were posted on the TEA website in March 2015.

FISCAL IMPACT: None.

PUBLIC AND STUDENT BENEFIT: Benefits include better alignment and streamlining of the TEKS and coordination of the standards with the adoption of instructional materials.

PROCEDURAL AND REPORTING IMPLICATIONS:
None.

PUBLIC COMMENTS:
None.

ALTERNATIVES: None.

OTHER COMMENTS AND RELATED ISSUES:
None.

Staff Members Responsible:
Monica Martinez, Associate Commissioner
Standards and Programs

Shelly Ramos, Division Director
Curriculum

Kelly Callaway, Division Director
Instructional Materials and Educational Technology

Attachment:
Statutory Citations