November 16, 2021 Committee of the Full Board Item 5

Discussion of Proposed Amendments to 19 TAC Chapter 120, Other Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills, Subchapter A, Character Traits

November 16, 2021

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

SUMMARY: This item provides an opportunity for the committee to discuss proposed amendments to 19 Texas Administrative Code (TAC) Chapter 120, Other Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills, Subchapter A, Character Traits, §120.3, Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills for Positive Character Traits, Kindergarten-Grade 2, Adopted 2020; §120.5, Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills for Positive Character Traits, Grades 3-5, Adopted 2020; §120.7, Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills for Positive Character Traits, Grades 6-8, Adopted 2020; and §120.9, Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills for Positive Character Traits, Grades 9-12, Adopted 2020. The proposed amendments would update the standards for positive character traits to align with requirements of Senate Bill (SB) 123, 87th Texas Legislature, Regular Session, 2021.

STATUTORY AUTHORITY: Texas Education Code (TEC), §§7.102(c)(4); 28.002(a) and (c); and 29.906, as amended by SB 123, 87th Texas Legislature, Regular Session, 2021.

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, §29.906, as amended by SB 123, 87th Texas Legislature, Regular Session, 2021, requires the SBOE to integrate positive character traits and personal skills into the essential knowledge and skills adopted for Kindergarten-Grade 12, as appropriate.

The full text of statutory citations can be found in the statutory authority section of this agenda.

EFFECTIVE DATE: The proposed effective date of the proposed amendments is August 1, 2022. Under TEC, §7.102(f), the SBOE must approve the rule action at second reading and final adoption by a vote of two-thirds of its members to specify an effective date earlier than the beginning of the 2022-2023 school year. The earlier effective date will allow districts of innovation that begin school prior to the statutorily required start date to implement the proposed rulemaking when they begin their school year.

FUTURE ACTION EXPECTED: The proposed amendments to Chapter 120, Subchapter A, will be presented for first reading and filing authorization at the January 2022 SBOE meeting.

PREVIOUS BOARD ACTION: The SBOE adopted the TEKS for positive character traits effective August 1, 2019, for implementation beginning with the 2021-2022 school year.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION AND JUSTIFICATION: In 2019, the 86th Texas Legislature passed House Bill 1026, requiring the SBOE to integrate positive character traits into the essential knowledge and skills adopted for Kindergarten-Grade 12, as appropriate. The legislation required the SBOE to include the following positive character education traits in the standards: courage; trustworthiness, including honesty, reliability, punctuality, and loyalty; integrity; respect and courtesy; responsibility, including accountability, diligence, perseverance, and self-control; fairness, including justice and freedom from prejudice; caring, including kindness, empathy, compassion, consideration, patience, generosity, and charity; good citizenship, including patriotism, concern for the common good and the community, and respect for authority and the law; school pride; and gratitude. The legislation also required school districts and open-enrollment charter schools to adopt a character education program that includes the required positive character traits. At the January 2020 SBOE meeting, a discussion item on character traits instruction was presented to the Committee of the Full Board. The committee requested that staff prepare a proposal to add essential knowledge and skills for positive character traits as a new chapter in the TAC. The SBOE adopted the TEKS for positive character traits effective August 1, 2019. The new TEKS were implemented beginning with the 2021-2022 school year.

The 87th Texas Legislature, Regular Session, 2021, passed SB 123, which requires the SBOE to add personal skills to the TEKS for positive character traits. The legislation added responsible decision-making skills, interpersonal skills, and self-management skills to the required topics to be addressed in the standards.

The proposed amendments to §§120.3, 120.5, 120.7, and 120.9 would add the required new topics to the TEKS for positive character traits in Kindergarten-Grade 12.

Staff Members Responsible:
Monica Martinez, Associate Commissioner, Standards and Support Services
Shelly Ramos, Senior Director, Curriculum Standards and Student Support

Separate Exhibit:
Text of Proposed Amendments to 19 TAC Chapter 120, Other Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills, Subchapter A, Character Traits