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February 1, 2023 Committee of the Full Board Item 2

Discussion of Proposed New Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Course

February 3, 2023

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

SUMMARY: This item provides the opportunity for the board to discuss a proposed new high school career and technical education course related to Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) standards. The proposed new course would support student learning in workplace safety as part of select programs of study.

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 identify by rule 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 determine by rule the curriculum requirements for the foundation high school graduation program that are consistent with the required curriculum under TEC, §28.002.

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

BACKGROUND INFORMATION AND SIGNIFICANT ISSUES: In response to proposed updates to the state accountability system, TEA received feedback regarding the potential addition of industry-based certifications (IBCs) and/or additional courses to various career and technical education (CTE) programs of study. Specifically, the agency received feedback recommending the development and adoption of a new Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS)-based course related to OSHA, which could be included in a variety of relevant programs of study. TEA staff provided this feedback to the SBOE at the November 2022 meeting and the SBOE agreed to move forward with development of a course for implementation beginning in the 2023-24 school year.

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

Separate Exhibit:
Text of Draft TEKS for the Proposed New OSHA Standards Course
(to be provided at the January-February 2023 SBOE meeting)