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Jan-Feb 2019 Committee on Instruction Item 5

Discussion of Proposed Amendment to 19 TAC Chapter 74, Curriculum Requirements,
Subchapter A, Required Curriculum, §74.6, College and Career Readiness and Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills Alignment
 

January 31, 2019 
 
 COMMITTEE ON INSTRUCTION: DISCUSSION 
 STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION: NO ACTION 

SUMMARY: This item provides the opportunity for the board to discuss a proposed amendment to
19 TAC Chapter 74, Curriculum Requirements, Subchapter A, Required Curriculum, §74.6, College and Career Readiness and Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills Alignment. The proposed amendment would update the alignment of the College and Career Readiness Standards (CCRS) and the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) to add a new alignment for English language arts and to reflect changes resulting from recent updates to the English language arts and mathematics CCRS.

STATUTORY AUTHORITY: Texas Education Code (TEC), §7.102(c)(4) and §28.008(d).

TEC, §7.102(c)(4), requires the State Board of Education (SBOE) to establish curriculum and graduation requirements.

TEC, §28.008(d), requires the SBOE to adopt a chart by rule that clearly indicates the alignment of the college readiness standards and expectations with the TEKS.

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

FUTURE ACTION EXPECTED: The proposed amendment to 19 TAC §74.6 will be presented for first reading and filing authorization at the April 2019 SBOE meeting.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION AND JUSTIFICATION: In 2006, the 79th Texas Legislature required the Texas Education Agency (TEA) and the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) to establish vertical teams composed of public school educators and faculty from institutions of higher education to develop college- and career-ready standards in the areas of English/language arts, mathematics, science, and social studies. The work of the vertical teams was organized in three phases. The first phase included a series of team meetings to create the CCRS for the four subject areas. Phase two required the vertical teams to make recommendations regarding alignment of the TEKS with the CCRS. Phase three required the vertical teams to develop or establish instructional strategies, professional development materials, and online support materials for students who need additional assistance in preparing to successfully perform college-level work. Teams also engaged in a series of gap analyses to ensure alignment between the adopted TEKS and the CCRS.

THECB adopted the CCRS in January 2008. The commissioner of education approved the CCRS, and the SBOE incorporated them into the TEKS as follows: English language arts and reading TEKS in 2008; mathematics and science TEKS in 2009; and social studies TEKS in 2010.

The 84th Texas Legislature, Regular Session, 2015, passed House Bill 1613, amending TEC, §28.008, to require the SBOE to adopt a chart by rule that clearly indicates the alignment of the college readiness standards and expectations with the TEKS. In January 2016, the SBOE approved 19 TAC §74.6, which adopted in rule charts demonstrating the alignment of the TEKS with the mathematics, science, social studies, and cross-disciplinary CCRS. The board did not adopt charts for English language arts and reading because the TEKS for that subject area were being updated at the time the rule was adopted.

The SBOE gave final approval for the revised English language arts and reading TEKS in May 2017. The revised TEKS will be implemented in the 2019-2020 school year for Kindergarten-Grade 8. The high school TEKS will be implemented in the 2020-2021 school year.

In 2018, THECB updated the CCRS for language arts and mathematics. As a result, the mathematics alignment chart would also be updated.

The attachment to this item reflects the text of the amendment to 19 TAC §74.6 for consideration by the SBOE. Separate Exhibits I and II include the charts demonstrating the alignment of the TEKS with the mathematics and language arts CCRS.

Staff Members Responsible:

Monica Martinez, Associate Commissioner, Standards and Support Services
Shelly Ramos, Senior Director, Curriculum Standards and Student Support

Attachment:               

Text of Proposed Amendment to 19 TAC Chapter 74, Curriculum Requirements, Subchapter A, Required Curriculum, §74.6, College and Career Readiness and Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills Alignment   
 
 Separate Exhibits:     

 Figure: 19 TAC §74.6(b), English language arts CCRS-TEKS Alignment Chart
 Figure: 19 TAC §74.6(c), Mathematics CCRS-TEKS Alignment Chart