English Language Arts and Reading

The English Language Arts and Reading team in the Curriculum Standards and Student Support Division provides direction, leadership, and content expertise for the K-12 Reading Language Arts Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS). For news and updates, please subscribe to receive English Language Arts and Reading communications. 

The English language arts and reading team does the following:

• Assists districts statewide with implementation of the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) for English language arts and reading
• Assists the Instructional Materials Division with the review and adoption processes for high-quality, TEKS-aligned, instructional materials
• Collaborates with the Student Assessment Division to develop state reading and writing assessments

English Language Arts & Reading TEKS

Current State Standards for English Language Arts

The following web page provides access to the current state standards for English language arts and reading.

• English Language Arts and Reading TEKS

TEKS Guide

The purpose of the TEKS Guide is to help teachers understand each student expectation in the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) and to provide valuable resources to support instruction.   

Vertical Alignment 

The following vertical alignment documents were created to reflect the alignment of the new English and Spanish language arts and reading TEKS across grade levels, kindergarten – grade 12.

•  Vertical alignment: K-12 English language arts and reading TEKS, Adopted 2017 (PDF, 236KB)
•  Vertical alignment: K-12 Spanish language arts and reading TEKS, Adopted 2017 (PDF, 236KB)

Grade 7 Reading Instruments

In accordance with the TEC, §28.006(c-1), each school district and open-enrollment charter school is required to administer at the beginning of Grade 7 a reading instrument adopted by the commissioner to each student whose performance on the assessment instrument in reading administered under TEC, Section §39.023(a), to the student in Grade 6 who did not demonstrate reading proficiency, as determined by the commissioner. The district shall administer the reading instrument in accordance with the commissioner's recommendations under the TEC, §28.006(a)(1).

For more information and to view the 2023-2027 Commissioner's List of Approved Grade 7 Reading Instruments, visit the Grade 7 Reading Instruments web page.