Discussion of Process for Streamlining Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS)

November 19, 2015

COMMITTEE ON INSTRUCTION: DISCUSSION
STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION: NO ACTION

SUMMARY: This item provides the opportunity for the committee to discuss a process to be used by the board in streamlining the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) for science and social studies.

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

Statutory authority is the TEC, §7.102(c)(4), which requires the State Board of Education (SBOE) to establish curriculum and graduation requirements. TEC, §28.002, identifies the subjects of the required curriculum and 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.

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

PREVIOUS BOARD ACTION: The science TEKS were amended to be effective August 4, 2009. The social studies and high school English electives TEKS were amended to be effective August 23, 2010.

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 was used for the review and revision of the CTE TEKS and will be used for the English and Spanish language arts and reading TEKS review.

At the July 2013 SBOE meeting, a discussion item on the scope of the TEKS was presented to the Committee on Instruction. In April 2014, an item on streamlining the TEKS was presented to the Committee on Instruction for discussion. At the July 2014 meeting, a discussion item concerning the standards writing process for the TEKS was presented to the Committee of the Full Board.

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. This guidance will be fully implemented beginning with the review and revision of the English and Spanish language arts and reading TEKS.

In accordance with statutory requirements that the SBOE by rule identify the essential knowledge and skills of each subject in the required curriculum, the SBOE follows a board-approved cycle to review and revise the essential knowledge and skills for each subject. The current subjects under review and revision are English and Spanish language arts and reading. At the September SBOE meeting, the SBOE requested that staff update the TEKS and Instructional Materials working document to add streamlining of the science and social studies TEKS to the cycle of the review and revision of the TEKS.

This item provides the committee an opportunity to discuss the process to be used for the streamlining of the TEKS for science and social studies.

FISCAL IMPACT: There may be costs associated with changes to the process for review and revision of the TEKS. Fiscal implications will be assessed if the SBOE takes action to amend its process at a future meeting.

PUBLIC AND STUDENT BENEFIT: Benefits include better alignment of the TEKS and coordination of the standards to ensure a student has developed mastery of all of the student expectations in a subject for a given grade level or course in the time available.

PROCEDURAL AND REPORTING IMPLICATIONS: None.

PUBLIC COMMENTS: None.

ALTERNATIVES: None.

OTHER COMMENTS AND RELATED ISSUES: An update regarding the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) Review is presented for discussion as a separate item in this agenda.

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

Shelly Ramos, Division Director
Curriculum

Attachment:
Statutory Citations (PDF, 13KB)