Update on Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) Review
January 30, 2013
COMMITTEE OF THE FULL BOARD: DISCUSSION
STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION: NO ACTION
SUMMARY: This item provides the opportunity for staff to present an update on the review of Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS).
STATUTORY AUTHORITY: Texas Education Code (TEC), §§7.102(c)(4), 28.002, and 28.025.
BOARD RESPONSE: This item is presented for review and comment.
PREVIOUS BOARD ACTION: The State Board of Education (SBOE) adopted the TEKS for all subjects to be effective September 1, 1998. The mathematics TEKS were amended to be effective August 1, 2006. The English language arts and reading TEKS were amended to be effective September 4, 2008. The Spanish language arts and reading TEKS were amended to be effective November 26, 2008. The secondary mathematics TEKS were amended to be effective February 22, 2009. The science TEKS were amended to be effective August 4, 2009. The career and technical education (CTE) TEKS were amended to be effective August 23, 2010. The social studies and high school English electives TEKS were amended to be effective August 23, 2010. The technology applications TEKS were amended to be effective September 26, 2011, for implementation beginning with the 2012-2013 school year. The board approved for second reading and final adoption proposed revisions to the mathematics TEKS at the April 2012 meeting. The mathematics TEKS were amended to be effective 20 days after filing as adopted with the Texas Register. The revised mathematics TEKS for Kindergarten through eighth grade are scheduled to be implemented beginning with the 2014-2015 school year and the revised mathematics TEKS for high school are scheduled to be implemented beginning with the 2015-2016 school year, depending upon the availability of instructional materials funding.
The board took action at the May 2009 meeting to approve a revised process for review and revision of the TEKS. The board approved additional revisions to the process in November 2009. This process was used for the review and revision of the technology applications TEKS. 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, and at the January 2012 meeting the board 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. The revised process will apply beginning with the start of the review and revision of the Languages Other Than English TEKS. At the November 2012 SBOE meeting, the Committee of the Full Board took up discussion of proposed revisions to the fine arts TEKS.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION AND SIGNIFICANT ISSUES: On April 22, 2009, the Committee on Instruction held a work session to study the process for review of the TEKS, make recommendations to the full board regarding adjustments to the process approved by the SBOE in July 2008, and provide guidance to agency staff and social studies TEKS review committees regarding next steps in the review of the social studies TEKS. Information from the April Committee on Instruction meeting was discussed by the board at the May meeting. The board took action at the May 2009 meeting to approve a revised process for review and revision of the TEKS.
Applications for appointment to mathematics and fine arts TEKS review committees were accepted by the Texas Education Agency (TEA) from October 2010 to early January 2011. Applications received prior to the November 2010 SBOE meeting were provided to SBOE members at the November meeting so that members could begin nominating individuals to serve on these committees. Applications received after the November 2010 SBOE meeting were provided to SBOE members at the January 2011 meeting so that board members could complete the nominations. Nominations for expert reviewers and committee members for the mathematics and fine arts TEKS review were made in February 2011.
The board-appointed fine arts experts reviewed the current fine arts TEKS and provided their initial feedback in August 2011. The fine arts TEKS review committees were convened in Austin in May 2012 to begin work on draft recommendations for the TEKS and the committees met again in June 2012 to complete their initial draft recommendations. In July 2012, the first draft recommendations were provided to the board and to the board-appointed expert reviewers and posted to the TEA website for informal public feedback. During the July 2012 Committee of the Full Board meeting, expert reviewers and representatives from the TEKS review committees provided invited testimony on the first draft recommendations. The fine arts TEKS review committees met again in September 2012 to review feedback and complete recommendations for revisions to the fine arts TEKS. The final recommendations from the review committees were provided to the Committee of the Full Board at the November 2012 meeting and were posted on the TEA website. The proposed revisions to the fine arts TEKS are presented to the board as a separate item in this agenda.
FISCAL IMPACT: There will be normal business costs associated with this process for the agency, including staff and committee travel, meeting accommodations, and production and dissemination of documents.
PUBLIC AND STUDENT BENEFIT: Benefits include better alignment of the TEKS and coordination of the standards with the adoption of instructional materials.
PROCEDURAL AND REPORTING IMPLICATIONS: None.
PUBLIC COMMENTS: None.
ALTERNATIVES: None.
OTHER COMMENTS AND RELATED ISSUES: Proposed revisions to 19 TAC Chapter 117, Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills for Fine Arts, Subchapter A, Elementary, Subchapter B, Middle School, and Subchapter C, High School, are presented as a separate item in this agenda.
Staff Members Responsible:
Anita Givens, Associate Commissioner
Standards and Programs
Monica Martinez, Managing Director
Curriculum
Attachment:
Statutory Citations (PDF, 146KB)