June 2024 Committee on Instruction Item 5
Approval of Sunset of Innovative Courses
June 28, 2024
COMMITTEE ON INSTRUCTION: ACTION
STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION: ACTION
SUMMARY: This item provides an opportunity for the committee to take action on possible sunset of certain innovative courses that meet certain criteria established in administrative rule.
STATUTORY AUTHORITY: Texas Education Code (TEC), §28.002(f).
TEC, §28.002(f), authorizes local school districts to offer courses in addition to those in the required curriculum for local credit and requires the State Board of Education (SBOE) to be flexible in approving a course for credit for high school graduation.
The full text of statutory citations can be found in the statutory authority section of this agenda.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION AND JUSTIFICATION: After the SBOE adopted new rules concerning graduation requirements, the previously approved experimental courses were phased out as of August 31, 1998. Since the adoption of the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS), school districts and other entities have submitted requests for approval of innovative courses that do not have TEKS and meet a demonstrated student need. The process originally outlined in §74.27 provided authority for the commissioner of education to approve discipline-based courses but reserved for SBOE review and approval those courses that did not fall within any of the subject areas of the foundation or enrichment curriculum.
Each year, school districts and other entities have the opportunity to submit applications for proposed innovative courses. At the April 2023 SBOE meeting, Texas Education Agency (TEA) staff provided an overview of the innovative course approval process, including key data related to historical implementation of innovative courses. At its November 2023 meeting, the SBOE amended §74.27 to update the rules to shift from the commissioner of education to the SBOE the authority to approve innovative courses that fall under the foundation or enrichment curriculum.
Additionally, the board added §74.27(a)(9) to require TEA to conduct a periodic review of all approved innovative courses and identify courses for possible sunset in accordance with specific criteria, including student enrollment, the number of districts or charter schools that are teaching the course, duplicative of another course, or approved for implementation as a TEKS-based course. At its April 2024 meeting, the Committee on Instruction discussed the list of all innovative courses that met any of the established criteria. The committee indicated it would further consider for sunset only those courses that met at least three of the adopted criteria and were not part of a career and technical education program of study. This item provides an opportunity for the committee to discuss and take action on the sunset of innovative courses that have been approved for at least three years and meet at least three of the adopted criteria outlined in §74.27.
MOTION TO BE CONSIDERED: The State Board of Education:
Approve the sunset of innovative courses as indicated on the Final Spring 2024 Innovative Course Sunset Report.
Staff Members Responsible:
Monica Martinez, Associate Commissioner, Standards and Programs
Shelly Ramos, Senior Director, Curriculum Standards and Student Support
Separate Exhibit:
Final Spring 2024 Innovative Course Sunset Report
(to be provided in advance of the June 2024 SBOE meeting)