September 10, 2024 Committee of the Full Board Item 4
Discussion of the Schedule for Future Instructional Materials Review and Approval Cycles and Future Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills Review and Revision
September 10, 2024
COMMITTEE OF THE FULL BOARD: DISCUSSION
STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION: NO ACTION
SUMMARY: This item provides the opportunity for the committee to discuss the schedule for future Instructional Materials Review and Approval (IMRA) cycles, including the development timeline for quality rubrics, as well as the future review and revision of the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS).
STATUTORY AUTHORITY: Texas Education Code (TEC), §§7.102(c)(4); 28.002(a) and (c); 28.025(a); 31.022 and 31.023, as amended by HB 1605, 88th Texas Legislature, Regular Session, 2023.
TEC, §7.102(c)(4), requires the State Board of Education (SBOE) to establish curriculum and graduation requirements.
TEC, §28.002(a), identifies the subjects of the required curriculum.
TEC, §28.002(c), 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.
TEC, §28.025(a), requires the SBOE to by rule determine the curriculum requirements for the foundation high school graduation program that are consistent with the required curriculum under the TEC, §28.002.
TEC, §31.022, as amended by HB 1605, 88th Texas Legislature, Regular Session, 2023, requires the SBOE to review instructional materials that have been provided to the board by the Texas Education Agency (TEA) under TEC, §31.023.
TEC, §31.023, as amended by HB 1605, 88th Texas Legislature, Regular Session, 2023, requires the commissioner of education to establish, in consultation with and with the approval of the SBOE, a process for the annual review of instructional materials by TEA. In conducting a review under this section, TEA must use a rubric developed by TEA in consultation with and approved by the SBOE.
The full text of statutory citations can be found in the statutory authority section of this agenda.
PREVIOUS BOARD ACTION: At its January-February 2024 meeting, the board adopted the IMRA process and procedures, as amended. An update on the IMRA process was provided at the April 2024 SBOE meeting. At the June 2024 SBOE meeting, staff were asked by the board to draft a long-term plan to be presented at the September 2024 meeting for SBOE approval. This draft would map out a proposal for TEKS revisions and include quality rubrics for future IMRA cycles.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION AND JUSTIFICATION: 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.
In 2017, the SBOE significantly revised the process for the review and revision of the TEKS. The 2017 TEKS review process was used for the streamlining of the social studies TEKS. At the November 2018 meeting, the SBOE approved updates to the 2017 TEKS review and revision process to better clarify the process. The updated process was used for the review of the physical education, health education, and science TEKS.
At the January 2021 meeting, the board held a work session to discuss the timeline for the TEKS review and revision process and associated activities, including updates to State Board for Educator Certification teacher assignment rules and certification exams, adoption of instructional materials, and the completion of the Texas Resource Review. TEA provided an overview of CTE programs of study and a skills gap analysis to inform the review and revision of the CTE TEKS. The board discussed potential adjustments to the TEKS and Instructional Materials Review and Adoption Schedule. At the April 2021 meeting, the SBOE approved revisions to the TEKS and Instructional Materials Review and Adoption Schedule.
In early 2019, the SBOE began the review of the ELPS in accordance with the SBOE's approved TEKS and instructional materials review schedule. In September 2019, the U.S. Department of Education (USDE) indicated that Texas only partially met the requirements of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, as amended by the Every Student Succeeds Act. In response to feedback from the work group members and feedback from the USDE, TEA staff convened a panel of experts in second language acquisition from Texas institutions of higher education to complete an analysis of the work group recommendations and current research on English language acquisition. Based on the panel's findings and direction from the SBOE, TEA executed personal services contracts with the panel members and a representative of an education service center to prepare a draft of revisions to the ELPS. Text of the draft ELPS completed by the expert panel was presented to the SBOE at the June 2023 meeting. The SBOE is scheduled to adopt revised EPLS as a separate item in this agenda.
At the November 2022 SBOE meeting, the board approved a CTE TEKS review process that mirrors the process for other subjects, but accounts for factors unique to CTE.
At the April 2023 SBOE meeting, the board discussed and approved changes to the TEKS review process, including approving a process for selecting work group members. The changes are being implemented beginning with the engineering TEKS review process.
At the November 2023 meeting, the SBOE indicated that it would begin work on new TEKS for the new engineering CTE career cluster. At the January-February 2024 meeting, the board asked staff to provide an example of what a potential timeline would look like for review of the K-12 mathematics TEKS at the April meeting. This item provides the opportunity for staff to present an update on the review of the TEKS and for the committee to discuss the schedule for future review and revision of the TEKS including mathematics and future IMRA.
TEC, Chapter 31, addresses instructional materials in public education and permits the SBOE to adopt rules for the adoption, requisition, distribution, care, use, and disposal of instructional materials. HB 1605, 88th Texas Legislature, Regular Session, 2023, significantly revised Chapter 31, including several provisions under SBOE authority.
At the June 2023 meeting, the Committee of the Full Board held a work session to receive an overview presentation on HB 1605 from the commissioner of education and to begin discussing preliminary decisions and next steps. The June 2023 SBOE HB 1605 Work Session Presentation shared during the work session is available on the TEA website at June 2023 SBOE HB 1605 Work Session Slides.
At the August-September 2023 meeting, the Committee of the Full Board discussed the IMRA process and discussed the approach to developing the quality rubric criteria and process.
At the November 2023 and December 2023 meetings, the board discussed the proposed IMRA process and provided feedback to TEA staff.
At the November 2023 meeting, the board discussed criteria for the suitability and appropriateness of instructional materials for the subject and grade level for which the materials are designed to be used in the instructional materials review and approval process outlined in HB 1605, 88th Texas Legislature, Regular Session, 2023. At the December 2023 meeting, the board approved the criteria. At the January-February 2024 meeting, the board approved adjustments to the suitability rubric to further clarify the manner in which suitability criteria will be applied as part of the IMRA process.
At the January-February 2024 meeting, the board approved a final set of quality rubrics for the inaugural IMRA review, approved a process document, and adopted administrative rules related to the new IMRA process.
At the June 2024 SBOE meeting, staff were asked by the board to draft a long-term plan to be presented at the September 2024 meeting for SBOE approval. This draft would map out a proposal for TEKS revisions and include quality rubrics for future IMRA cycles.
This item provides the opportunity for the committee to discuss the schedule for future IMRA cycles, including the development timeline for quality rubrics.
Staff Members Responsible:
Todd Davis, Associate Commissioner, Instructional Strategy
Monica Martinez, Associate Commissioner, Standards and Programs
Colin Dempsey, Director, District Operations, Technology, and Sustainability Supports Division