September 2015 Committee of the Full Board Item 9
Discussion of College and Career Readiness Standards (CCRS) and Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) Alignment
September 9, 2015
COMMITTEE OF THE FULL BOARD: DISCUSSION
STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION: NO ACTION
SUMMARY: This item provides an opportunity for the board to discuss the alignment of the College and Career Readiness Standards (CCRS) and the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) as required by House Bill (HB) 1613, 84th Texas Legislature, Regular Session, 2015.
STATUTORY AUTHORITY: Statutory authority is the Texas Education Code (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. TEC, §28.008, as amended by HB 1613, 84th Texas Legislature, Regular Session, 2015 requires the SBOE to adopt a chart by rule that clearly indicates the alignment of the college readiness standards and expectations with the TEKS.
BOARD RESPONSE: This item is presented for review and comment.
PREVIOUS BOARD ACTION: The SBOE adopted the TEKS for all subjects to be effective September 1, 1998. The mathematics TEKS were amended to be effective August 1, 2006 and September 12, 2012. The secondary mathematics TEKS were also amended to be effective February 22, 2009. 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 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. In April 2012, the SBOE gave final approval to revisions to the mathematics TEKS. The mathematics TEKS for Kindergarten-Grade 8 were implemented beginning with the 2014-2015 school year and the TEKS for high school mathematics were implemented beginning with the 2015-2016 school year.
FUTURE ACTION EXPECTED: A proposal will be presented for first reading and filing authorization at the next scheduled SBOE meeting.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION AND SIGNIFICANT ISSUES: In 2006, the 79th Texas Legislature required Texas Education Agency (TEA) and the Texas Higher Education Coordination Board (THECB), to establish vertical teams composed of public school educators and faculty from institutions of higher education that would develop college- and career-ready standards in the areas of English/language arts, mathematics, science, and social studies. The work of the vertical teams was organized in three phases. The first phase entailed a series of team meetings to create the CCRS for the four subject areas. Phase two required the vertical teams to make recommendations regarding alignment of the TEKS with the CCRS. Phase three required the vertical teams to develop or establish instructional strategies, professional development materials, and online support materials for students who need additional assistance in preparing to successfully perform college-level work. Teams also engaged in a series of gap analyses to ensure alignment between the adopted TEKS and the CCRS.
The THECB adopted the CCRS in January 2008. The commissioner of education approved the CCRS, and the SBOE incorporated them into the TEKS as follows: English language arts and reading TEKS in 2008; mathematics and science TEKS in 2009; and social studies TEKS in 2010.
The 84th Texas Legislature, Regular Session, 2015, passed HB 1613, amending the TEC, §28.008, to require the SBOE to adopt a chart by rule that clearly indicates the alignment of the college readiness standards and expectations with the TEKS.
FISCAL IMPACT: None.
PUBLIC AND STUDENT BENEFIT: Benefits include a clear understanding of the integration of college and career readiness standards in the TEKS.
PROCEDURAL AND REPORTING IMPLICATIONS: None.
LOCALLY MAINTAINED PAPERWORK REQUIREMENTS: None.
PUBLIC COMMENTS: The official public comment period will begin when the proposal, approved for first reading and filing authorization by the SBOE, is published in the Texas Register.
ALTERNATIVES: None.
OTHER COMMENTS AND RELATED ISSUES: None.
Staff Members Responsible:
Monica Martinez, Associate Commissioner
Standards and Programs
Shelly Ramos, Division Director
Curriculum
Attachment: Statutory Citations (PDF, 23KB)