January 25, 2022 Committee of the Full Board Item 2
Discussion of Proposed New 19 TAC Chapter 126, Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills for Technology Applications, Subchapter A, Elementary, and Subchapter B, Middle School
January 25, 2022
COMMITTEE OF THE FULL BOARD: DISCUSSION
STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION: NO ACTION
SUMMARY: This item provides an opportunity for the board to discuss proposed new 19 Texas Administrative Code (TAC) Chapter 126, Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills for Technology Applications, Subchapter A, Elementary, §126.1, Implementation of Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills for Technology Applications, Elementary, Adopted 2022, §126.2, Technology Applications, Kindergarten, Adopted 2022; §126.3, Technology Applications, Grade 1, Adopted 2022, §126.4, Technology Applications, Grade 2, Adopted 2022, §126.8, Technology Applications, Grade 3, Adopted 2022, §126.9, Technology Applications, Grade 4, Adopted 2022, §126.10, Technology Applications, Grade 5, Adopted 2022, and Subchapter B, Middle School, §126.17, Implementation of Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills for Technology Applications, Middle School, Adopted 2022, §126.18, Technology Applications, Grade 6, Adopted 2022, §126.19, Technology Applications, Grade 7, Adopted 2022, and §126.20, Technology Applications, Grade 8, Adopted 2022. The proposed new rules would update the technology applications standards to ensure the standards remain current.
STATUTORY AUTHORITY: Texas Education Code (TEC), §§7.102(c)(4) and 28.002(a), (c), (c-3), and (z).
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 identify by rule 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, §28.002(c-3), requires the SBOE to include coding, computer programming, computational thinking, and cybersecurity in the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) for technology applications for Kindergarten-Grade 8. The statute also requires that, as needed, the SBOE review and revise the technology applications TEKS every five years to ensure that the standards are relevant to student education and align current or emerging professions.
TEC, §28.002(z), requires the SBOE to adopt rules to require school districts to incorporate instruction in digital citizenship, including information regarding the potential criminal consequences of cyberbullying, into the district's curriculum.
The full text of statutory citations can be found in the statutory authority section of this agenda.
FUTURE ACTION EXPECTED: First reading and filing authorization of proposed new Chapter 126, Subchapters A and B, will be presented at a future SBOE meeting.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION AND JUSTIFICATION: In accordance with statutory requirements that the SBOE identify by rule 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. Technology applications is part of the required curriculum for Kindergarten-Grade 8 only. In 2020, the SBOE approved the consolidation of the high school technology applications courses into the career and technical education (CTE) TEKS.
At the January 2021 meeting, SBOE members were asked to designate content advisors for the review and revision of the technology applications TEKS. Applications to serve on the TEKS review work groups were posted on the Texas Education Agency (TEA) website in March 2021. In April 2021, TEA distributed a survey to collect information from educators regarding the review and revision of the technology applications TEKS. TEA staff provided applications for the technology applications review work groups to SBOE members on a monthly basis from May-September 2021.
Technology applications TEKS review content advisor and work group meetings convened in 2021 were conducted virtually. In July 2021, technology applications TEKS review content advisors met virtually to develop consensus recommendations regarding revisions to the technology applications TEKS and met with representatives from Work Group A to discuss their recommendations. Also in July 2021, Work Group A convened to discuss the consensus recommendations, review survey results, and develop recommendations for how subsequent technology applications TEKS review work groups could address the feedback received. Work Group B was convened in September 2021 and was charged with developing recommendations for a new strand framework. The work group recommended six new strands and reorganized the current technology applications TEKS into the proposed new strands. Work Group C was convened in October 2021 to draft recommendations for student expectations for two of the strands in the proposed new strand framework. Work Group D was convened at the end of October 2021 to draft recommendations for the remaining four proposed new strands. The work group recommended eliminating one of the strands, which would reduce the original proposed strand framework to a total of five strands. Work Group E was convened for a virtual meeting in December 2021 to review the vertical alignment of the strands across all grade levels and to ensure the proposed new standards could be reasonably taught in an academic year. In December 2021, content advisors were sent the draft recommendations for review.
A public hearing on proposed revisions to Chapter 126, Subchapters A and B, is presented as a separate item in this agenda.
Staff Members Responsible:
Monica Martinez, Associate Commissioner, Standards and Support Services
Shelly Ramos, Senior Director, Curriculum Standards and Student Support
Separate Exhibit:
Text of Proposed New 19 TAC Chapter 126, Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills for Technology Applications, Subchapter A, Elementary, and Subchapter B, Middle School
(to be provided at the January 2022 SBOE meeting)