The report below covers Education Commissioner Mike Morath’s comments to the State Board of Education on November 17th. Commissioner Morath provided an update on legislation passed during the 87th Session and answered questions from the Board on multiple topics, including STAAR redesign and CTE.
This report is intended to give you an overview and highlight of the discussions on the various topics taken up. It is not a verbatim transcript of the discussions but is based upon what was audible or understandable to the observer and the desire to get details out as quickly as possible with few errors or omissions.
Legislative Implementation Update
- During the 87th Session what passed: 947 Pub Ed Bills and 50 individual rule packets
- 38 Commissioner Ed, 14 SBEC, and 7 SBOE rule packets
- Special session saw other bills passed
- SB 1232 PSF structure changed and oversight from SBOE
- Plan of how merger will happen has been submitted and approved by LBB
- PSF staff working on operational integration
- HB 999 IGCs graduation requirements changed for this year
- Implementation immediate – they tried and sent out communication quickly
- It has a one year effect
- SB 1697 Parents ability to have kids grade retrained
- Permanent for preK thru 3rd
- Parents more right over kids education
- Communicated aggressively under tea.gov/parents
- New right that parents have
- HB 4545 “very significant change in assessment policy and support provided to students”
- STAAR is just one diagnostic to use as a measuring stick
- A new right for parents – right for supplemental instruction
- Schools having “a heck of a time” implementing this, some were able
- $100 million in providing direct supports for tutoring services and subsidies available as well
- Vetted Texas Tutor Corps (VTTC) vendor-approved list
- SB 1356 and SB 288
- SB 1356 teacher tutor registry
- SB 288 retirement benefits for tutors
- Rulemaking is not TEA but TRS but TEA is in regular conversations
- HB 1525 follow up to HB 3
- Highlighted CTE funding
- COVID disaster funding
- $1.4 billion in services and supports available to districts for the first time working on one application
- Money is starting to flow and land in school districts
- SB 1356 tweaked the intervention system relating to state accountability
- Confusion on what a “D” was so this resolves that confusion and sets up due process
- Rulemaking was finalized this month
- ISD can have an F campus for 5 years in a row but intervention starts with first F
- HB 3543 establishment of virtual education commission (similar to finance commission but focused on virtual education)
- House has not yet named appointees; first meeting in January or February
- SB 15 (2nd Special) Virtual instruction
- LEAs with C or better can provide virtual instruction
- Worked to communicate extensively
- Rules have been proposed and centralized supports trying to provide
- TEA recently announced the New Virtual Hybrid Program Accelerator
- Morath said that sums up his update on bills
- Little – in 2023 there will be reading passages on SS and Science content and grade appropriate?
- Difference between literary and non-literary passages
- Staff – content from earlier grades may be considered since test is close to end of year; content may include from earlier grade levels so they would have more to select from to identify passages
- This is a “big deal” will help significantly, will help with background knowledge and reinforce curricular practices
- There is a resource that is publicly available right now; blueprint as of 2 weeks ago is posted and second round is posted in Jan/Feb and samples will be posted in Jan/Feb
- Don’t want it to sneak up on anyone, dialing back use of multiple choice questions because want instruction to be more robust
- Staff – website, under student assessment HB 3906 and click on link STAAR redesign; also to the Administrator from November 2nd is available as well
- Martinez – Blueprints are in this by subject and grade level?
- Yes; don’t answer specific questions from Ms. Little, but will be adding resources to answer those
- Bell-Metereau – Iowa skills says STAAR has no diagnostic value or comparative data; possible to use STAAR at the beginning of the year to provide diagnostic data and avoid teachers teaching to the test? Would give info on where students are
- Would dispute that STAAR doesn’t have diagnostic value or comparative data
- Bell-Metereau – But we aren’t able to compare ourselves to other states as no one else uses STAAR
- HB 3906 also established a TEA pilot to assess whether assessment could be throughout the year
- Have rolled out a small-scale beginning of the year assessment, rolled out partially as a COVID response, but continued due to positive feedback
- Have a set of work not part of the 2023 rollout, has been requested by educators around the state
- Wouldn’t expect to see this in 2023, needs a lot of R&D work; trying to figure out the answer, can it be done & can it be done effectively
- Bell-Metereau – Do we have a research design to see if these are working?
- Short answer is yes, largely the approach we’ve been taking
- Allen – Q&A has become more and more popular in District 4, many tuning in; are you considering any programing where people can hear from the Commissioner as part of a podcast or something else?
- Great push, one of the things we did as a COVID response was a recurring call with system leaders around the state
- No other ways beyond that and this, but now thinking about what other avenues could be used for communication
- Cortez – Talked about $100m investment for schools; have heard of issues with staffing, is TEA able to offer additional resources for these districts?
- Crushing shortage of substitute teachers, exacerbating a number of other problems; COVID can make appearance
- $16b of new money in hands of LEAs to pay people
- $100m investment in new teachers may help you 4 years in the future, but not immediate
- Cortez – Outside of the ESSER funds, TEA won’t provide any additional funding? Have received a lot of resources, but only 16 allowable categories
- ESSER funds are very flexible, not only 16 available uses, but can use for staffing
- Cortez – Regarding handbook for charters, how will TEA go about identifying schools that enroll ineligible students outside of their geographic boundary?
- Practice changed in 2008; have issued 30 corrective action plans to charters
- SAWS changes are just reflecting practice at TEA
- Davis – Asks about SB 3?
- No implementation update, material on SB 3 will come before the board
- Will have to go through a TEKS revision on social studies and a civics guideline change, will come at some future date
- Davis – Many teachers are wanting guidance, has TEA released guidance?
- Haven’t yet, takes effect on December 2nd, discussing if guidance will provide clarity; no rulemaking role for TEA
- Don’t typically issue guidance in these circumstances, but have heard requests
- Davis – Understand Governor Abbott has concerns about books in schools, per the list many are African American literature and discuss black empowerment
- Concerns raised by the Governor were on obscene content, book list brought by another Representative and being handled by a House member
- Davis – Can you define obscene?
- There is some Supreme Court precedent, would refer any questions to the precedent
- Hardy – On the TEKS guides, when will these start?
- Martinez – K-8 were released in advance of the revised language arts standards, working on getting high school published
- Hardy – Would like to see science done right after that, would like those who worked on the science TEKS to be part of the writing guide
- Martinez – We did this with reading & language arts, had participation from workgroups and science
- Maynard – Had some questions for Higher Education Commissioner on 60x30TX goals; heard concerns about lack of certifications in some areas, lack of certification sometimes influences if certain programs are offered at school districts; what is the plan moving forward?
- Morath – Ideally you have a certification existing area, but some industries haven’t recognized valuable certifications
- A-F system is changing to recognize this in alignment with Programs of Study, statewide plan for CTE
- There will be a pathway to get A-F credit even if there is no terminal certification
- Major update on this expected in 2023
- Maynard – Asks after opportunities for input & participation
- Anything that helps TEA get feedback from industry is helpful
- Tri-Agency will be standing up a holder of all industry-based credentials through the TWC
- Didn’t have any of this infrastructure at all 5 years ago, has been a significant increase
- Martinez – CTE staff will be here to present an update this afternoon
- Young – on HB 4545 and ISD accountability; have heard of students being removed from electives, how are we fact-checking what ISDs are doing? Cites Nacogdoches as complying
- Law provides for a lot of student protections, can’t remove students from electives, recess, etc.
- Some ISDs have been doing well, have heard complaints of some ISDs who may not be compliant
- Needs to start through the parent local grievance process, can get appealed to the School Board, and then possibly to Education Commissioner
- ISDs are trying, some like Nacogdoches were well-prepared and some weren’t
- Hickman – In terms of library books, local librarians select and there is no TEA oversight?
- State Library Commission rule exists, but doesn’t speak to content
- Library book selection is entirely local, some have model policy for admin
- Hickman – And if a parent wants a book removed there is an ISD process?
- Yes
- Perez – In the past had a 1 point value assigned to CTEs, changed to .5, would you consider increasing the .5 point value
- Industry-based credentials have a full point, .5 credit was temporary for students receiving instruction in an IBC area without receiving an IBC; this has been Sunset
- Standing up a pathway-based approach, but want checks & balances
- Perez – On tutoring, can you pull students out of the 30 hours?
- Short answer is yes, have an FAQ that speaks on this
- There are a few students who didn’t participated in state summative and they are entitled
- There are some who may be off-pace and an assessment can be given, if they are at- or approaching grade level, they can be pulled out of 30 hours
- Perez-Diaz – Received several questions from parents with students in charters who launched a virtual program, but are now charging for textbooks and materials
- In general, that is not allowed; would encourage them to file a local grievance or file with us
- Problem that occurs fairly often, so have some experience resolving this