At their June meeting, the State Board of Education considered options for future TEKS revision and instructional materials review. HB 1605 authorized the SBOE to call for instructional materials submissions annually based on their prioritization of instructional needs. The 2024 Instructional Materials Review and Adoption (IMRA) cycle is taking place this summer, with review panels appointed by the SBOE studying K-12 math and K-5 English Language Arts submissions, including Open Education Resources submitted by the Texas Education Agency, for alignment to TEKS and to the SBOE Quality rubrics. Public comments may be submitted up until Friday, August 16. More information is available here: Instructional Materials Review and Approval | State Board of Education (texas.gov)
The SBOE revisited the options for future TEKS revisions and IMRA cycles they had discussed at the April meeting. TEA staff presented two priorities for the SBOE to consider:
- Middle school advanced math requires the development of new TEKS, and teachers do not currently have SBOE approved instructional materials for advanced mathematics. TEA staff reviewed the requirements of SB 2124 and Commissioner’s Rules, which were published July 8.
- Approximately 30 newly approved Career and Technology courses, which were added to align with new Programs of Study, also require TEKS to be developed and could be included in a future IMRA call.
Several board members expressed concern for STAAR math results and suggested that math should be a priority for both TEKS revision and future IMRA cycles. TEA staff also recommended consideration of calling for supplemental math, now called partial-subject Tier 1, in a future IMRA cycle, perhaps in 2025.
The SBOE also discussed that in accordance with previous board actions, social studies TEKS review will take place starting in 2025. After much discussion, the SBOE voted to approve the following actions:
- Authorizing TEA to move forward with convening a workgroup to develop Advanced Math TEKS.
- Approved creating partnerships with several educational institutions to develop new CTE TEKS for the 31 new courses.
HB 1605 requires the SBOE to call for an IMRA cycle when new TEKS are developed, so upon completion of the TEKS for these courses, new instructional materials will be part of a future IMRA cycle. The SBOE will likely consider a calendar of future IMRA cycles again at their meeting September 10-13, 2024.