At its August meeting, the State Board of Education directed the Commissioner and Texas Education Agency to prioritize K-12 math and K-5 English Language Arts and Reading as the first subject areas for review under the new Instructional Materials and Review (IMRA) procedures that are being developed to implement HB 1605. The SBOE also prioritized K-3 Phonics programs for review, in order to comply with the requirements of HB 3 (2019) for phonics instruction. The SBOE directed TEA to develop rubrics for evaluating the math and reading programs.
Last week, TEA sent out several communications requesting input on rubrics. Educators may sign up to participate in a focus group using these links:
Educator Focus Groups
- English and Spanish Language Arts and Reading
- Mathematics
The rubrics that are developed by TEA will be subject to approval by the SBOE. The SBOE will also have to determine the percentage of TEKS that must be met for each subject called for review. The tentative timeline for the first review of instructional materials under the new IMRA process is summer 2024, with materials being implemented in classrooms during the 25-26 school year.
At the upcoming meeting November 14—17, the SBOE will consider several agenda items related to the implementation of HB 1605. On Tuesday November 14, the agenda includes discussion of the rules governing the requirements for and adoption of instructional materials, Chapter 66 Subchapters A, B, and C. TEA anticipates developing new rules and posting them for public comment sometime after the November SBOE meeting. The SBOE will also consider criteria for the IMRA process including suitability and appropriateness of the content. A livestream or recording of the November 14 meeting may be viewed at this link.
For more information, see the TEA HB 1605 website and review the HB 1605 Overview for LEA’s at this link.