Dear Members,
We want to keep you informed about the State Board of Education’s actions last week regarding new Social Studies TEKS revisions.
Board Vote:
On Friday 9/12, the SBOE voted on which framework would move forward. Two frameworks had been under discussion:
The Board initially voted to advance Option D2 for Friday’s consideration.
You can see public testimony and Board discussion at Wednesday’s meeting starting at 1:34. However, on Friday, the Board substituted Option G for Option D2. You can view the vote here, starting at 40 minutes.
Option G had strong support from advocacy groups such as Texas Public Policy Foundation and the 1836 Commission, who were invited to provide testimony.
From what we observed, most educators testified in support of Option D2. Based on our surveys, the majority of TXCSS members wanted to retain World Cultures.
New Framework for Social Studies Grades K-8
This is the PDF of the framework Option G that passed.
This option eliminates World Cultures entirely, although Member Ellis added a suggestion that World Cultures be taught in grades 3-7 where appropriate. It adds a recommendation of 1.8 years of Texas history in grades 6-8. Grade 8 now features a capstone course of 20% “The American Legacy including the roots of Texas Independence” and 80% “The Fulfillment of Enlightenment Ideals, the Founding of the United States and the Annexation of Texas, the Impact of the Nations Whose Flags Have Flown Over Texas, and the Impact of Texas and America on the World." Because the STAAR test is administered in 8th grade, by statute (and most recently HB8 just passed), the STAAR test will likely be based on the TEKS designed for this new course.
Breakdown for grades 3-8:
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3rd grade - prehistory to 500 AD; recommended 50% on US and TX
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4th grade - 500 to 1500 AD: recommended 50% on US and 20% over TX
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5th grade - 1500-1800: recommended 85% on US and TX
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6th grade - 1800-1900: recommended 80% on TX and up to 15% on US
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7th grade - 1900-2000: recommended 40% on US and 40% on TX
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8th grade - Capstone: 80% on TX
Because this decision represents a significant shift in the structure of Social Studies education in Texas, we wanted to be sure our members were fully aware of what transpired.
Next steps:
The Board members will be nominating individuals to the Content Advisory in the next week. There will be a survey sent out from TEA soon to get feedback from stakeholders. It is unclear when they will open applications for workgroups, but you can see their full process here.
We will continue to monitor developments and keep you updated as the TEKS revision process moves forward.
Stay updated:
If you would like to stay informed with more frequent information, join our Bill Blast group (to be renamed “History in the Making,” to be a bit more inclusive of all state policy, and not just legislation) by filling in this form. You can also opt to join our Advocacy Committee on that form, if you would like a more active role in advocating for the Social Studies. We will be having an in-person committee meeting at the October conference.