This paper provided a synopsis of a presentation given at the Texas Association of Literacy Education annual conference in February 2018. During this presentation, several members of the English Language Arts and Reading (ELAR) and Spanish Language Arts and Reading (SLAR) review committees described the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS)…

Current context for educational reform in the United States is codified in revisions of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) of 1965. Periodic reauthorizations reflect changing national and educational landscapes (Klein, 2015). The most recent reauthorization, Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) of 2015 (USDE, 2015), is currently…

There exists an increased focus on school mathematics, especially first-year algebra, due to recent efforts for all students to be college and career ready. In addition, there are calls, policies, and legislation advocating for all students to study algebra epitomized by four rationales of the "Algebra for All" movement. In light of this…

The Center on Standards, Alignment, Instruction, and Learning (C-SAIL), examines how college- and career-readiness (CCR) standards are implemented, if they improve student learning, and what instructional tools measure and support their implementation. This brief presents findings from C-SAIL's Implementation Study, which uses interview and survey…

In the Winter 2013 edition of the "Texas Journal of Literacy Education," we announced that a special task force from the TALE board would be sharing the common ground among the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS), Common Core State Standards (CCSS), and the College and Career Readiness Standards (CCRS). In that first edition, we…

For more than a decade, the world history course taught in the public high schools of Texas has provided the only comprehensive overview of the story of humanity to millions of students, most of whom are of Mexican descent. The Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills curriculum standard for world history has been foundational for textbook selection,…

As the nation's first standards-based art event, the Visual Arts Scholastic Event (VASE) is opening doors and creating opportunities for art students. VASE is the brainchild of passionate art educators who believe that high-school artists have potential far beyond the basic juried art exhibition. They believe that students should be able to create…

This study compares alignment of the ACT and the American Diploma Project (ADP) national college readiness standards sets with the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills for English language arts and reading (TEKS ELAR) standards for grades 9-12 and analyzes their cognitive complexity. It finds that a majority of the content in the ACT and ADP…

This paper is based on an online graduate program for middle school science and mathematics teachers in Texas titled Integration of Science, Mathematics and Reflective Teaching (iSMART). Launching the program for its first cohort in fall 2010, the authors attempted to answer the following two questions in this paper: (a) How do the members of the…

Music theory faculty members in all four-year institutions of higher education in Texas that are accredited by the National Association of Schools of Music and offer degrees in music education were invited to take an online survey. The content of the survey consisted of competencies taken directly from standards outlined by the National…

The Texas State Board of Education adopted the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) curriculum to ensure that all students meet the challenges of life in the new century. The information in this guide summarizes the TEKS expectations at each grade level in the foundation areas of English Language Arts and Reading, Mathematics, Science, and…

Although all of public education prepares students for the responsibilities of citizenship, the goal of providing students with the knowledge and skills necessary to assume their roles as leaders in the state of Texas and in the nation in the 21st century rests primarily with the social studies. This framework provides information that local…

This document contains Chapter 117 of the Texas Education Code, 28.002, and is related to the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills for Fine Arts, originally adopted in September of 1997. The provisions and expectations for each area of the fine arts (art, music, dance, theater) and each grade level are provided. The document is divided into…

This report summarizes evaluation results from AISD's Austin Collaborative for Mathematics Education (ACME) and campus support initiative during school year 2000-2001.

This chapter is part of a book that recounts the year's work at the Early Childhood Development Center (ECDC) at Texas A & M University-Corpus Christi. Rather than an "elitist" laboratory school for the children of university faculty, the dual-language ECDC is a collaboration between the Corpus Christi Independent School District and…