88th Legislative Special Sessions Update
The 4th Special Session ended December 5th, without taking action on education savings accounts (ESAs). The Senate passed Senate Bill 1, its version of ESAs, but it wasn’t considered in the House. The House voted to remove a voucher program out of House Bill 1, a broad education bill. Governor Abbott continues to say the fight for school choice for all Texas families will continue until it's won. It is yet to be seen if Governor Abbott will call for a fifth special session.
SBOE Updates
Special SBOE Meeting - December, 2023 The State Board of Education (SBOE) called a special meeting on Dec. 13, to focus on HB 1605 requirements, specifically instructional materials review rules, processes, and rubrics for the new instructional materials review and adoption (IMRA) process. Chairman Ellis will continue to work on the presentation of the rubric for the January meeting.
Next SBOE Meeting 1/30 - 2/2 Link to past meetings and agendas.
TEKS Revision plan is being adjusted. The SBOE will review instructional materials aligned to the current TEKS next summer for K-12 using the new review process. Current information is not available for the Math TEKS Review.
TEA Updates
TEA Releases “What if” Accountability Ratings Among changes made by TEA for the new A-F system, the CCMR indicator for high school would rise from 60% to 88%. Since the new methodology would be applied to 2022 graduates, it drew concern from some districts. Districts filed suit and, in late October, a Travis County judge blocked TEA from releasing ratings. These ratings are only provided for reference and do not replace the final 2022 A-F ratings. Link to Presentation
Mathematics Achievement Academies As a part of the 84th Texas Legislature, Mathematics Achievement Academies are available for K - 4 for the three-day academies. Teachers who successfully complete the three-day in-person training are eligible to receive a $350 stipend or professional development credit. More information can be found on the TEA website.
26 Texas Schools Receive 2023 National Blue Ribbon Honors The list is available under Agency News on the TEA Website
Regards,
Tracene Nechamkin, TCTM Government Relations Representative