"Help is on the Way" for Texas Curriculum Standards
Monday, June 26, 2006
By Barbara Cargill - State Board of Education Dist. 8 

When it comes to Texas curriculum standards and testing, teachers are frustrated, students are stressed, and parents are confused.  Well, I have good news for you.  Hang in there, help is on the way! 

Adopted in 1997, the TEKS - the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills - are the student expectations for each grade level subject such as science, math, social studies, etc.  Teachers use these standards to develop their classroom curriculums, and it is from the TEKS that the TAKS tests are developed.

It has long been my opinion that one root cause of teacher dissatisfaction in Texas is the confusion caused by our state's fuzzy, non-specific, highly repetitive curriculum standards -- the Texas Essential Knowledge & Skills (TEKS). 

Even before I took office in 2005, complaints came in from hard-working teachers about the TEKS, especially for English Language Arts and Reading (ELAR).  This year when these TEKS came under review, I heard from even more teachers!  One teacher wrote that it took her six months to figure out the 2nd grade TEKS because they are so "fuzzy and confusing".

Another highly regarded teacher said she is "amazed that 116 new standards must be taught in 4th grade", and yet another said that after several district trainings (usually led by high dollar curriculum specialists), she "still did not completely understand what she was expected to teach."  Other concerns include not knowing when mastery is expected and the word for word repetition of many standards for several years in a row.

The flight of top talent from the classroom is alarming, and many more contemplate whether it is all worth it.  One way to retain these teachers is to listen to what they have been saying for years, "Give us curriculum standards that are clear, concise, and grade-level appropriate."

In response to the concerns of several board members about the ELAR curriculum standards, Chairman Tincy Miller led a study day on June 14th for the State Board of Education to assess the need for major reform.  After hearing from three nationally acclaimed curriculum experts, the board became unified behind the effort for significant reform.

The experts' bottom-line advice?

Eliminate TEKS that are repetitive or that cannot be measured, and develop a framework of content standards that is specific for each grade level. 

Now is the time to bring about positive change to the ELAR curriculum standards (with all subjects to follow over time).  Fellow board members and I look forward to working alongside the Texas Education Agency staff and Commissioner Neeley to develop clear standards that help our children build on their knowledge from year to year.  Although benchmarks will not be relaxed, true learning and achievement will come easier for all.

Better "roadmaps for learning" will result in higher academic success for our schoolchildren while bringing improved teacher satisfaction.

Clearer standards will guide publishers to prepare basal readers that ensure children learn the skills they need, starting in kindergarten and progressing forward.  Learning becomes much more effective and attainable on all counts.

This change will be hard but is necessary for progress.  It will require complete cooperation between our Commissioner of Education, the State Board of Education, Texas Education Agency staff, textbook publishers, and others with vested interests in our state curriculum standards. 

The study day was a great beginning for major reform, but the best celebration of all will be the day that our teachers actually have the new and improved TEKS in their hands and can start using clear, concise, measurable, non-repetitive standards with their students!

First elected in 2004, Barbara Cargill is an elected member of the State Board of Education, District 8, from The Woodlands, Texas .  She can be contacted at:  281-465-8095 or sboe@barbaracargill.com