News Briefs


SBOE Meeting
As this issue was going to press, the TEA announced that the State Board of Education was to hold a two-day special meeting starting on Monday, Sept. 26 for a public hearing — and then to adopt — limited Social Studies TEKS curriculum revisions to meet the requirements of SB3.

We’ll have a report on what happened at the meeting in our next issue.

Blue Ribbon schools — Congratulations to the 31 Texas campuses named (Sept. 16) by the U.S. Department of Education as National Blue Ribbon Schools for 2022.

Texas led the nation in the most schools on the 297-campus list that recognizes schools for overall academic progress or in closing achievement gaps among student subgroups.

Ed-prep Coalition
TCEP
A core group of more than two dozen associations — including the state’s major teacher associations and a number of educator preparation leaders and education advocacy group representatives — launched a new Texas Coalition for Educator Preparation during a Sept.14 event at the Capitol.

The coalition’s stated mission is to “advance and raise the profile of the education profession by supporting the continuous improvement of educator recruitment, preparation, and certification practices as well as promoting ongoing professional growth and support.”


Lead Testing
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The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality has launched a new self-help online portal to assist public schools and state regulated child care centers in conducting the voluntary sampling and analysis for lead in drinking water.

Priority is given to schools and child care centers that: 1) serve low-income or underserved areas, 2) serve children 6 and younger, or 3) are in older facilities that are likely to have lead-laden water pipes and fixtures.

Fentanyl Warning
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State health officials issued (Sept. 20) an alert that multi-colored versions of fentanyl tablets that children can easily believe to be candy have recently appeared in the illicit drug market.

In related news, Gov. Abbott sent a letter (Sept. 20) to the education commissioner and eight other state agency leaders directing them to “ramp up” the state’s efforts to combat the deadly fentanyl crisis.

At least four young people in Hays County (near Austin) have died from suspected fentanyl overdoses.


Computer Science Education
A new report (summary/report/texas data) says that Texas ranks 35th among the states in the percentage of high schools offering computer science courses.

The report found that 47 percent of Texas high schools, compared to 53 percent of high schools nationally, offer the course.

Some of the other Texas data:
-- 73.6 percent of high school students attend a school that offers a foundation computer science course, but only 6 percent of students are enrolled in a computer science course.

-- 27.3 percent of students enrolled in a computer science course are female.

-- In 2022, Texas had 60,400 available computer jobs each month that pay an average salary of $94,799.

The 2022 State of Computer Science Report was released by Code.org, the Computer Science Teachers Association and the Expanding Computing Education Pathways Alliance.

The report includes nine policy recommendations, and says that Texas has adopted all but two of them.

TEA Rule News (click here for more info):
Proposed (with comment deadline):
  • A school finance rule revision related to federal pandemic (COVID-19) funds. (Oct. 17)

    • Setting the passing standard for the Languages Other Than English: Spanish educator certification exam. (Oct. 17)

Adopted (with effective date):
  • The updated Financial Accountability System Resource Guide (FASRG). (Sept. 13)


    ▪ The 2021 Charter School Performance Framework (CSPF) Manual. (Sept. 6)