House Bill 1605 (88th Texas Legislature, Regular, 2023) requires the Texas Education Agency (TEA) to develop rubrics in consultation with and approved by the State Board of Education that will be used to evaluate the quality of instructional materials.   

TEA was directed by the SBOE to develop rubrics for K–8 English language arts and reading, K–6 Spanish language arts and reading, and K–12 mathematics. TEA is seeking your feedback on the draft IMRA rubrics and is hosting focus groups for educators, education service centers, and publishers. If you would like to attend, please register for one of the sessions below. 

To benefit both innovative course applicants and LEAs who wish to implement innovative courses, the timeline for future innovative course application cycles has been updated. The updated timeline is designed to provide additional time for the following: 

• Applicants to complete applications 
• Applicants to receive local board approval 
• Applicants to complete course pilots and analyze data 
• Districts and open-enrollment charters to plan for innovative course implementation 

Courses that are approved will be available for implementation beginning with the 2025-2026 school year. 

The updated innovative course application timeline has been posted on the TEA innovative courses webpage. 

To highlight some of the changes for innovative courses that are under consideration by the State Board of Education (SBOE) at their meeting on November 14-17, 2023, the innovative courses team will be hosting two webinars to explain the proposed rule updates and timeline. These sessions are primarily intended for stakeholders who are interested in submitting an innovative course application in the future.  

Individuals who are interested in attending one of these webinars may select one of the two links below in order to register. Seats are limited. 

• Monday, November 27, 2023, 3:00 p.m.-4:00 p.m. 
• Tuesday, November 28, 2023, 9:00 a.m.-10:00 a.m. 

Need help meeting a student’s course needs? 

The Texas Virtual School Network (TXVSN) can help meet students’ needs through TEA-approved online courses. The TXVSN statewide course catalog provides schools and students access to high school, Advanced Placement, career and technical education, and dual credit courses for initial credit or credit recovery. The course catalog provides all the required English language arts courses needed to meet a student's graduation requirement.  

The TXVSN courses are aligned to the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) and taught by Texas-certified teachers trained in best practices in online instruction. Schools can use the TXVSN courses to create flexibility in a student’s schedule, allow a student to accelerate their learning, or address local teacher shortages. Students enrolled in a TXVSN course can generate funding regardless of whether the student is physically present at school while participating in the course. For more information about the courses offered through the TXVSN, please visit the TXVSN website or contact the TXVSN Help Desk. 

Each year the Texas Education Agency (TEA) invites Texas educators to provide feedback on the development of state assessments (STAAR, STAAR Alternate 2, and TELPAS) through educator committees across all assessed grades and content areas. Developing high-quality, aligned questions relies on the expertise and experience of Texas educators. Participants collaborate with other educators from across the state to review, edit, and approve each potential question for state assessments. TEA is specifically looking for educators from your region! 

The commitment is generally two to three days in Austin with all travel, accommodations, and substitute coverage paid for by TEA. All participants will earn Continuing Professional Education credits. If you are interested or know other educators who would like to participate in a committee, fill out the application form here: https://www.texasassessment.gov/educator-committees.html 

For assistance with your questions about any Texas assessment program, please submit an inquiry or a request for assistance to the Student Assessment Help Desk  or by phone: 512-463-9536