At the April 2025 State Board of Education (SBOE) meeting, SBOE approved for first reading and filing authorization proposed new Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) in employability skills for CTE courses. SBOE is scheduled to consider the proposed new TEKS for second reading and final adoption at its June 2025 meeting.
Since 2014, any revisions to the TEKS for CTE courses have included an employability skills strand to support effective performance in the workplace; however, the employability skills vary across the CTE courses. The proposed new TEKS would establish one universal set of employability skills standards for courses identified as Level 1 or 2 in a CTE program of study and a second universal set of advanced employability skills standards for courses identified as Level 3 or 4 in a CTE program of study. References to the proposed new employability skills would be added to new courses and gradually replace employability skills standards in existing CTE courses as they go through the TEKS revision process. Several CTE courses would also be updated with the new employability skills reference as part of the transition of CTE TEKS remaining in Chapter 130 to Chapter 127 in the Texas Administrative Code.
The official public comment period for the proposed new employability skills TEKS is now open. To view the proposed revisions and submit public comments, visit Proposed SBOE Rules
New 19 TAC Chapter 127, Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills for Career Development and Career and Technical Education, Subchapter B, High School, §127.15, Career and Technical Education Employability Skills, Adopted 2025
Public Comment Period: Ends June 16, 2025
Earliest Possible Date of Adoption: June 2025 SBOE meeting
