The work of policymaking for the world’s eighth largest economy doesn’t stop when legislators aren’t in regular session. Instead, in the intervening time between sessions, legislative committees study “interim charges,” or policy topics assigned by the Lieutenant Governor and Speaker of the House in their respective chambers.
This year, interim charges for both the Senate Education Committee and House Public Education Committee contain important topics with a direct impact on student outcomes, including instructional materials, advanced math and rural career pathways, teacher certification and early foundational academics. This is especially crucial as recent STAAR data demonstrates many students, particularly our youngest, struggle to meet grade-level expectations after formative educational years were disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Two House Public Education Committee hearings in August dove into these topics, providing an opportunity for educators and subject matter experts to lend their perspectives
High-Quality Instructional Materials
Research demonstrates that too often the instructional materials provided to students are below grade-level standards. Lawmakers sought to address this in 2023 with the passage of House Bill 1605, which provides funding for districts that elect to use a high-quality curriculum. These materials will be reviewed and approved by the State Board of Education (SBOE) in a new “Instructional Materials Review and Approval” (or IMRA) process meant to ensure rigorous standards and quality learning design.
Longtime educator, math administrator and IMRA reviewer Liz Johnson spoke to the committee about the intentionality of the new review process: “Reviewers use the quality rubrics... to describe how the text does (or does not) incorporate language supports, progress monitoring tools, support for all learners, and research based instructional strategies.”
While there were conversations on the specific content provided in the state’s “Open Educational Resources,” there remained broad support for the legislative intent of providing Texas students with rigorous, on-grade-level material. As Chairman Brad Buckley put it: “With high-quality instructional materials, [teachers] can focus on delivery of the lesson. They spend less time [planning] out of the classroom... and ultimately [it] enhances student learning.”
Advanced Math Pathways
According to research from E3 Alliance, students who take two math courses beyond Algebra II are three times more likely to graduate from college. But accomplishing this requires taking Algebra I in 8th grade, a pathway which, historically, has varied greatly in its availability to students irrespective of their academic capability.
The passage of Senate Bill 2124, which automatically enrolls the top performing 5th graders into advanced math in 6th grade, puts more students on a path to college and career readiness.
The interim hearing demonstrated continued support for this policy, with Commit Middle Grades Initiatives Managing Director Sile Robinson reporting that “school systems are going above and beyond to support students with accessing and being successful in advanced math.” This was echoed by Dr. Angela Herron, Chief Teaching and Learning for Grand Prairie ISD, who has seen broad support for the policy’s implementation from district leadership and parents, reporting that the number of GPISD 6th graders enrolled in advanced math has nearly doubled over the last two years.
Witnesses also made clear that school districts will need to work to ensure a high-quality math educator workforce in the middle grades to ensure sustainability of SB 2124 in the years to come.
Rural Career Pathways
House Bill 2209 created the Rural Pathway Excellence Partnership Program, which allows rural schools districts to partner with one another to expand the amount of career and technical education opportunities available to their students. Legislators heard about the program's successes to date and expressed interest in providing more planning support for interested school systems.
One example of this type of program in action is the Rural Schools Innovation Zone in South Texas, which not only inspired HB 2209 but where students can now avail themselves of the career-technical options available across five different districts. Premont ISD student Ava Gutierrez credited this innovative partnership with preparing her to reach her career goals as an aspiring educator: “I know that I will have certifications when I leave high school and a pathway to a degree... I am set up for success, and that is in large part because of the zone.”
Teacher Certification
New research out of Texas Tech on the impact of uncertified teachers has prompted an increased focus on improving teacher certification and preparation. According to the policy brief authored by Dr. Jacob Kirksey: “Students with new uncertified teachers lose about 4 months of learning in reading and 3 months in math, unless the teacher has previous experience working in a public school.” This is especially problematic given that an increasing proportion of newly hired teachers lack certification.
Dr. Kirksey was on hand at the hearing to provide additional context for his work. “The problem goes beyond test scores,” he reported. “Uncertified teachers are often placed with our youngest learners during the most formative years of their education.”
The committee also heard from leaders of educator preparation programs and school systems who are finding innovative new ways to support incoming teachers. These experts recommended investing in high-quality preparation programs that include classroom experience such as teacher residencies, further scaling of the Teacher Incentive Allotment, and “enhancing data transparency to empower our parents and communities.”
Early Literacy and Numeracy
Recently released assessment data shows a decline in the number of students across the state meeting standards in foundational subjects such as third grade reading and math.
Amber Shields, Commit’s Managing Director of Early Matters Dallas, brought her experience as a former teacher and principal to bear as she made suggestions for improving these outcomes, beginning with high-quality PreK programs followed by strong K-3 instruction paired with targeted interventions for struggling students.
Shields pointed out that Texas currently lacks reliable literacy progress monitoring in the early grades and, as a result, “we lose visibility into a student's literacy development. By third grade, [if] the student performs does not meet grade level on STAAR, it [is] much harder to catch up, which can impact the student's future academic and economic success.”
Meanwhile, Stephanie Auginbaugh of Uplift Education shared evidence from the campuses she serves that high-quality interventions can lead to increased student success: “We saw significant results... Students who were the furthest behind... and received the intervention in the earliest grades saw greatest academic growth.”
In the coming months, we will also feature updates on education hearings in the Texas Senate. Want to dive deeper? Be sure to sign up for our Education Impact Brief policy newsletter.
