High School FAQ Updates
2022-2024
High School Folks! Happy New School Year!
~ Ana
2023 Social Studies Update: TEKS & Instructional Materials
The board determined that the revised social studies standards will be implemented in the 2024–25 school year. The adopted revisions align with recent legislative requirements by updating the standards for Kindergarten-Grade 8 and five high school courses: Economics with Emphasis on the Free Enterprise System and its Benefits, United States History Studies Since 1877, World History Studies, World Geography Studies, and United States Government. The board also determined that social studies will not be a part of Proclamation 2025. TEA will offer publishers the opportunity to update their instructional materials in order to address any changes in the revised TEKS. Districts will receive their biennial instructional materials and technology allotment in September 2023. While there is not money specifically set aside for
gap-years materials, districts are able to spend that funding on materials needed to meet the district’s needs and to cover 100% of the TEKS.
Personal Financial Literacy and Economics Course (Required)
In response toSB 1063, the SBOE adopted at its June 2022 meeting the new Personal Financial Literacy and Economics high school course.
•Beginningthis year,with the start of the 2022–23 school year, students may successfully complete either this new course or the Economics with Emphasis on the Free Enterprise System course tosatisfy the half-credit economics requirement for high school graduation.
The service code for Personal Financial Literacy and Economics is 03380083 and the course abbreviation is PFLECO.
§113.76 Personal Financial Literacy and Economics (One-Half Credit)
(a) Implementation. The provisions of this section shall be implemented by school districts beginning with the 2022–23 school year.
(b) General requirements. This course is recommended for students in Grades 11 and 12. Students shall be awarded one-half credit for successful completion of this course. Students may notbe awarded credit for both this course and the personal financial literacy course adopted under this subchapter.
(c) Introduction.
(3) This course was created in response to Texas Education Code (TEC), §28.025(b-22), satisfies the high school requirement, and meets the two-thirds of instructional time in personal financial literacy and one-third of instructional time in economics. In addition, the course addresses new financial challenges of modern economy.
Per TAC rule §74.3(b)(2)(D), the new course is a part of the required curriculum.
•However, districts with a total district-wide high school enrollment of fewer than 500 students can apply to the commissioner of education to offer either Economics with Emphasis on the Free Enterprise System and Its Benefits or the new Personal Financial Literacy and Economics course. A link to the application can be found at the bottom of the Social Studies TEA webpage under the heading: Request for Reduction in Required Curriculum Offerings. Applications may be submitted to curriculum@tea.texas.gov
•All other districts must offer both of these required economics courses.
**As of December 2022, the NCAA is currently not accepting this course as a credit. The T.E.A. is currently in discussions...stay tuned.
UPDATE & CLARIFICATION
Based on the Division I and II Academic Eligibility requirements of the NCAA, students could not receive credit for the Personal Financial Literacy and Economics courses but still meet the social studies NCAA course requirements with the current social studies graduation requirements of Texas.
I have included the academic eligibility requirements listed in the Play Division I Sports and Play Division II Sports below.
Division I and II Academic Eligibility
To be eligible to compete in NCAA sports during your first year at a Division II school, you must meet academic requirements for your core courses, grade-point average (GPA) and test scores.
You must graduate high school and meet ALL the following requirements:
- Complete 16 core courses:
- Three years of English.
- Two years of math (Algebra 1 or higher).
- Two years of natural or physical science (including one year of lab science if your high school offers it).
- Three additional years of English, math or natural or physical science
- Two years of social science
- Four additional years of English, math, natural or physical science, social science, foreign language, comparative religion or philosophy
- Earn at least a 2.2 GPA in your core courses.
- Earn an SAT combined score or ACT sum score matching your core-course GPA on the Division II sliding scale, which balances your test score and core-course GPA. If you have a low test score, you need a higher core-course GPA to be eligible. If you have a low core-course GPA, you need a higher test score to be eligible.
School districts may access the NCAA High School Portal for a list of the NCAA core courses for social studies by campus.
Instructional Materials
Instructional Materials
Per TEC, §28.025 (b-23) the agency shall: develop a list of free, open-source, and publicly available curricula that may be used by a school district to provide a personal financial literacy & economics course that satisfies the curriculum requirements under Subsection (b-1)(4). The new Personal Financial Literacy/Economics course is included in Proclamation 2024.
Teacher Certification for the PFLECO
The teacher certification requirement for this coursewill bedetermined by the State Board for EducatorCertification (SBEC).
•SBEC is expected to determine the certification requirements in the upcoming months
•In the meantime, districts are encouraged to use their best judgement, knowing that this course is focused on personal financial literacy and economics.
Personal Financial Literacy (Elective)
The requirement for Personal Financial Literacy is that it be offered as part of the high school curriculum. The course must be available for students to take as a high school elective. LEAs determine what number of students make a class. Students are not required to take the course. The course is not a graduation requirement. It is also a stand only course, meaning a CTE course cannot replace it. See the description for it under 74.3.Description of a Required Secondary Curriculum.
UPDATE
Civics Items in the U.S. History EOC
The 86thTexas Legislature passed House Bill (HB) 1244 in 2019.
This bill requires the U. S. History STAAR end-of-course (EOC) assessment to include 10 questions randomly selected from the civics test administered by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) as part of the naturalization process.
HB 1244 requires that the questions included be aligned to the TEKS for United States History Studies Since 1877.
In addition, HB 1244 requires the Texas Education Agency (TEA) to issue a report annually that provides the questions included in the test and the answers to those questions, and student performance on the questions, both statewide and disaggregated by school district and campus.
Implementation Plan
The civics questions will be included as a section within the U. S. History STAAR EOC beginning with the May 2023 administration. To not increase the length of the test, the civics questions will take the place of some of the field test questions normally included as part of the STAAR EOC. Student performance on those questions will be reported at the state-, district-, and school-levels and will not be part of a student’s individual U. S. History STAAR score.
27 U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services provides a collection of resources on its Study Materials for the Civics Test webpage They also provide a Civics Practice Test.
Holocaust Remembrance Week
More information and guidance at The Texas Holocaust, Genocide, and Antisemitism Advisory Commission. Please also remember that we also have our local Holocaust Memorial Museum of San Antonio.
Ethnic Studies Courses
At the April 2019 SBOE meeting, the board gave final approval to TEKS for a new social studies course, 19 TAC §113.50, Ethnic Studies: Mexican American Studies (One Credit). The new TEKS became effective on July 1, 2019, and were implemented with the 2019–2020 school year. Available TEA Resources.
On April 17, 2020, the State Board of Education gave final approval to Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) for a new Ethnic Studies: African American Studies course. The new course will be implemented beginning with the 2020-2021 school year. The approved TEKS will be added to the Texas Administrative Code beginning August 1. The text of the final, approved Ethnic Studies: African American Studies TEKS is available here. Available TEA Resources
Ethnic Studies: African American Studies (PDF document)
World History Changes (2020)
AP U.S. History
AP Preparation
Supreme Court DBQs
Community Safety Education Act (Senate Bill 30)
Senate Bill (SB) 30, also known as The Community Safety Education Act, requires the State Board of Education (SBOE) to adopt rules to include the instruction developed under TEC, §28.012, in one or more courses in the required curriculum for students in grades 9-12. The SBOE adopted a new rule in Title 19 of the Texas Administrative Code (TAC), §74.39, Requirements for Instruction on Proper Interaction with Peace Officers, that became effective August 27, 2018. This rule requires school districts and charter schools to provide instruction to students in grades 9-12 on proper interaction with peace officers during traffic stops and other in-person encounters.
Senate Bill (SB) 30, Community Safety Education Act Frequently Asked Questions
Bible Literacy
The Attorney General’s Opinion No. GA-0657 determined that the course authorized in Texas Education Code (TEC) §28.011 is not required to be offered. However, the Opinion also determined that because “religious literature” had been added to the required enrichment curriculum, some instruction in that subject is required. Districts may incorporate instruction regarding religious literature as required by Texas Education Code (TEC) §28.002(a)(2)(G) into existing history or literature courses or may offer a specific course on that subject. See attached FAQ.
*Please note there is no staff development at this time to address that part of question #3 on the FAQ or section 21.459. The links on the document are live and will direct you to the TEKS for this course.
Election Code Title 2. Chapter 13 Sec13.046
13.045. ACTIVITY ON GOVERNMENTAL PREMISES. Except as otherwise provided by law, the chief executive of a state agency with approval of the agency's governing body, if any, the chief executive of a department of a city with approval of the city's governing body, or a county officer may permit an officer or employee under the chief executive's or officer's supervision who is a volunteer deputy registrar to engage in official registration activities during working hours on the premises under the chief executive's or officer's control.
Acts 1985, 69th Leg., ch. 211, Sec. 1, eff. Jan. 1, 1986.
Sec. 13.046. HIGH SCHOOL DEPUTY REGISTRARS. (a) Each principal of a public or private high school or the principal's designee shall serve as a deputy registrar for the county in which the school is located. For more information on requirements: https://statutes.capitol.texas.gov/Docs/EL/htm/EL.13.htm ,
Ana Villarreal Simpson M.Ed.
Education Service Center, Region 20
Email: Ana.VillarrealSimpson@ESC20.net
Website: https://www.esc20.net/page/ci_ss.SocialStudies
Location: 1314 Hines, San Antonio, TX, USA
Phone: 210-370-5405