| (a) A school district may offer innovative courses
to enable students to master knowledge, skills, and competencies not
included in the essential knowledge and skills of the required curriculum.
(1) The State Board of Education (SBOE) may approve
discipline-based courses in the foundation or enrichment curriculum
and courses that do not fall within any of the subject areas listed
in the foundation and enrichment curricula when the applying school
district or organization demonstrates that the proposed course is
academically rigorous and addresses documented student needs.
(2) Applications shall not be approved if the proposed
course significantly duplicates the content of a Texas Essential Knowledge
and Skills (TEKS)-based course or can reasonably be taught within
an existing TEKS-based course.
(3) To request approval from the SBOE, the applying
school district or organization must submit a request for approval
at least six months before planned implementation that includes:
(A) a description of the course and its essential knowledge
and skills;
(B) the rationale and justification for the request
in terms of student need;
(C) data that demonstrates successful piloting of the
course in Texas;
(D) a description of activities, major resources, and
materials to be used;
(E) the methods of evaluating student outcomes;
(F) the qualifications of the teacher;
(G) any training required in order to teach the course
and any associated costs;
(H) the amount of credit requested; and
(I) a copy of or electronic access to any recommended
instructional resources for the course.
(4) To request approval for a career and technical
education innovative course, the applying school district or organization
must submit with its request for approval evidence that the course
is aligned with state and/or regional labor market data.
(5) To request approval of a new innovative course,
the applying school district or organization must submit with its
request for approval evidence that the course has been successfully
piloted in its entirety in at least one school in the state of Texas.
(6) The requirements of paragraphs (3)(C) and (5) of
this subsection do not apply to the consideration of a course developed
to support a program of study in career and technical education.
(7) Newly approved innovative courses shall be approved
for a period of three years, and courses approved for renewal shall
be approved for a period of five years.
(8) With the approval of the local board of trustees,
a school district may offer, without changes or deletions to content,
any state-approved innovative course.
(9) Texas Education Agency shall review all approved
innovative courses once every two years and provide for consideration
for sunset a list of innovative courses that meet the following criteria:
(A) zero enrollment for the previous two years;
(B) average enrollment of less than 100 students statewide
for the previous three years;
(C) student enrollment at an average of fewer than
20 districts or charter schools statewide for the previous three years;
(D) duplicative of another innovative or TEKS-based
course; or
(E) approved for implementation as a TEKS-based course.
(b) An ethnic studies course that has been approved
by the SBOE as an innovative course shall be considered by the SBOE
at a subsequent meeting for inclusion in the TEKS.
(1) Only comprehensive ethnic studies courses in Native
American studies, Latino studies, African American studies, and/or
Asian Pacific Islander studies, inclusive of history, government,
economics, civic engagement, culture, and science and technology,
shall be considered by the SBOE.
(2) The chair of the Committee on Instruction, in accordance
with SBOE Operating Rule 2.5(b), shall collaborate with the board
chair to place the item on the next available Committee on Instruction
agenda following SBOE approval of the innovative course.
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| Source Note: The provisions of this §74.27 adopted to be effective September 1, 1996, 21 TexReg 4311; amended to be effective September 1, 1998, 23 TexReg 5675; amended to be effective September 1, 2001, 25 TexReg 7691; amended to be effective December 25, 2007, 32 TexReg 9623; amended to be effective December 25, 2019, 44 TexReg 7980; amended to be effective February 26, 2023, 48 TexReg 840; amended to be effective February 18, 2024, 49 TexReg 694 |
