Education
BY BRITTANY ANDERSON
Districts outline curriculum adoption
Looking ahead
What else?
On the other hand
High-quality instructional materials Some requirements these materials must meet in order to fit IMRA criteria include:
According to the TEA, there are 142 different products from 25 different publishers being reviewed as part of the first IMRA cycle. The SBOE must meet certain milestones in order for approved materials to be made available for the 2025-26 school year.
May said EISD utilizes its School Safety and Health Advisory Committee to make recom- mendations to the school board regarding the district’s health curriculum and TEKS instruc- tional materials around human sexuality. In LTISD, Prehn said its School Health Advi- sory Council is responsible for this. In special education, May said students receiving these services have access to all of the same materials as general education but may require supplemental materials that are vetted like others. Prehn said students receiving special educa- tion services are “always considered general-ed- ucation first,” so core curriculum resources are chosen with student abilities in mind. However, these materials must be adaptable and offer accessibility, such as Braille, large print or digital formats with accessibility features.
May said the process for reviewing and adopting materials has been changing since the last legislative session in 2023. House Bill 1605 established a new Instructional Materials Review and Approval process, or IMRA, for the State Board of Education to evaluate and approve high-quality instructional materials, or HQIM, for districts. SBOE documents state that adopting HQIM is optional, but districts that do so are entitled to additional funding. Per the TEA, the bill provides an additional $540 million in instructional materials formula funding for districts that select these SBOE-approved materials. Additionally, teachers using these materials are given certain employment protections. TEA doc- uments state teachers cannot face disciplinary action for using these materials, and they are also not required to turn in weekly lesson plans if their district adopted materials that include lesson plans.
Texas school districts are responsible for adopting curriculum and instructional materials approved by the State Board of Education and adhere to the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills, or the curricular standards set by the Texas Education Agency. Instructional materials can include physical and online textbooks, videos, instructional software, apps, subscriptions, visual aids and more, said Molly May, Eanes ISD’s assistant superintendent of curriculum, instruction and assessment. LTISD Director of Curriculum and Instruction Amanda Prehn said the district has the flexibility to select non-state-adopted resources that better meet a students’ needs, as long as the materials still align with TEKS and prepare students for state assessments and graduation standards.
Adopting new curriculum and materials
Ensuring full coverage of the TEKS
Eanes ISD
Lake Travis ISD
Aligning with evidenced-based best practices for reading-language arts, math, science and social studies
• Curriculum staff conducts thorough review of new TEA and SBOE-approved materials • Recommendations are brought forward to teacher committees to review and select for each content area • Committee selections are shared with district staff and the
• New materials are vetted through teacher groups • District receives “sandbox” modules to see how materials work • Materials are vetted through the curriculum, instruction and assessment and technology services departments
2025 Dec. Nov. Oct. Sept.
SBOE votes on placing reviewed instructional materials on the approved or rejected list. Districts compare IMRA reports of the materials. Approved materials are available to be ordered, and shipped in July. Districts conduct professional development for teachers to go over the material. Districts begin classroom implementation of new materials.
Prohibiting obscene or harmful content and be in compliance with the Children’s Internet Protection Act
Jan. Feb.
Prohibiting kindergarten through third grade three-cueing, or a reading instruction method where students draw on context or sentence structure to read words instead of sounding them out
March
July Aug. June May April
public prior to the board of trustees’ final approval
Be free from factual error
SOURCES: EANES ISD, LAKE TRAVIS ISD/COMMUNITY IMPACT
SOURCE: TEXAS EDUCATION AGENCY/COMMUNITY IMPACT
SOURCE: TEXAS EDUCATION AGENCY/COMMUNITY IMPACT
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