SBOE Preview: TEKS Revisions in the Spotlight 

The State Board of Education (SBOE) will convene in Austin on Tuesday, Nov. 18, at 9 a.m. CT, and meet through Friday, Nov. 22. At this regular meeting, the board will take up several important items, most notably, a framework for the anticipated social studies content area revision.  

The SBOE will spend Tuesday primarily on discussion and action items related to instructional materials. The board will have the opportunity to receive the final report from the commissioner of education on materials under consideration for Instructional Materials Review and Approval (IMRA) Cycle 2025.  

A final vote on Friday will follow Tuesday’s preliminary considerations. The SBOE will also consider for first reading the requirements for suitability reviewers and the process for the appointment and selection of suitability reviewers for instructional materials.  

Tuesday also brings forward several career and technical education (CTE) items for consideration. 

Wednesday will begin as it always does with comments from Commissioner Mike Morath and then proceed with discussion on several weighty items:  

• English Language Arts: House Bill 1605(88R) requires the SBOE, in adopting the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) for English language arts, to specify a list of required vocabulary and at least one literary work to be taught in each grade level. This is the first real discussion since the passage of the bill, so advocates will be monitoring the content and appropriateness of the vocabulary and texts that the Texas Education Agency is selecting for the SBOE to consider. 
• Civics: The board will receive an update on and discuss the structure of the civics training program required by Senate Bill 3 from all the way back in the second special session of the 87^th Legislature.  
• Social Studies: At the last meeting, the SBOE adopted a new framework for the social studies TEKS. This time around, members will have the opportunity to discuss the key topics to adhere to in the new framework.  

Since the adoption of the social studies framework in September, SBOE members have had the opportunity to nominate content advisors to spearhead the process. Controversial Christian pseudo-historian, David Barton, was nominated as one such “expert” advisor.  

The TEKS revision process affects every student in Texas, and the resulting standards should be accurate and truthful. The revisions should be recommended primarily by teachers of social studies and similar expert community members — not partisan lightning rods or curriculum vendors.  

Our allies at Texas Freedom Network have created a petition to remove three highly biased appointments from the content review committee. You can sign on here through Tuesday, Nov. 18. 

Hotline readers with expert social studies instruction content knowledge may also apply to be on a workgroup for the TEKS revision process by Jan. 19. Having a robust pool of applicants from across Texas will ensure that a full perspective is incorporated into the standards. Various workgroups will be needed throughout the revision process, expected to continue through at least June 2026. 

Committee work on Thursday will include revisions to the innovative course process and consideration to terminate instructional materials contracts with publishers out of compliance from Proclamations 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2024 in the Committee on Instruction.   

The Committee on School Initiatives will receive a standing update on the Generation 31 charter applications, as well as ongoing State Board for Educator Certification activities. The committee will also discuss parental rights training for school district trustees and the parental rights handbook as required by newly passed Senate Bill (SB) 204.   

And a special note for Friday: The board will honor the winners of the 2025 National History Day Contest.