The State Board of Education adopted curriculum in 1998 that is used as a framework for Texas schools. This curriculum is called the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills or TEKS. The TEKS identify what students should know and be able to do at every grade and in every subject area. Texas measures how well students are progressing with the statewide assessment, the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills or TAKS.
What Parents Need to Know
To effectively participate in the ARD Process, parents need to know what learning standards are expected for the grade that your child is in. You can find the content expectations by grade level in the TEKS. Once you know what is expected, you can help the ARD team determine the most appropriate educational plan for your child. The ARD team, of which parents are a member, will use the TEKS to determine if a student will be held responsible for learning the entire grade level curriculum, in every subject area, or if IEP (Individualized Education Plan) goals will need to be written in certain subject areas. Parents should note that curriculum objectives typically cover more than one grade level. For instance, many of the elementary objectives cover grades K through 2 or 4 through 8.
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, requires schools to provide students with disabilities “access to the general curriculum.” In other words, students with disabilities must receive instruction based on the same curriculum used with ALL students, the TEKS.
Once goals are developed and agreed upon, decisions will be made as to what types of supports are needed and where the child will receive their education.
To find the TEKS, you can download them at http://tea.texas.gov/index2.aspx?id=6148 or ask your child’s teacher or principal to share a copy with you.
It is important to note that kindergarten through fifth grade can be downloaded by grade. All other grades can be downloaded by chapter or content area.
For parents of children who are preschool age, please click on our link for Prekindergarten Curriculum.
The Preschool Kindergarten Curriculum Guidelines can be accessed at: http://www.tea.state.tx.us/index2.aspx?id=2147495508
In addition to the TEKS, the Texas Education Agency has developed other resources on student expectations that you may find useful in planning for your child.
Performance Level Descriptors are an additional tool that you can use to better understand the grade level expectations for grades 3-11. Performance Level Descriptors are a short list of the knowledge and skills that students are expected to achieve for each grade and subject tested on the statewide assessments. To view the TAKS Performance Level Descriptors, click here: http://www.tea.state.tx.us/student.assessment/taks/plds/
The TEKS Vertical Alignment for STAAR-Alt provides an overview of the curriculum from pre-K through high school for subjects that are tested on the statewide assessments. The TEKS Curriculum Framework for STAAR-Alt provides a listing of the student expectations from earlier grade levels, including pre-K, (i.e. “pre-requisite skills”) that lead up to the knowledge and skills tested on the statewide assessments. If your child is not expected to meet some or all of the grade level expectations, these documents may be helpful to you in determining appropriate educational goals that align with what the other students in your child’s grade will be learning. To view these resources, click here: http://www.tea.state.tx.us/student.assessment/
Project Share features an online search tool for math and science curriculum standards and resources.