State Board social-studies ad hoc committee opens review, hears wide-ranging public testimony on TEKS framework

Erin Kinsey, chair of the Social Studies Ad Hoc Committee of the State Board of Education of Texas, called the committee to order April 10 and opened the first public hearing on a proposed social-studies framework that could lead to TEKS revisions statewide.

Kinsey said the committee, announced Oct. 10, 2024, will research a framework and make recommendations to the full board later this year. “Data reveals that U.S. eighth graders, less than 1 in 4 are proficient in civics. Only 13% are proficient in U.S. history,” Kinsey said, and urged urgency as the committee begins its work.

The testimony collected over roughly an hour included historians, district curriculum specialists, classroom teachers, parents and representatives of education organizations. Speakers addressed sequencing of Texas, U.S. and world history; the number and scope of grade-level standards; developmental appropriateness; teacher preparation; and options that range from integrated curricula to classical-education approaches.

Julia Brookins, senior program analyst for teaching and learning at the American Historical Association, directed committee members to a national report and urged repeated exposure to historical content:…