State Board advances seven new CTE courses, adopts statewide employability standards amid detailed amendments and debate

The State Board of Education on May 25 approved for first reading and filing authorization proposed new 19 TAC chapter 127 — seven career and technical education (CTE) courses spanning business/marketing/finance, health science and manufacturing — and separately gave final adoption to new, statewide employability skills for high-school CTE courses.

The action on the seven courses followed a staff presentation on course development and a series of amendments the board adopted to clarify loan terminology, add entrepreneurship content and to require students be taught distinctions such as surface versus mineral rights in commercial real estate instruction. Vice Chair Little moved approval for first reading and filing authorization; the motion was seconded by Dr. Clark and carried as amended after the board voted on the package.

Why it matters: the courses and the employability standards together aim to fill gaps the Texas Education Agency (TEA) identified while refreshing programs of study and to give districts a common set of expectations for CTE offerings statewide. TEA staff told the board the seven courses were developed by subject-matter experts convened by contractors and are intended to complete programs of study that were revised in a recent program refresh.

Course development and contractors

Jessica, a TEA staff presenter, said the seven courses were created by subject-matter experts convened by two contractors and additional partners. "These courses were developed by subject matter experts that were convened by two contractors, Texas State Technical College, TSTC, and Educational Service Center Region 4," Jessica said during the presentation. The board earlier authorized interagency contracts with three contractors — Collin College, Texas State Technical College (TSTC) and ESC Region 4 — to help speed course development after a multi‑year review of CTE…