Programs of Study Refresh Public Comment

Perkins V is federal legislation requiring states that receive federal Career and Technical Education (CTE) funds to align CTE programs of study to high-wage, in-demand, and high-skill occupations. Texas’ State Plan indicates that the Texas Education Agency (TEA) will review programs of study every four years to ensure they meet the needs of the Texas workforce. TEA’s Career and Technical Education team conducted a statewide listening tour and obtained feedback from over 685 participants. Stakeholder feedback and labor market information analysis was provided to a CTE advisory committee made up of district leaders, teachers, postsecondary staff, and industry leaders. The CTE advisory committee used this information and feedback to guide recommendations for the Programs of Study Refresh to be implemented during the 2024-2025 school year.

TEA is soliciting additional public comment on the recommendations through August 14, 2023. Click here to view the recommendations from the CTE advisory committee for TEA’s 14 career clusters. The proposed updates include elements of the 53 currently approved statewide programs of study, two regional programs of study recommended for statewide approval, and four proposed new statewide programs of study.

Click on this survey to provide feedback on the proposed programs of study updates. The survey will allow you to make comments on one or more programs of study.

Based on the feedback received during the public comment period, additional updates may be made to the programs of study before they are finalized and released in the fall of 2023. Updates to the programs of study will be implemented beginning in the fall of the 2024-2025 school year. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact the CTE team at cte@tea.texas.gov.

New Career and College Exploration TEKS

At the April 2023 meeting, the State Board of Education (SBOE) adopted new middle school CTE Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) to be implemented beginning with the 2023-2024 school year. The Career and College Exploration TEKS can be used to satisfy the requirement that each student receive instruction in high school, college, and career preparation at least once in grade 7 or 8 (TEC §28.016 ). The new TEKS replace TEKS for Investigating Careers and College and Career Readiness. Two service IDs were published for the new TEKS in the Texas Student Data System Public Education Information Management System (TSDS PEIMS) in July: 12700110 (first time taken) and 12700120 (second time taken).

Career and College Exploration TEKS will be effective in 19 Texas Administrative Code (TAC), Chapter 127, Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills for Career Development and Career and Technical Education, Subchapter A, Middle School, on August 1, 2023. Prior to the August 1 effective date, districts and schools can access the TEKS here.

New Occupational Safety and Health TEKS

The SBOE approved for second reading and final adoption new 19 TAC Chapter 127, Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills for Career Development and Career and Technical Education, Subchapter B, High School, §127.17, Career and Technical Education Standards in Occupational Safety and Health, Adopted 2023. Districts must embed the new TEKS into the following courses beginning with the 2023-2024 school year:

Construction Technology I
Electrical Technology I

Plumbing Technology I
HVAC Technology I
Masonry Technology I
Agriculture Mechanics and Metal Technology
Welding I

Metal Fabrication and Machining I
Oil and Gas Production
Introduction to Culinary Arts

The SBOE will add the new occupational safety and health TEKS into these courses as each course comes up for review and revision.

The SBOE did not approve final adoption of the proposed standalone course, 19 TAC §127.18, Occupational Safety and Health.

CCMR Tracker Released in TEAL

The College, Career, and Military Readiness (CCMR) Tracker is now available within TEAL. The CCMR Tracker Part 1 was released on March 31, 2023. Part 2A was released June 30th within TEAL Accountability with updated indicators. There will be a Part 2B release to include sunsetting IBCs in late-July. The CCMR Tracker contains students who were in grades 9–12 on the 2022–23 PEIMS snapshot, but the 2023 version does not contain results from school year 2022–23 as those data have yet to be reported. For more information on sunsetting IBCs see Chapter 2 of the 2023 Preliminary Accountability Manual and the Industry-Based Certification List for Public School Accountability.