New Standards (TEKS) in Texas

There was a whirlwind of emails earlier in the year, when us teachers were at our busiest, about the possibility of new TEKS in Texas. I was concerned because the TEKS I teach are very close to those that teachers from across the country have published with NCTE. The TEKS that we will be required to teach starting in the 2009-2010 school year were implemented despite concerns that other educators had voiced.

This year, I’ve been teaching these TEKS for 8th Grade:
http://ritter.tea.state.tx.us/rules/tac/chapter110/ch110b.html#110.24
Next year, I’ll be teaching these:
http://ritter.tea.state.tx.us/rules/tac/chapter110/ch110b.html#110.20
I’ll be spending time trying to compare and contrast them to see what I taught this year that I can salvage.

There is an NCTE article in the March 2009 Council Chronicle titled, “Teacher Advocacy: What Happened in Texas.” I haven’t yet formed a response.