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 programs.

Public comment and teacher supports

During public testimony Dr. Lavonda Loney, a Texas Educational Policy Institute fellow, commended the board and TEA for the course review process and urged stronger supports for districts and teachers. "The revised TEKS reflect a strong commitment to aligning career clusters with labor market demands and ensuring equitable access to relevant coursework across the state," Loney said, and she recommended targeted professional development and a single TEA platform to centralize updates and resources for districts.

Board debate and amendments

Board members debated both substantive and technical edits at length and adopted multiple changes. Key amendments the board approved during first reading (motions and outcomes summarized from the hearing):
- Inserted the phrase "origination costs" into loan-term language (adopted by voice vote).
- Added "personal guarantees" (and later expanded language to include cosigners) to the list of loan provisions the course addresses (adopted by voice vote).
- Added a new student expectation that explains the difference between surface rights and mineral rights and how they relate to commercial real estate projects (adopted by voice vote).
- Added a student expectation on entrepreneurship tied to commercial real estate ownership and operations. Initially a motion would have directed students to "identify requirements for owning and operating a mortgage firm," but after debate the board rejected replacing the mortgage language with commercial property in place of mortgage firms and instead adopted a separate student expectation requiring students to "research and identify requirements for owning and operating a commercial real estate property." Member Pickering said the goal was to encourage entrepreneurship and ownership paths for students; Member Hickman and others pushed to ensure the expectation would not teach students that complex regulated businesses could be started without understanding legal and licensing requirements.

Several other technical edits and wording clarifications were adopted across the subchapters — for example, adding "real estate appraisers" to lists of career opportunities in the commercial lending and real estate course, changing "MSDS" references to modern "SDS" nomenclature where appropriate, and consolidating duplicated elements in course introductions. Many of the amendments passed on unanimous voice votes after brief discussion. Where board members requested additional detail — for example, the contractors' pricing and contract terms — staff agreed to provide that documentation to members outside the public meeting. Member Brooks raised transparency concerns: she said she felt "blinded" by the lack of contract detail and asked staff to share the contracts and pricing information.

Distinguishing discussion, direction and decisions

- Discussion: Board members asked for more information on contract pricing and on how many courses a typical high school could offer; staff explained districts may use the Texas Virtual School Network or regional consortia to offer CTE options and noted staffing remains a common barrier.
- Direction: Staff agreed to provide the requested contract documents and pricing details to board members; they also agreed to research and return with suggested language about licensing or legal requirements for students exploring entrepreneurship in heavily regulated industries.
- Formal action: The board approved the proposed seven-course package for first reading and filing authorization as amended. The board also approved several specific textual amendments described above.

Final adoption of employability skills

At the same meeting the board moved, on a separate item, to adopt a single set of CTE employability skills (proposed new 19 TAC 127.15) for high school CTE courses. Vice Chair Loeb moved for second reading and final adoption of the employability skills; the motion was seconded and the board approved final adoption. The board also approved a conforming edit recommended by staff to remove a dated adoption year from cross‑references to avoid maintenance problems if the employability standards are changed later.

What happens next

- Second reading and final adoption timeline: For the seven-course package the board authorized first reading and filing; the materials will return to the board at second reading and final adoption after staff incorporate any edits and after publishers or districts submit materials for review under the state's instructional materials review process.
- Implementation and support: TEA staff said they will share more information with districts about the updated program-of-study resources and professional-development offerings; staff agreed to work with board members who requested narrower or clarified student expectations (for example, adding "including licensing requirements" language where appropriate).

The board's action begins the formal administrative rule-processing and instructional‑materials review cycle for the new CTE course language. Districts may continue to use locally developed materials and to implement the CTE TEKS as they plan, while publishers can submit aligned materials for the statewide review and approval process.

Ending

Board members noted there will be opportunities to refine the language at second reading and to work with staff and publishers on implementation supports. Staff also committed to sharing contract documents, to provide a brief on the number of programs/courses by career cluster, and to return with suggested wording on entrepreneurial licensing requirements before final adoption of affected course language.