5.6.23
“HB 1605 -- The Best Piece of Education Legislation in Twelve Years”
By Texas House Member Terri Leo-Wilson
UPDATE ON 6.12.23: HB 1605 HAS PASSED SUCCESSFULLY THROUGH THE TEXAS LEGISLATIVE PROCESS AND IS PRESENTLY ON GOV. ABBOTT’S DESK FOR HIS SIGNATURE. IF SIGNED, THIS BILL WILL GO INTO EFFECT ON 9.1.23 FOR THE 2023-2024 SCHOOL YEAR.
[COMMENTS BY DONNA GARNER: Rep. Terri Leo-Wilson is a trusted voice particularly on education issues because she is a wife/mother/grandmother, was a classroom teacher in various school environments for many years, and served as a member of the Texas State Board of Education for 10 years. She knows what quality curriculum and strong, traditional, curriculum standards look like because she helped to craft them. Every member of the Texas Legislature should join together to support HB 1605/SB 2565.]
The Texas Legislature has heard the cries of Texas parents. HB 1605 is the best piece of education legislation to have surfaced in twelve years.
Texas Rep. Buckley (R-Salado) is the lead author of HB 1605, and Sen. Creighton (R-Beaumont) is the lead author of SB 2565. Both identical bills have numerous other authors and co-authors, myself included.
What is in HB 1605 that makes it so significant?
THE DEBACLE IN 2011
To understand this, we must go back to 2011 when SB 6 was passed by the Texas Legislature. This bill led to the elected State Board of Education members (the voices of “We the People”) losing control over the content of textbooks (i.e., Instructional Materials – IM’s ).
The Texas State Board of Education (SBOE) goes through a long, arduous process involving numerous public hearings to adopt curriculum standards (TEKS) that define what every child must know at each grade level. By law the content of the IM’s (i.e., curriculum) is supposed to be aligned with the curriculum standards (TEKS ).
Some people who are critical of HB 1605 (which is being debated right now) think that this bill would remove the SBOE’s authority over the TEKS (i.e., curriculum standards). HB 1605 does not do that.
WHAT WOULD HB 1605 DO?
In fact, what HB 1605 would do is to return much of the authority to the SBOE that was lost in 2011 because of the passage of SB 6.
SB 6 has hurt an entire generation of students because under this bill, the IM’s have only had to be aligned with 50% of the TEKS.
This means that since 2011 only half of a textbook (IM’s) must be based upon the TEKS (curriculum standards) adopted by the SBOE. The other 50% of the content has been left to the will (and the philosophy) of the publishers.
This is the way that the unaccountable publishers (in coordination with the national education associations) have been able to insert Common Core/social justice agenda/LGBTQ/CRT and the leftist curriculum into the IM’s used in Texas public school classrooms since 2011.
Prior to SB 6 the SBOE had Content Suitability Standards that SB 6 trashed; now publishers themselves have been allowed to produce the self-certification of their own IM’s without any independent oversight. The publishers have basically been able to grant themselves an “A+” on their own IM’s.
Because of lack of accountability in SB 6 over these last 12 years, many of the publishers have gotten away with putting IM’s in our Texas public schools that in all actuality contain, in many cases, less than 20% of the SBOE-adopted TEKS.
THE DAMAGE DONE TO STUDENTS
Since IM’s are a teacher’s main teaching tool, it is not surprising that Texas’ test scores have plateaued and plummeted since 2011 in all grade levels and in all subjects.
It is inherently unfair to students (and to their schools) to hold students accountable to a STAAR test which covers 100% of the TEKS when the students have only had IM’s that cover half or less than half the required curriculum standards.
To be realistic, it does little good to pass legislation that prohibits the teaching of Common Core/social justice agenda/LGBTQ/CRT and the leftist curriculum when the IM’s are allowed to contain 50% (or more) of materials over which the SBOE has little-to-no authority.
For twelve years, “The fox has literally been guarding the hen house.” HB 1605 will change that.
ADOPTION OF CURRICULUM BY LOCALS
Experienced teachers have recognized the lack of coverage of curriculum standards in the current IM’s; and as a result, many of them spend countless hours searching on their own for supplemental materials to use. HB 1605 will give teachers IM’s that are rich in content and that have been approved by the SBOE through public hearings.
Contrary to the misinformation being spewed around, HB 1605 does not allow the TEA to require a district to adopt or otherwise use IM’s supported by the TEA.
The TEA may not REQUIRE a local school district to adopt or otherwise use instructional materials supported by the TEA and included on the SBOE’s approval list.
RULES FOR LOCALS UNDER HB 1605
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Under HB 1605, a school district may use an OER (Open Education Resource/Instructional Material) that has NOT been reviewed by the SBOE if the local school board can prove to TEA that the local teachers support using the alternative OER material. The local district may simply certify annually to the SBOE and to the Texas Education Commissioner that the OER materials they have chosen cover 100% of the TEKS and that the materials chosen do not contain obscene or harmful content.
If HB 1605 passes into law, it will require the Texas Education Commissioner to work closely with the SBOE; and it will also incentivize districts to utilize IM’s that are closely aligned with the TEKS.
RETURNS AUTHORITY TO ELECTED SBOE MEMBERS
The SBOE would once again have the ability to adopt criteria for development and adoption of IM’s that include Content Suitability Standards. This will insure that IM’s are free from factual errors and are suitable for the subject and grade level.
Under HB 1605, the SBOE will have oversight over IM content, something they have not had for 12 years.
HB 1605 contains authentic accountability.
The SBOE can get rid of the 50% rule found in SB 6 and set, if they so choose, a minimum alignment percentage of 100% on TEKS coverage in all IM’s.
BENEFITS OF HB 1605
Under the current law, Texans have no voice. Unelected and unaccountable publishers, whose main focus is making a profit, have allowed Common Core/social justice agenda/LGBTQ/CRT and leftist curriculum to pour into our Texas public schools by hiring authors and writers from liberal academia.
Under HB 1605, citizens, teachers, and parents have someone to hold accountable at the ballot box if they disagree with the IM’s that are adopted or rejected. They can replace SBOE members who do not represent their constituents well.
BENEFITS TO PARENTS
SInce 2011 parents have been left without a transparent process in the selection of the IM’s prior to those materials hitting their children’s desks.
Under HB 1605, parents will have a parent portal in order to view their child’s IM’s; and the parents will have an appeal process in place if they object to content in the adopted IM’s.
CONCLUSION
John Locke said, “Whoever defines the word, defines the world.” Shakespeare wrote, “The pen is mightier than the sword.” Content is the most important part of any book. This is why this piece of legislation matters so much.
I believe HB 1605 can undo the untold damage done to a generation of students and can ensure that Texas students are once again equipped to become successful members of our communities.
HB 1605, which I was proud to co-author, is the first step in a process to right the wrongs of the last 12 years.
ACTION STEPS:
Please contact your own Texas Legislature members and also members of the House and Senate Education Committees. Contact information can be found on the Texas Legislature Online website -- https://capitol.texas.gov/
ON 5.4.23 -- HB 1605 PASSED OUT OF HOUSE PUBLIC EDUCATION COMMITTEE -- WAS SENT TO SENATE PUBLIC EDUCATION COMMITTEE: https://capitol.texas.gov/BillLookup/Actions.aspx?LegSess=88R&Bill=HB1605
MEMBERS OF THE TEXAS HOUSE PUBLIC EDUCATION COMMITTEE: https://capitol.texas.gov/Committees/Membership.aspx
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