Live play-by-play: TX Bd of Ed IV: Middle School SS Teacher Panelists Speak

Bradley announces that Permanent School Finance committee members will leave, meet separately, and rejoin rest of Board later, as testimony and Board suggestions to panels continues...

4:43 6th grade: Marcy Deal (Diehl? Dill?)--Contemporary World Cultures course. Public percpetion supercedes reality of TEKS. Christmas is not removed. Students are expected to explain significance of religious holidays, but intent was to provide only one example per major religion for guidance's sake, not to imply that others were to be removed. This will be amended to add ALL religious holidays for major religions.

Barbara Cargill (R-The Faction, The Woodlands) doesn't see how "identifying the reasons for limiting government" has been incorporated into earlier TEKS, as panel said it was. Committee will re-check that and consider putting it back in. How many work group members? Five. Historical origins of democratic forms of government are not in world history, as was said when it was taken out of sixth grade. Marcy says that will be covered in Ancient Greece and Rome portions. Strong desire on part of panel to stay contemporary, in accordance with title of course. Focus on people behind innovations, not just the discovery of them. Panel was trying to focus on impact of contemporary society, but will reconsider. Pat Hardy (R-Weatherford) the why of malaria research came from a specific need--the digging of the Panama Canal. This kind of connection is typical of the approach at this grade (opposed to U.S History, when it is very specific). Gail Lowe (R-The Faction, Lampasas) Not all regions are mentioned (a few as "such as," i.e. optional), shouldn't we spell out which ones? Bosnia and Northern Ireland was in TEKS, but that level of detail is not as important. We're trusting teachers to frind who are the leaders of the country and the contemporary issues. She wants more specificity in the TEKS, as in the introduction. Panel was trying to avoid getting too prescriptive, but will ge more specific if that is the will of the Board.

5:06 pm 7th Richard Vickery--Texas History--we tried to leave TKES alone and merely clarify. Panel also tried to provide more diverse examples, and more modern examples, where appropriate. Pat Hardy (R-Weatherford) match regions with fourth-grade list of regions. Wants them capitalized. Barbara Cargill (R-The Faction, The Woodlands) Why did panel take out word "Catholic" in two places to describe missions? Because it was assumed. Panel will consider re-inserting to prevent confusion. Will add NAACP and LULAC to civil rights.

5:11 pm 8th Wendy Miller Tomlinson--U.S. History. Tried to refine rather than rewrite standards. Want a foundation in American ideals, and key milestones and documents in American history. Trying to fulfill goals in time allotted to cover beginnings of U.S. through reconstruction. Core of course is the writing of the Constitution. Includes 110 student expectations with higher-order thinking skills in wording of expectations. Don McElroy (R-The Faction, Bryan) was very concerned about committee and was ready to disband them, because of treatment of TEKS 3C. What is thinking of the committee to consider removal of that? She says that the majority now agrees to keep it in. It got taken out initially because there were so many student expectations, and needed to streamline. We now think that was a mistake. McElroy is relieved and gratified. McElroy: Why would exploration not be covered here? Response: covered in 4th and 5th grade. This course starts with colonization. McElroy: we're all impressed with David Barton's command of early American history--so consider his recommendations strongly. McElroy strongly recommends reading the Federalist Papers--not just discuss issues raised, as current statement says. McElroy also thinks that Biblical foundation and Judeo-Christian principles in the U.S. Constitution needs to be included. Parliaments sprung up in Medeival Christendom, before the Enlightenment. Barbara Cargill (R-The Faction, The Woodlands) wants to add religious reasons for settlements of Puritans. Gail Lowe (R-The Faction, Lampasas): wants to be sure that other parties are included, not just Jacksonian democracy and modern Democratic Party as an outgrowth of it. The panel has another TEKS about the growth of modern political parties, so they think they're okay. Gail Lowe also wants to know if they're concerned about having 109 student expectations when 6th and 7th had only 70+ each. Some high school courses also drop back into 60 or 70. McElroy: Why don't we teach a full survey course in high school? Here we have too much content and it's only through Civil War and aftermath. Is this too soon to cover? Her answer: if you take it out of 8th grade and put it in high school, what do you displace? What needs to stay in 8th grade? Not all students complete high school, so drop-outs may miss a lot of American history if you don't cover more of it in 8th grade. Pat Hardy (R-Weatherford): 8th grade was part of a spiralling curriculum. 4th Texas history repeated with more depth in 7th, 5th grade curriculum in 8th, and 6th in 9th.