Before the passing of Texas Senate Bill 6 in 2011, the State Board of Education was required to approve all textbooks and instructional materials. This bill created the Instructional Materials and Technology Allotment (IMA). Starting in 2011 to 2023, the state allocated funds directly to school districts. Each school district was able to purchase their own instructional materials instead of adopting a state approved textbook. This shift opened the door for districts to use a wide variety of instructional materials, including online resources.

A peak into STAAR testing data reveals that around fifty percent of our students currently read below grade level. Both school districts and teachers have been piecing together curriculum that is not meeting the academic rigor needed to help our students learn and excel. Since 2011, recruiting and retaining teachers has also become difficult. As a result, the Teacher Vacancy Task Force was created. The task force revealed that often teachers felt overwhelmed by their many duties, like searching for curriculum and creating exemplary lessons. In response to these findings, the Texas Legislature took a significant step toward ensuring quality instructional materials and scripted lessons are available to educators, through the passing of House Bill (HB) 1605 (88R). House Bill 1605 established a review process for instructional materials and directed TEA to develop a set of state-owned textbooks and instructional materials. These materials are called Open Education Resources, or OER. Texas OER textbooks are made available, subject to approval by the State Board of Education.

To prepare Texas students for success after graduation, school systems must ensure that all students have access to effective teachers who use prove, rigorous instructional materials. The lessons crafted for TEA’s OER are built specifically for Texans based on Texas’ state standards, known as the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS). Based upon the best evidence of cognitive science, OER materials are designed to ensure that teachers have access to high quality, on grade-level materials, freeing up teacher time to provide the highest quality instruction and differentiated supports for students.

The Texas OER kindergarten- fifth grade Reading Language Arts (RLA) is designed to cover 100% of the TEKS for each grade level. A cross-curricular approach immerses students in classical literature along with reading lessons about art, history, culture, science, and technology. Likewise, the Texas OER kindergarten- Algebra math instructional materials are comprehensive and clearly sequenced to provide teachers with the knowledge and tools outlined in the Math TEKS. Using research and insights about how the brain learns math, Texas OER math textbooks, are built upon a solid foundation that stresses the importance of mastering arithmetic, and memorizing math facts. Additionally, mathematical reasoning is an essential skill taught in each lesson.

School districts that adopt the Texas OER must give parents access to a portal to view the curriculum. This  added feature allows for transparency about their children are learning at school. To ensure the Texas OER is implemented with fidelity, districts are subject to audits through the Texas Education Agency.

The Texas OER provides the academic rigor, and meaningful content that has been missing in many classrooms for over a decade. It also frees up teacher time by providing detailed and scripted lesson plans. This important feature will allow teachers to spend more time building relationships with students and monitoring their progress.

As school districts begin to choose their curriculum, they would be wise to take a closer look at the numerous benefits the Texas OER offers!