Texas Administrative Code › Title 19 - EDUCATION › Part 2 - TEXAS EDUCATION AGENCY › Chapter 74 - CURRICULUM REQUIREMENTS › Subchapter C - OTHER PROVISIONS › Section 74.27 - Innovative Courses and Programs

Current through Reg. 49, No. 28; July 12, 2024
(a) A school
				  district may offer innovative courses to enable students to master knowledge,
				  skills, and competencies not included in the essential knowledge and skills of
				  the required curriculum.
(1) The State Board
				  of Education (SBOE) may approve discipline-based courses in the foundation or
				  enrichment curriculum and courses that do not fall within any of the subject
				  areas listed in the foundation and enrichment curricula when the applying
				  school district or organization demonstrates that the proposed course is
				  academically rigorous and addresses documented student needs.
(2) Applications shall not be approved if the
				  proposed course significantly duplicates the content of a Texas Essential
				  Knowledge and Skills (TEKS)-based course or can reasonably be taught within an
				  existing TEKS-based course.
(3) To
				  request approval from the SBOE, the applying school district or organization
				  must submit a request for approval at least six months before planned
				  implementation that includes:
(A) a
				  description of the course and its essential knowledge and skills;
(B) the rationale and justification for the
				  request in terms of student need;
(C) data that demonstrates successful
				  piloting of the course in Texas;
(D) a description of activities, major
				  resources, and materials to be used;
(E) the methods of evaluating student
				  outcomes;
(F) the qualifications of
				  the teacher;
(G) any training
				  required in order to teach the course and any associated costs;
(H) the amount of credit requested;
				  and
(I) a copy of or electronic
				  access to any recommended instructional resources for the course.
(4) To request approval for a
				  career and technical education innovative course, the applying school district
				  or organization must submit with its request for approval evidence that the
				  course is aligned with state and/or regional labor market data.
(5) To request approval of a new innovative
				  course, the applying school district or organization must submit with its
				  request for approval evidence that the course has been successfully piloted in
				  its entirety in at least one school in the state of Texas.
(6) The requirements of paragraphs (3)(C) and
				  (5) of this subsection do not apply to the consideration of a course developed
				  to support a program of study in career and technical education.
(7) Newly approved innovative courses shall
				  be approved for a period of three years, and courses approved for renewal shall
				  be approved for a period of five years.
(8) With the approval of the local board of
				  trustees, a school district may offer, without changes or deletions to content,
				  any state-approved innovative course.
(9) Texas Education Agency shall review all
				  approved innovative courses once every two years and provide for consideration
				  for sunset a list of innovative courses that meet the following criteria:
(A) zero enrollment for the previous two
				  years;
(B) average enrollment of
				  less than 100 students statewide for the previous three years;
(C) student enrollment at an average of fewer
				  than 20 districts or charter schools statewide for the previous three
				  years;
(D) duplicative of another
				  innovative or TEKS-based course; or
(E) approved for implementation as a
				  TEKS-based course.