Instructional Materials Orders Up To 60%
November 28, 2011
While orders for instructional materials started slowly after the Texas Legislature reworked the purchasing system early this year, Texas Education Agency (TEA) data shows orders of the updated instructional materials for Proclamation 2011 have increased to about 60 percent of funds available as of November 14, 2011.
This encouraging uptick follows action by the State Board of Education (SBOE) in September when it encouraged the TEA to urge schools to order the updated instructional materials after learning only 30 percent of schools had submitted orders.
The Texas Legislature adopted the new system to purchase instructional materials earlier this year when it approved Senate Bill 6. The legislation also specified that priority be given to instructional materials necessary to prepare students for the high stakes End-of-Course Exams and STAAR test that students will be tested on at the end of the 2011-12 school year.
State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR).

TAKS is gone. No TAKS test this year. Instead, students will be taking a new test this school year. The new test is called STAAR, the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness. It's called that because one of the functions of the new test is to determine if the student is ready for the next grade. In high school, it will test for college and career readiness.
New state assessment test starts this school year in Texas schools for Grades 3-8 and high school will start with grade 9 only, but add a grade level each new school year.
Upcoming Events
Texas Curriculum lists upcoming events that pertain to Texas curriculum and education in Texas.
Links
Texas Education Agency
State Board of Education
Textbook Coordinators Association of Texas
STAAR Information from the
Texas Education Agency
Beginning in spring 2012, students will start a new voyage with the launch of the next testing program called the State of
Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness or STAAR™.
Released test questions for the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR™) tests are now posted
for review.
