(The Center Square) – The State Board of Education (SBOE) on Friday approved the Texas Education Agency’s (TEA) proposal for Texas’ state-owned textbooks, known as Bluebonnet Learning.
It passed by a vote of 8-7. It includes new Mathematics curriculum for K-8 students, new Language Arts material for K-5 students and additional instructional support for teachers.
Gov. Greg Abbott lauded the vote, saying, “The passage of Bluebonnet Learning is a critical step forward to bring students back to the basics of education and provide the best education in the nation.”
He also notes that the materials are voluntary and free for use. Parents and the public are able to access the materials at tea.texas.gov/bluebonnet.
The “transformative educational materials … will ensure young Texans have access to high-quality, grade-level appropriate curricula that will provide the necessary fundamentals in math, reading, science, and other core subjects and boost student outcomes across Texas,” Abbott said.
The new curriculum stems from HB 1605, filed in 2023 by state Rep. Brad Buckley, R-Killeen, which passed the legislature and Abbott signed into law. It requires the TEA to provide Open Education Resources (OER) textbooks for core subjects, including reading and math for Pre-K to 8th grade. It also directed the TEA to appoint an advisory board to ensure the materials are high quality and compliant with state standards. The materials were subject to approval by the SBOE.
The curriculum is voluntary, but school districts will receive additional funding if they use them. If they opt-in to use Bluebonnet Learning, a second stream of additional funding will be made available to defray printing costs.
Abbott said in May when the materials were made available for public review that they will “provide the necessary fundamentals in math, reading, science, and other core subjects” and “allow our students to better understand the connection of history, art, community, literature, and religion on pivotal events like the signing of the U.S. Constitution, the Civil Rights Movement, and the American Revolution,” The Center Square reported.
Of the several issues opponents criticized, chief among them is proposed curriculum in the Language Arts material related to Christianity and the Bible.
The American Federation of Teachers-Texas Chapter also took issue with additional state funding only being made available to school districts that opt-in, arguing the process is unethical and violates educational standards.
“Every educator in this state agrees to a Code of Ethics. Among the standards we are expected to uphold by the state of Texas is that we shall not exclude a student from participation in a program, deny benefits to a student, or grant an advantage to a student on the basis of race, color, gender, disability, national origin, religion, family status, or sexual orientation,” AFT-Texas Chapter President Zeph Capo said.
“Texas has a way of forcing us to violate this standard, usually about the time that the Legislature ends its session and the governor puts his pen to the signature line of so many counterproductive, detrimental bills. Today, though, it is the State Board of Education that has put us in the position of defying our Code of Ethics once more.
“On Nov. 22, in a close vote that crossed party lines and was separated only by a last-minute political appointee, the SBOE voted to approve Bluebonnet Learning materials as curriculum resources for Texas public school districts.”
Capo also said the materials “are not just inappropriate – they’re bad at what they proclaim to do. Instructional experts have expressed deep concerns about the age-appropriateness of the materials and whether they will be effective reading instruction.”
The vote was held after significant public input. On Monday, more than 150 people signed up to testify before the board about the curriculum. On Tuesday, board members took a preliminary vote, 8-7, indicating it had enough votes to adopt the curriculum. This is after thousands weighed in after the material was made public in May.
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“A highly transparent, three-month public feedback period began in May 2024, giving the public an opportunity to review and offer comments on the proposed materials. The SBOE also welcomed several hours of public testimony at its September meeting where additional feedback on the product was received. TEA used these comments and feedback to further refine, edit and ready the product for final submission as part of the SBOE’s Instructional Materials Review and Approval (IMRA) process – ensuring the materials are aligned with state standards and values,” the TEA explains.
“The branding of Bluebonnet Learning began with feedback from teachers and parents seeking a clear, distinctive name to make the materials easier to recognize for educators and school systems. Bluebonnet Learning materials are Texas Open Education Resources (OER), meaning they are owned by the state, made available free to anyone, and can be modified over time to make them better for students and teachers.”
