Following a year of research, input, and analysis, the State Board of Education (SBOE) in Texas is now set to vote on the Texas Education Agency's (TEA) final proposed statewide required book list this month. The vote could signify a huge step forward in Texas education and finally create a more unified vision of education for students.
The TEA has compiled a list of over 10,000 titles from various states, institutions and organizations, and cross-referenced them in a survey of 5,700 Texas teachers. Multiple factors were included in the choosing of books, including text complexity, suitability, cross-curricular connections, and statutory compliance.
Meridith Dyer of The Texan says the goal is to create one ultimate list of education for children, that can serve as a foundation for widespread learning.
"A canon of literacy, or shared base of knowledge, that all students around the state of Texas would be reading the same books through all their years from Kindergarten to 12th Grade," she says.
The list is fairly basic. Elementary school kids will read things like "Cinderella," "The Golden Rule," "The Tortoise and the Hare," and other classics. They will also have historical texts about George Washington, the Founding Fathers, and the Alamo, among others.
Middle schoolers will read what we all read in middle school, things such as "The Diary of Anne Frank," To Kill a Mockingbird," and "The Giver." The High school list includes "Animal Farm," "Fahrenheit 451," "Of Mice and Men," "The Great Gatsby," and "The Scarlet Letter," among others. All books most of us grew up having read by 10th grade basically.
But, as usual, it has had its fair share of hiccups.
"Some pushback with some of the curriculum with biblical references in it...there are some religious texts included, but it does follow state educational code, so there is legal ability for them to include that," says Dyer.
Overall, how much pushback there is at the vote all depends on ow the board is feeling.
But the TEA is not just putting out the list and hope it helps educate students. Literacy rates in Texas are still fairly low, so some of the books might be above their skills. The TEA says in that case, the teachers and students need to meet them halfway.
"The TEA just said that if you give students the opportunity to read, they will rise to the occasion," Dyer says.
The vote on the list is set for the end of the month.
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