SBOE gives final approval to controversial social studies standards

The State Board of Education wrapped up its August/September meeting Sept. 4, approving a controversial rewrite of the state’s high school social studies standards and a new personal financial literacy course.

Social Studies TEKS rewrite

The board spent much of the week working through the four high school social studies courses—U.S. History, U.S. Government, World History, and World Geography—after postponing final action on them at its June meeting, where social studies standards were adopted for grades 3-8.

The new standards incorporate requirements from legislation passed during the 89th legislative session in 2025. These new requirements include HB 824 by Rep. Jolanda Jones (D–Houston), which requires the teaching of specific civics topics, including the role of government officials, the voting process, eligibility requirements for elected office, and Robert’s Rules of Order, as well as that students learn which elected officials represent them. These standards have been incorporated into the new U.S. Government TEKS. SB 24 by Sen. Donna Campbell (R–New Braunfels), which requires age-appropriate instruction on communism in grades 4-12, was also incorporated into the standards.

The rewrites have been controversial, particularly over how certain historical and religious topics are presented.

One of the biggest points of contention was the treatment of Islam and the early Islamic world in the World History standards. The standards require students to study the Prophet Muhammad’s military campaigns and Islam’s ties to slavery, as well as the connection between radical Islamic movements and the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

These provisions drew criticism, including from some of the content experts advising the board. Some advisors questioned the historical accuracy and sourcing behind some of the proposed language. The board ultimately chose to retain the controversial standards, with some revisions to the language.

The standards were also criticized for their emphasis on Christianity and Biblical influences on American government and law, as well as the treatment of slavery and race in U.S. History.

Ultimately, following several days of revisions, the standards were adopted Sept. 4. These standards will not be implemented immediately. There is a phase-in approach for social studies standards, and high school standards will not take effect until the 2033-34 school year.

Personal financial literacy course approved

The board also gave final approval to the revised Applied Personal Financial Literacy TEKS. The development of this course is tied to HB 27 by Rep. Ken King (R–Canadian), which changed graduation requirements to require a personal financial literacy course beginning with students entering ninth grade in the 2026-27 school year.

Seniors will now be required to take a half-credit course in personal financial literacy and a half-credit course in U.S. Government. Students are also required to take a full credit of U.S. History as juniors, and U.S. History has gone back to covering the years 1492 to the present. Previously, students took the first half of U.S. History (1492–1865) in eighth grade and the second half (1865–present) in 11th grade. The third required credit for high school social studies, which will be taken in a student’s ninth or 10th grade year, will be a choice between World Geography, World History, and Economics.

Other SBOE action

The social studies rewrites took much of the board’s attention this week, but members also handled a number of other items.

As previously reported on Teach the Vote, Commissioner Mike Morath gave an update to the board Sept. 2 regarding preliminary A-F accountability ratings, which were released last month, and took questions from board members.

The board received updates about the Permanent School Fund, including distributions to the Available School Fund for future fiscal years. The board also considered instructional materials, including the rubric for Tier-One materials for Languages Other Than English (LOTE).

SBOE is scheduled to meet again Nov. 16–20.