Texas Policy Update — January 25, 2011
Critical update: Major policy action addressed
Offering Advanced Mathematical Decision Making in 2010–2011
Earlier this month, the Texas State Board of Education adopted the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) for Advanced Quantitative Reasoning (AQR). These TEKS essentially describe the course Advanced Mathematical Decision Making (AMDM) developed by the Texas Association of Supervisors of Mathematics and the Charles A. Dana Center at the University of Texas at Austin. Since they are nearly identical, and in order to avoid confusion, the student expectations for AMDM are being revised to match the adopted TEKS for AQR. You can view these TEKS from the AQR/AMDM website at www.utdanacenter.org/aqr.
For the 2011-2012 school year, Texas schools should no longer offer AMDM as Independent Study, as this would duplicate the state-approved AQR course. TEA has verified that there will be a PEIMS number assigned to AQR for the 2011-2012 school year, to be published in the March 2011 Data Standards Code Table. Accordingly, schools can list AQR now in their course selection materials for 2011-2012.
Course materials for AMDM developed under the leadership of the Charles A. Dana Center, in collaboration with the Texas Association of Supervisors of Mathematics and with funding from Greater Texas Foundation, are an excellent resource for addressing the TEKS for AQR. Information on these free pdf files and on available professional development and other resources can be found at the AQR/AMDM website at www.utdanacenter.org/aqr.
For the 2010-2011 school year, Texas schools offering AMDM as Independent Study in Mathematics: Advanced Mathematical Decision Making should continue to do so. Under TAC 74.63 (b), such an independent study course can be granted graduation credit for the fourth year of mathematics, as required under both the recommended and distinguished graduation plans, if the course adheres to the requirements for Independent Study in Mathematics, as described in TAC 111.52. In particular, TEA has verbally reiterated the requirement in the Texas Administrative Code that the Algebra II prerequisite must be maintained. TEA has confirmed that schools may not retroactively assign credit for AQR to students completing AMDM as Independent Study during 2010-2011. However, schools may want to add a note on student transcripts, for the benefit of colleges evaluating students’ credits, that the independent study credit for AMDM represents the same content as the course to be listed from now on as Advanced Quantitative Reasoning.
Questions related to the Texas Education Code, Texas Administrative Code, high school graduation programs/requirements, or PEIMS data-keeping requirements should be addressed to the appropriate office of the Texas Education Agency.
Questions related to materials and teacher support available from the Dana Center for teaching AQR/AMDM, including student and teacher instructional materials, professional development, and other resources, should be directed to aqr@austin.utexas.edu.