Proposed Rules Title 19

TITLE 19. EDUCATION

PART 1. TEXAS HIGHER EDUCATION COORDINATING BOARD

CHAPTER 7. DEGREE GRANTING COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES OTHER THAN TEXAS PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS

SUBCHAPTER A. GENERAL PROVISIONS

19 TAC §7.3

The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board proposes an amendment to §7.3, relating to Definitions. New Chapter 7 rules were approved by the Board at the April 24, 2008 meeting. Several non-substantive changes were approved by the Board at the July 24, 2008 meeting. Specifically, the change to §7.3 (Definitions) is needed to more accurately define the Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) Code. The current definition may theoretically harm students by limiting the educational level attainable to the associate degree-level only. Although the likelihood of this occurrence is small, it is important that we err on the side of caution and eliminate the possibility. This change clarifies that the CIP Code may reflect any and all educational and/or workforce degree-level programs.

Dr. Mary E. Smith, Acting Assistant Commissioner for Academic Affairs and Research, has determined that for each year of the first five years the amendment is in effect, there will be no fiscal implications to state or local government as a result of enforcing or administering the amendment.

Dr. Smith has also determined that for each year of the first five years the amendment is in effect, the public benefit anticipated as a result of administering the amendment will be a more effective and more appropriate Board response to the requirements and needs of institutions wishing to operate in Texas. There is no effect on small or micro businesses. There are no anticipated economic costs to persons who are required to comply with the amendment as proposed. There is no impact on local employment.

Comments on the proposal may be submitted to Mary E. Smith, Acting Assistant Commissioner, Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, P.O. Box 12788, Austin, Texas 78711 or Mary.Smith@thecb.state.tx.us. Comments will be accepted for 30 days following publication of the proposal in the Texas Register.

The amendment is proposed under the Texas Education Code, Chapter 61, Subchapter G, which provides the Coordinating Board with the authority to regulate the awarding or offering of degrees, credit toward degrees, and the use of certain terms.

The amendment affects implementation of Texas Education Code, Subchapter G, §§61.301 - 61.319.

§7.3.Definitions.

The following words and terms, when used in this chapter, shall have the following meanings, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.

(1) - (16) (No change.)

(17) Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) Code--The four (4)- or six (6)-digit code assigned to an approved [~~associate~~ ] degree program in accordance with the CIP manual published by the U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. CIP codes define the authorized teaching field of the specified degree program, based upon the occupation(s) for which the program is designed to prepare its graduates.

(18) - (35) (No change.)

This agency hereby certifies that the proposal has been reviewed by legal counsel and found to be within the agency's legal authority to adopt.

Filed with the Office of the Secretary of State on August 1, 2008.

TRD-200804005

Bill Franz

General Counsel

Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board

Proposed date of adoption: October 23, 2008

For further information, please call: (512) 427-6114

Part 2. TEXAS EDUCATION AGENCY

CHAPTER 101. ASSESSMENT

SUBCHAPTER B. DEVELOPMENT AND ADMINISTRATION OF TESTS

19 TAC §101.33

The State Board of Education (SBOE) proposes an amendment to §101.33, concerning release of tests. The section addresses the required release of state assessment instruments. The proposed amendment would implement Senate Bill (SB) 1031, 80th Texas Legislature, 2007, which requires the Texas Education Agency (TEA) to release state assessment instruments every three years under rules adopted by the SBOE.

Section 101.33 was adopted to be effective November 15, 2001. In September 2003, the SBOE adopted an amendment to 19 TAC §101.33 to comply with requirements set forth in House Bill 3459, 78th Texas Legislature, 2003, requiring the release of assessment items every other year. In May 2004, the SBOE adopted an amendment to 19 TAC §101.33 requiring the release of all tests for the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS), State-Developed Alternative Assessment (SDAA), and the Reading Proficiency Tests in English (RPTE) in the 2003-2004 school year and in every even-numbered year thereafter. In December 2005, the SBOE adopted an amendment to 19 TAC §101.33 to require the release of the SDAA II tests and answer keys beginning in 2005 and subsequent odd-numbered years.

The 80th Texas Legislature enacted SB 1031 in 2007. Among its many provisions, the bill amends TEC, §39.023(e), requiring the TEA to release state assessment instruments every three years under rules adopted by the SBOE. Language in the current rule requires the TEA to release certain assessments every other year. The proposed amendment would add language to specify that all test items and answer keys for assessments authorized under the TEC, §39.023(a), (b), (c), (d), or (l), would be released every third year beginning in 2009 with the 2008-2009 school year. The proposed amendment would also address the release of field test items.

Criss Cloudt, associate commissioner for assessment, accountability, and data quality, has determined that for the first five-year period the amendment is in effect there will be fiscal implications for state government as a result of enforcing or administering the amendment. For fiscal year 2009, the estimated savings to the state for moving from the previous release plan (every other year) to the current plan under SB 1031 (three-year release), which allowed for the elimination of the 2009 stand-alone TAKS field tests, is a reduction of approximately $1.7 million. An estimated additional cost for fiscal year 2009 of $250,000 would be incurred for releasing selected items from the item bank, for a total estimated savings in fiscal year 2009 of $1.675 million. For fiscal year 2010, an additional cost of $250,000 is estimated for releasing selected items from the item bank. In subsequent fiscal years (2011, 2012, and 2013), it is anticipated that if the provisions under the SB 1031 release plan are in place, an estimated cost savings of $1.4 million per year will be realized. There are no fiscal implications for local government.

Dr. Cloudt has determined that for each year of the first five years the amendment is in effect the public benefit anticipated as a result of enforcing the amendment would be the release of tests every third year and the release of field test items in the non-release years, which will provide the public additional access to Texas assessment materials. There is no anticipated economic cost to persons who are required to comply with the proposed amendment. In addition, there is no direct adverse economic impact for small businesses and microbusinesses; therefore, no regulatory flexibility analysis, specified in Texas Government Code, §2006.002, is required.

Comments on the proposal may be submitted to Cristina De La Fuente-Valadez, Policy Coordination Division, Texas Education Agency, 1701 North Congress Avenue, Austin, Texas 78701, (512) 475-1497. Comments may also be submitted electronically to rules@tea.state.tx.us or faxed to (512) 463-0028. A request for a public hearing on the proposed amendment submitted under the Administrative Procedure Act must be received by the commissioner of education not more than 15 calendar days after notice of the proposal has been published in the Texas Register.

The amendment is proposed under the Texas Education Code, §39.023(e), which authorizes the State Board of Education to adopt rules relating to the release of certain statewide assessments and answer keys every third year.

The amendment implements the Texas Education Code, §39.023(e).

§101.33.Release of Tests.

Beginning in 2009 [~~2004~~] with the 2008-2009 [~~2003-2004~~] school year and each subsequent third school year, [ ~~subsequent even-numbered school years,~~] the Texas Education Agency [~~(TEA)~~ ] shall release all test items and answer keys for each assessment instrument administered under the Texas Education Code, §39.023(a), (b), (c), (d), and (l). In the non-release years, field test items that are at least four years old and that are no longer eligible for inclusion on a subsequent test form [the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) and the Reading Proficiency Tests in English (RPTE). Beginning with the 2005 assessment administered in the 2004-2005 school year and subsequent odd-numbered school years, the TEA shall release all test items and answer keys for the State-Developed Alternative Assessment II (SDAA II). After a period of five years, each test item that has been field-tested but not used on a test ] will be released.

This agency hereby certifies that the proposal has been reviewed by legal counsel and found to be within the agency's legal authority to adopt.

Filed with the Office of the Secretary of State on August 4, 2008.

TRD-200804024

Cristina De La Fuente-Valadez

Director, Policy Coordination

Texas Education Agency

Earliest possible date of adoption: September 14, 2008

For further information, please call: (512) 475-1497

CHAPTER 128. TEXAS ESSENTIAL KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS FOR SPANISH LANGUAGE ARTS AND READING AND ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE

The State Board of Education (SBOE) proposes amendments to §§128.1, 128.21, and 128.41; new §§128.10 - 128.18 and 128.30 - 128.32; and repeal of §§128.23 - 128.26 and 128.44 - 128.66, concerning Texas essential knowledge and skills (TEKS) for Spanish language arts and reading and English as a second language. The proposed amendments, new sections, and repeals would establish revised Spanish language arts and reading TEKS for Kindergarten-Grade 6 and English I-II for Speakers of Other Languages for implementation beginning with the 2009-2010 school year.

The refinement and alignment of English language arts and reading, Spanish language arts, and English as a second language TEKS began in 2005 with the same process used for mathematics TEKS. The review process included gathering input from stakeholders throughout Texas and review of the TEKS by a work group of SBOE nominees. The draft refinements were placed on the Texas Education Agency (TEA) website in the form of a survey to collect feedback from the public for 30 days beginning in February 2006. In June 2006, the SBOE directed agency staff to reconvene the review committees for further revision of the English language arts and reading TEKS. The committee was charged with making the TEKS more grade-level specific, less repetitive, and measurable at the state or local level. In keeping with the alignment of the TEKS for English language arts and reading, Spanish language arts, and English as a second language, changes proposed for 19 TAC Chapter 110, Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills for English Language Arts and Reading, drive the changes proposed for 19 TAC Chapter 128, Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills for Spanish Language Arts and Reading and English as a Second Language.

Upon approval of the proposed revisions to 19 TAC Chapter 110 for first reading and filing authorization at the March 2008 meeting, work to incorporate corresponding changes to 19 TAC Chapter 128 began in order to present the proposed revisions for first reading and filing authorization. Proposed revisions to 19 TAC Chapter 110 were adopted by the SBOE during the May 2008 meeting. The teacher review committee for Spanish language arts and reading was reconvened on June 19 and 20, 2008, to prepare proposed revisions to 19 TAC Chapter 128 in alignment with recently adopted revisions to 19 TAC Chapter 110. The committee also met on July 9, 2008.

The proposed revisions recommend an implementation date of the 2009-2010 school year for the revised Spanish language arts TEKS in order to allow districts to begin preparing for implementation. Included in the revisions will be amendments to specify that existing TEKS would be superseded by the revised TEKS once implemented.

Adoption of instructional materials under Proclamation 2010, based on the revised TEKS in 19 TAC Chapter 128, is scheduled for the November 2009 SBOE meeting.

Sharon Jackson, associate commissioner for standards and programs, has determined that for the first five-year period the amendments, new sections, and repeals are in effect there will be fiscal implications for state and local government as a result of enforcing or administering the rule actions.

The proposed rule actions would revise the TEKS for Spanish language arts and reading in Kindergarten-Grade 6 and English I-II for Speakers of Other Languages. Due to the significance of the revisions, a need for the development and implementation of professional development to help teachers and administrators understand the new TEKS is anticipated. It is not possible to determine the exact fiscal implication to the state until input is received from districts regarding potential needs.

There are anticipated fiscal implications for school districts to comply with implementation of the new TEKS, which may include the need for professional development and revisions to district-developed databases, curriculum, and scope and sequence documents. Since curriculum and instruction decisions are made at the local district level, it is difficult to estimate the fiscal impact on any given district.

Dr. Jackson has determined that for each year of the first five years the amendments, new sections, and repeals are in effect the public benefit anticipated as a result of enforcing the rule actions would be better alignment of the TEKS and coordination of the TEKS revision with the textbook adoption process. There is no anticipated economic cost to persons who are required to comply with the proposed rule actions.

There is no direct adverse economic impact for small businesses or microbusinesses; therefore, no regulatory flexibility analysis, specified in Texas Government Code, §2006.002, is required.

Comments on the proposal may be submitted to Cristina De La Fuente-Valadez, Policy Coordination Division, Texas Education Agency, 1701 North Congress Avenue, Austin, Texas 78701, (512) 475-1497. Comments may also be submitted electronically to rules@tea.state.tx.us or faxed to (512) 463-0028. A request for a public hearing on the proposal submitted under the Administrative Procedure Act must be received by the commissioner of education not more than 15 calendar days after notice of the proposal has been published in the Texas Register.

SUBCHAPTER A. ELEMENTARY

19 TAC §§128.1, 128.10 - 128.16

The amendment and new sections are proposed under the Texas Education Code, §7.102(c)(4), which authorizes the SBOE to establish curriculum and graduation requirements, §28.002, which authorizes the SBOE to by rule identify the essential knowledge and skills of each subject of the required curriculum that all students should be able to demonstrate and that will be used in evaluating textbooks and addressed on the assessment instruments, and §28.005 and §29.051, which establishes bilingual education and special language programs in the public schools to ensure students' reasonable proficiency in the English language and ability to achieve academic success.

The amendment and new sections implement the Texas Education Code, §§7.102(c)(4), 28.002, 28.005, and 29.051.

§128.1.Implementation of Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills for Spanish Language Arts (SLA) and English as a Second Language (ESL), Elementary.

The provisions of §§128.2-128.7 of this subchapter shall be superseded by §§128.11-128.16 of this subchapter beginning with the 2009-2010 school year [ implemented by school districts September 1, 1998, and at that time, shall supersede §75.24 of this title (relating to Primary Language for Bilingual Education) and §75.25(a)-(b) of this title (relating to English as a Second Language)].

§128.10.Implementation of Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills for Spanish Language Arts and Reading, Elementary, Beginning with School Year 2009-2010.

(a) The provisions of §§128.11-128.16 of this subchapter shall be implemented by school districts beginning with the 2009-2010 school year and at that time shall supersede §§128.2-128.7 of this subchapter.

(b) Students must develop the ability to comprehend and process material from a wide range of texts. Student expectations for Reading/Comprehension Skills as provided in this subsection are described for the appropriate grade level.

Figure: 19 TAC §128.10(b) (.pdf)

§128.11.Spanish Language Arts and Reading, Kindergarten, Beginning with School Year 2009-2010.

(a) Introduction.

(1) The Spanish Language Arts and Reading Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) reflect language arts standards that are authentic to the Spanish language and Spanish literacy, not mere translations from English. The Spanish Language Arts and Reading TEKS are organized into the following strands: Reading, where students read and understand a wide variety of literary and informational texts; Writing, where students compose a variety of written texts with a clear controlling idea, coherent organization, and sufficient detail; Research, where students are expected to know how to locate a range of relevant sources and evaluate, synthesize, and present ideas and information; Listening and Speaking, where students listen and respond to the ideas of others while contributing their own ideas in conversations and in groups; and Oral and Written Conventions, where students learn how to use the oral and written conventions of the Spanish language in speaking and writing. The Reading strand is structured to reflect major topic areas of the National Reading Panel Report as well as other current and relevant research on Spanish literacy development. In Kindergarten, students engage in activities that build on their natural curiosity and prior knowledge to develop their reading, writing, and oral language skills.

(2) Research consistently shows that literacy development in the student's native language facilitates learning in English (Collier & Thomas, 1997; Cummins, 2001). Students can develop cognition, learn, and achieve best when they can understand the language of instruction (August, Calderon, & Carlo, 2003). Students who have strong literacy skills in their primary language can be expected to transfer those skills to English and progress rapidly in learning in English. Although English and Spanish look very similar on the surface (i.e., similar alphabets; directionality; cognates) the conventions of each language presuppose the reading process in that language. Consequently, systematic instruction in the appropriate sequence of skills is critical. For this reason, the Spanish Language Arts and Reading TEKS reflect language arts standards that are authentic to the Spanish language and not mere translations from English.

(A) Spanish, as opposed to English, has a closer letter-sound relationship and clearly defined syllable boundaries. The syllable in Spanish is a more critical unit of phonological awareness than in English because of the consistent phoneme-grapheme correspondence. Syllables are important units for Spanish because of their strong effect in visual word recognition (Carreiras et al., 1993) and their major role in predicting Spanish reading success. In addition, Spanish presents a much higher level of orthographic transparency than English and does not rely on sight words for decoding. This orthographic transparency accelerates the decoding process, and the focus quickly moves to fluency and comprehension. Spanish uses frequency words that are identified by the rate of occurrence in grade appropriate text and used to build on fluency and comprehension. However, in English, "sight" words are used because of words that are not decodable such as "are" or "one." In Spanish, decoding issues are not as prevalent as issues of comprehension. These specific features of the Spanish language will influence reading methodology and development.

(B) Spanish instruction maximizes access to English content. Students with strong literacy skills in Spanish phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary, and reading comprehension can be expected to transfer those skills to English. The "transfer" of knowledge and skills from one language to another refers to the metalinguistic and metacognitive processes and awareness that students gain in developing literacy in two languages. Current research on bilingual instruction (e.g., August & Shanahan, 2006; Genesse et al., 2006) shows how students use native literacy knowledge when learning to read and write in another language.

(C) The effective transfer of skills transpires as students develop their metalinguistic skills and as they engage in a contrastive analysis of the Spanish and English languages (Cummins, 2007). Transfer matters occur within fundamentals of language that are common to Spanish and English; within fundamentals that are similar, but not exact in both languages; and in fundamentals specific to each language and not applicable to the other language. The strength of learning through formal instruction in Spanish determines the extent of transfer in English (August, Calderon, & Carlo, 2000; Slavin & Calderon, 2001; Garcia, 2001). In other words, for transfer to occur, comprehension of the "rules" and the realization of their applicability to the new language specific tasks are necessary.

(D) The concept of transfer necessitates the use of some of both languages in which both (Spanish and English) co-exist with flexibility. As a result of working within two language systems, students' metalinguistic and metacognitive skills are enhanced when they learn about the similarities and differences between languages. This is reliant on the type of bilingual program model being used (See Texas Education Code, §29.066).

(3) To meet Public Education Goal 1 of the Texas Education Code, §4.002, which states, "The students in the public education system will demonstrate exemplary performance in the reading and writing of the English language," students will accomplish the essential knowledge, skills, and student expectations at Kindergarten as described in subsection (b) of this section.

(4) To meet Texas Education Code, §28.002(h), which states, ". . . each school district shall foster the continuation of the tradition of teaching United States and Texas history and the free enterprise system in regular subject matter and in reading courses and in the adoption of textbooks," students will be provided oral and written narratives as well as other informational texts that can help them to become thoughtful, active citizens who appreciate the basic democratic values of our state and nation.

(b) Knowledge and skills.

(1) Reading/Beginning Reading Skills/Print Awareness. Students understand how Spanish is written and printed. Students are expected to:

(A) recognize that spoken words can be represented by print for communication;

(B) identify upper- and lower-case letters;

(D) recognize the difference between a letter and a printed word;

(E) recognize that sentences are comprised of words separated by spaces and demonstrate the awareness of word boundaries (e.g., through kinesthetic or tactile actions such as clapping and jumping);

(F) hold a book right side up, turn its pages correctly, and know that reading moves from top to bottom and left to right; and

(G) identify different parts of a book (e.g., front and back covers, title page).

(2) Reading/Beginning Reading Skills/Phonological Awareness. Students display phonological awareness. Students are expected to:

(A) identify a sentence made up of a group of words;

(B) identify syllables in spoken words;

(D) distinguish orally presented rhyming pairs of words from non-rhyming pairs;

(E) recognize spoken alliteration or groups of words that begin with the same spoken onset or initial sound (e.g., "Pepe Pecas pica papas");

(F) blend spoken phonemes to form syllables and words (e.g., /m/.../a/ says ma);

(G) isolate the initial syllabic sound in spoken words (e.g., /pa/ta, /la/ta, /ra/ta); and

(H) separate spoken multi-syllabic words into two to three syllables (e.g., /to/ /ma/ /te/).

(3) Reading/Beginning Reading Skills/Phonics. Students use the relationships between letters and sounds and morphological analysis to decode written Spanish. Students are expected to:

(A) use phonological knowledge to match sounds to individual letters and syllables, including hard and soft consonants such as "r," "c," and "g";

(B) use letter-sound correspondence to become familiar with mono- and multi-syllabic words;

(D) become familiar with the concept that "h" is silent;

(E) become familiar with the digraphs /ch/, /rr/;

(F) become familiar with the concept that "ll" and "y" have the same sound (e.g., llave, ya);

(G) use knowledge of consonant/vowel sound relationships to decode syllables and words in text and independent of content; and

(H) recognize that new words are created when syllables are changed, added, or deleted.

(4) Reading/Beginning Reading/Strategies. Students comprehend a variety of texts drawing on useful strategies as needed. Students are expected to:

(A) predict what might happen next in text based on the cover, title, and illustrations; and

(B) ask and respond to questions about texts read aloud.

(5) Reading/Vocabulary Development. Students understand new vocabulary and use it correctly when reading and writing. Students are expected to:

(A) identify and use words that name actions, directions, positions, sequences, and locations;

(B) become familiar with grade appropriate vocabulary including content and function words;

(D) identify and sort pictures of objects into conceptual categories (e.g., colors, shapes, textures); and

(E) use a picture dictionary to find words.

(6) Reading/Comprehension of Literary Text/Theme and Genre. Students analyze, make inferences and draw conclusions about theme and genre in different cultural, historical, and contemporary contexts and provide evidence from the text to support their understanding. Students are expected to:

(A) identify elements of a story including setting, character, and key events;

(B) discuss the big idea (theme) of a well-known folktale or fable and connect it to personal experience;

(D) recognize recurring phrases and characters in traditional fairy tales, lullabies, and folktales from various cultures.

(7) Reading/Comprehension of Literary Text/Poetry. Students understand, make inferences and draw conclusions about the structure and elements of poetry and provide evidence from text to support their understanding. Students are expected to respond to rhythm and rhyme in poetry through identifying a regular beat and similarities in word sounds.

(8) Reading/Comprehension of Literary Text/Fiction. Students understand, make inferences and draw conclusions about the structure and elements of fiction and provide evidence from text to support their understanding. Students are expected to:

(A) retell a main event from a story read aloud; and

(B) describe characters in a story and the reasons for their actions.

(9) Reading/Comprehension of Informational Text/Culture and History. Students analyze, make inferences and draw conclusions about the author's purpose in cultural, historical, and contemporary contexts and provide evidence from the text to support their understanding. Students are expected to identify the topic of an informational text heard.

(10) Reading/Comprehension of Informational Text/Expository Text. Students analyze, make inferences and draw conclusions about expository text, and provide evidence from text to support their understanding. Students are expected to:

(A) identify the topic and details in expository text heard or read, referring to the words and/or illustrations;

(B) retell important facts in a text, heard or read;

(D) use titles and illustrations to make predictions about text.

(11) Reading/Comprehension of Informational Text/Procedural Texts. Students understand how to glean and use information in procedural texts and documents. Students are expected to:

(A) follow pictorial directions (e.g., recipes, science experiments); and

(B) identify the meaning of specific signs (e.g., traffic signs, warning signs).

(12) Reading/Media Literacy. Students use comprehension skills to analyze how words, images, graphics, and sounds work together in various forms to impact meaning. Students continue to apply earlier standards with greater depth in increasingly more complex texts. Students (with adult assistance) are expected to:

(A) identify different forms of media (e.g., advertisements, newspapers, radio programs); and

(B) identify techniques used in media (e.g., sound, movement).

(13) Writing/Writing Process. Students use elements of the writing process (planning, drafting, revising, editing, and publishing) to compose text. Students (with adult assistance) are expected to:

(A) plan a first draft by generating ideas for writing through class discussion;

(B) develop drafts by sequencing the action or details in the story;

(D) edit drafts by leaving spaces between letters and words; and

(E) share writing with others.

(14) Writing/Literary Texts. Students write literary texts to express their ideas and feelings about real or imagined people, events, and ideas. Students are expected to:

(A) dictate or write sentences to tell a story and put the sentences in chronological sequence; and

(B) write short poems.

(15) Writing/Expository and Procedural Texts. Students write expository and procedural or work-related texts to communicate ideas and information to specific audiences for specific purposes. Students are expected to dictate or write information for lists, captions, or invitations.

(16) Oral and Written Conventions/Conventions. Students understand the function of and use the conventions of academic language when speaking and writing. Students continue to apply earlier standards with greater complexity. Students are expected to:

(A) understand and use the following parts of speech in the context of reading, writing, and speaking (with adult assistance):

(i) verbs, including commands and past and future tenses when speaking;

(ii) nouns (singular/plural);

(iii) descriptive words;

(iv) prepositions and simple prepositional phrases appropriately when speaking or writing (e.g., en, de, por la tarde, en la mañana); and

(v) pronouns (e.g., yo, usted);

(B) speak in complete sentences to communicate; and

(17) Oral and Written Conventions/Handwriting, Capitalization, and Punctuation. Students write legibly and use appropriate capitalization and punctuation conventions in their compositions. Students are expected to:

(A) form upper- and lower-case letters legibly using the basic conventions of print (left-to-right and top-to-bottom progression);

(B) capitalize the first letter in a sentence; and

(18) Oral and Written Conventions/Spelling. Students spell correctly. Students are expected to:

(A) use phonological knowledge to match sounds to individual letters and in syllables;

(B) use letter-sound correspondences to spell mono- and multi-syllabic words;

(D) write one's own name;

(E) become familiar with spelling of words using orthographic rules, including:

(i) words that use syllables with hard /r/ spelled as "r" or "rr," as in ratón and carro;

(ii) words that use syllables with soft /r/ spelled as "r" and always between two vowels, as in pero and perro;

(iii) words that use syllables with silent "h" with increased accuracy, as in hora and ahora;

(iv) words that use syllables que-, qui-, as in queso and quito; gue-, gui-, as in guiso and juguete; and güe-, güi-, as in paragüero and agüita; and

(v) spell words that have the same sound represented by different letters with increased accuracy (e.g., "r" and "rr," as in ratón and perro; "ll" and "y," as in llave and yate; "g" and "j," as in gigante and jirafa; "c," "k," and "q," as in casa, kilo, and quince; "c," "s," and "z," as in cereal, semilla, and zapato; "j" and "x," as in cojín and México; "i" and "y," as in imán and doy; "b" and "v," as in burro and vela);

(F) become familiar with use of orthographic patterns and rules such as using "n" before "v," "m" before "b," "m" before "p," and changing "z" to "c" when adding -es;

(G) use knowledge of syllabic sounds, word parts, word segmentation, and syllabication to spell;

(H) become familiar with the use of accent marks including:

(i) words that have a prosodic or orthographic accent on the last syllable (palabras agudas) (e.g., feliz, canción);

(ii) words that have a prosodic or orthographic accent on the second-to-last syllable (palabras graves) (e.g., casa, árbol); and

(iii) words that have an orthographic accent on the third-to-last syllable (palabras esdrújulas) (e.g., último, cómico, mecánico);

(I) use accents appropriately on words commonly used in questions and exclamations (e.g., cuál, dónde, cómo); and

(J) use print and electronic resources to find and check correct spellings.

(19) Research/Research Plan. Students ask open-ended research questions and develop a plan for answering them. Students (with adult assistance) are expected to:

(A) ask questions about topics of class-wide interest; and

(B) decide what sources or people in the classroom, school, library, or home can answer these questions.

(20) Research/Gathering Sources. Students determine, locate, and explore the full range of relevant sources addressing a research question and systematically record the information they gather. Students (with adult assistance) are expected to:

(A) gather evidence from provided text sources; and

(B) use pictures in conjunction with writing when documenting research.

(21) Listening and Speaking/Listening. Students use comprehension skills to listen attentively to others in formal and informal settings. Students continue to apply earlier standards with greater complexity. Students are expected to:

(A) listen attentively by facing speakers and asking questions to clarify information; and

(B) follow oral directions that involve a short related sequence of actions.

(22) Listening and Speaking/Speaking. Students speak clearly and to the point, using the conventions of language. Students continue to apply earlier standards with greater complexity. Students are expected to share information and ideas by speaking audibly and clearly using the conventions of language.

(23) Listening and Speaking/Teamwork. Students work productively with others in teams. Students continue to apply earlier standards with greater complexity. Students are expected to follow agreed-upon rules for discussion, including taking turns and speaking one at a time.

§128.12.Spanish Language Arts and Reading, Grade 1, Beginning with School Year 2009-2010.

(a) Introduction.

(1) The Spanish Language Arts and Reading Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) reflect language arts standards that are authentic to the Spanish language and Spanish literacy, not mere translations from English. The Spanish Language Arts and Reading TEKS are organized into the following strands: Reading, where students read and understand a wide variety of literary and informational texts; Writing, where students compose a variety of written texts with a clear controlling idea, coherent organization, and sufficient detail; Research, where students are expected to know how to locate a range of relevant sources and evaluate, synthesize, and present ideas and information; Listening and Speaking, where students listen and respond to the ideas of others while contributing their own ideas in conversations and in groups; and Oral and Written Conventions, where students learn how to use the oral and written conventions of the Spanish language in speaking and writing. The Reading strand is structured to reflect major topic areas of the National Reading Panel Report as well as other current and relevant research on Spanish literacy development. In first grade, students will engage in activities that build on their prior knowledge and skills in order to strengthen their reading, writing, and oral language skills. Students should write and read (or be read to) on a daily basis.

(A) Spanish, as opposed to English, has a closer letter-sound relationship and clearly defined syllable boundaries. The syllable in Spanish is a more critical unit of phonological awareness than in English because of the consistent phoneme-grapheme correspondence. Syllables are important units for Spanish because of their strong effect in visual word recognition (Carreiras et al., 1993) and their major role in predicting Spanish reading success. In addition, Spanish presents a much higher level of orthographic transparency than English and does not rely on sight words for decoding. This orthographic transparency accelerates the decoding process and the focus quickly moves to fluency and comprehension. Spanish uses frequency words that are identified by the rate of occurrence in grade appropriate text and used to build on fluency and comprehension. However, in English, "sight" words are used because of words that are not decodable such as "are" or "one." In Spanish, decoding issues are not as prevalent as issues of comprehension. These specific features of the Spanish language will influence reading methodology and development.

(3) To meet Public Education Goal 1 of the Texas Education Code, §4.002, which states, "The students in the public education system will demonstrate exemplary performance in the reading and writing of the English language," students will accomplish the essential knowledge, skills, and student expectations in Grade 1 as described in subsection (b) of this section.

(b) Knowledge and skills.

(1) Reading/Beginning Reading Skills/Print Awareness. Students understand how Spanish is written and printed. Students are expected to:

(A) recognize that spoken words are represented in written Spanish by specific sequences of letters;

(B) identify upper- and lower-case letters;

(D) recognize the distinguishing features of a sentence (e.g., capitalization of first word, beginning and ending punctuation);

(E) read texts by moving from top to bottom of the page and tracking words from left to right with return sweep; and

(F) identify the information that different parts of a book provide (e.g., title, author, illustrator, table of contents).

(2) Reading/Beginning Reading Skills/Phonological Awareness. Students display phonological awareness. Students are expected to:

(A) orally generate a series of original rhyming words using a variety of phonograms (e.g., -ita, -osa, -ión);

(B) recognize the change in a spoken word when a specified syllable or phoneme is added, changed, or removed (e.g., "me-sa" to "ma-sa"; "to-mo" to "co-mo");

(D) distinguish orally presented rhyming pairs of words from non-rhyming pairs;

(E) identify syllables in spoken words, including diphthongs and hiatus (le-er, rí-o; quie-ro, vio); and

(F) separate spoken multi-syllabic words into three to four syllables (e.g., má-qui-na, te-lé-fo-no).

(3) Reading/Beginning Reading Skills/Phonics. Students use the relationships between letters and sounds to decode written Spanish. Students will continue to apply earlier standards with greater depth in increasingly more complex texts. Students are expected to:

(A) decode the vowel sounds;

(B) decode syllables;

(C) use phonological knowledge to match sounds to individual letters and syllables including hard and soft consonants such as "r," "c," and "g";

(D) use letter-sound correspondence to identify mono- and multi-syllabic words;

(E) decode the written "y" when used as a conjunction, as in "mamá y papá";

(F) decode words in context and in isolation by applying the knowledge of letter-sound relationships in different syllabic structures including:

(i) consonant blends (e.g., bla-, fra-);

(ii) diagraphs (e.g., cha-, lla-, -rro);

(iii) dipthongs (e.g., viernes, pie, fui); and

(iv) words with an orthographic accent (e.g., papá, papa);

(G) decode words with the silent "h";

(H) decode words that use syllables que-, qui-, as in queso and quito; gue-, gui-, as in guiso and juguete; and güe-, güi-, as in paragüero and agüita;

(I) decode words that have the same sounds represented by different letters with increased accuracy (e.g., "r" and "rr," as in ratón and perro; "ll" and "y," as in llave and yate; "g" and "j," as in gigante and jirafa; "c," "k," and "q," as in casa, kilo, and quince; "c," "s," and "z," as in cereal, semilla, and zapato; "j" and "x," as in cojín and México; "i" and "y," as in imán and doy; "b" and "v," as in burro and vela);

(J) use knowledge of syllabication to identify the syllable that is stressed (sílaba tónica); and

(K) use knowledge of the meaning of base words to identify and read common compound words (e.g., sacapuntas, rascacielos, superhéroe).

(4) Reading/Beginning Reading/Strategies. Students comprehend a variety of texts drawing on useful strategies as needed. Students are expected to:

(A) confirm predictions about what will happen next in text by "reading the part that tells";

(B) ask relevant questions, seek clarification, and locate facts and details about stories and other texts; and

(C) establish purpose for reading selected texts and monitor comprehension, making corrections and adjustments when that understanding breaks down (e.g., identifying clues, using background knowledge, generating questions, re-reading a portion aloud).

(5) Reading/Fluency. Students read grade-level text with fluency and comprehension. Students are expected to read aloud grade-level appropriate text with fluency (rate, accuracy, expression, appropriate phrasing) and comprehension.

(6) Reading/Vocabulary Development. Students understand new vocabulary and use it when reading and writing. Students are expected to:

(A) identify words that name actions (verbs) and words that name persons, places, or things (nouns);

(B) determine the meaning of compound words using knowledge of the meaning of their individual component words (e.g., paraguas);

(D) identify and sort words into conceptual categories (e.g., opposites, living things); and

(E) alphabetize a series of words to the first or second letter and use a dictionary to find words.

(7) Reading/Comprehension of Literary Text/Theme and Genre. Students analyze, make inferences and draw conclusions about theme and genre in different cultural, historical, and contemporary contexts and provide evidence from the text to support their understanding. Students are expected to:

(A) connect the meaning of a well-known story or fable to personal experiences; and

(B) explain the function of recurring phrases (e.g., "Habia una vez" or "Colorin Colorado, este cuento se ha acabado") in traditional folk- and fairy tales.

(8) Reading/Comprehension of Literary Text/Poetry. Students understand, make inferences and draw conclusions about the structure and elements of poetry and provide evidence from text to support their understanding. Students are expected to respond to and use rhythm, rhyme, and alliteration in poetry.

(9) Reading/Comprehension of Literary Text/Fiction. Students understand, make inferences and draw conclusions about the structure and elements of fiction and provide evidence from text to support their understanding. Students are expected to:

(A) describe the plot (problem and solution) and retell a story's beginning, middle, and end with attention to the sequence of events; and

(B) describe characters in a story and the reasons for their actions and feelings.

(10) Reading/Comprehension of Literary Text/Literary Nonfiction. Students understand, make inferences and draw conclusions about the varied structural patterns and features of literary nonfiction and respond by providing evidence from text to support their understanding. Students are expected to determine whether a story is true or a fantasy and explain why.

(11) Reading/Comprehension of Literary Text/Sensory Language. Students understand, make inferences and draw conclusions about how an author's sensory language creates imagery in literary text and provide evidence from text to support their understanding. Students are expected to recognize sensory details in literary text.

(12) Reading/Comprehension of Text/Independent Reading. Students read independently for sustained periods of time and produce evidence of their reading. Students are expected to read independently for a sustained period of time.

(13) Reading/Comprehension of Informational Text/Culture and History. Students analyze, make inferences and draw conclusions about the author's purpose in cultural, historical, and contemporary contexts and provide evidence from the text to support their understanding. Students are expected to identify the topic and explain the author's purpose in writing the text.

(14) Reading/Comprehension of Informational Text/Expository Text. Students analyze, make inferences and draw conclusions about expository text and provide evidence from text to support their understanding. Students are expected to:

(A) restate the main idea, heard or read;

(B) identify important facts or details in text, heard or read;

(D) use text features (e.g., title, tables of contents, illustrations) to locate specific information in text.

(15) Reading/Comprehension of Informational Text/Procedural Texts. Students understand how to glean and use information in procedural texts and documents. Students are expected to:

(A) follow written multi-step directions with picture cues to assist with understanding; and

(B) explain the meaning of specific signs and symbols (e.g., map features).

(16) Reading/Media Literacy. Students use comprehension skills to analyze how words, images, graphics, and sounds work together in various forms to impact meaning. Students continue to apply earlier standards with greater depth in increasingly more complex texts. Students are expected to:

(A) recognize different purposes of media (e.g., informational, entertainment) (with adult assistance); and

(B) identify techniques used in media (e.g., sound, movement).

(17) Writing/Writing Process. Students use elements of the writing process (planning, drafting, revising, editing, and publishing) to compose text. Students are expected to:

(A) plan a first draft by generating ideas for writing (e.g., drawing, sharing ideas, listing key ideas);

(B) develop drafts by sequencing ideas through writing sentences;

(D) edit drafts for grammar, punctuation, and spelling using a teacher-developed rubric; and

(E) publish and share writing with others.

(18) Writing/Literary Texts. Students write literary texts to express their ideas and feelings about real or imagined people, events, and ideas. Students are expected to:

(A) write brief stories that include a beginning, middle, and end; and

(B) write short poems that convey sensory details.

(19) Writing/Expository and Procedural Texts. Students write expository and procedural or work-related texts to communicate ideas and information to specific audiences for specific purposes. Students are expected to:

(A) write brief compositions about topics of interest to the student;

(B) write short letters that put ideas in a chronological or logical sequence and use appropriate conventions (e.g., date, salutation, closing); and

(20) Oral and Written Conventions/Conventions. Students understand the function of and use the conventions of academic language when speaking and writing. Students continue to apply earlier standards with greater complexity. Students are expected to:

(A) understand and use the following parts of speech in the context of reading, writing, and speaking:

(i) verbs in the past, present, and future in the indicative mode (canto, canté);

(ii) nouns (singular/plural, common/proper);

(iii) adjectives (e.g., descriptive: verde, alto);

(iv) adverbs (e.g., time: before, next);

(v) prepositions and prepositional phrases;

(vi) pronouns (e.g., yo, mi); and

(vii) time-order transition words (e.g., primero, luego, después);

(B) speak in complete sentences with correct article-noun agreement (e.g., la pelota, el mapa, el agua, la mano, el águila); and

(21) Oral and Written Conventions/Handwriting, Capitalization, and Punctuation. Students write legibly and use appropriate capitalization and punctuation conventions in their compositions. Students are expected to:

(A) form upper- and lower-case letters legibly in text, using the basic conventions of print (left-to-right and top-to-bottom progression), including spacing between words and sentences;

(B) recognize and use basic capitalization for:

(i) the beginning of sentences; and

(ii) names of people; and

(C) recognize and use punctuation marks at the beginning and end of exclamatory and interrogative sentences and at the end of declarative sentences.

(22) Oral and Written Conventions/Spelling. Students spell correctly. Students are expected to:

(A) use phonological knowledge to match sounds to syllables to construct words;

(B) use syllable-sound patterns to generate a series of original rhyming words using a variety of ending patterns (e.g., -ción, -illa, -ita, -ito);

(D) blend phonemes to form syllables and words (e.g., mismo, tarde);

(E) spell words using orthographic rules including:

(i) words that use syllables with hard /r/ spelled as "r" or "rr," as in ratón and carro;

(ii) words that use syllables with soft /r/ spelled as "r" and always between two vowels, as in pero and perro; and

(iii) words that use syllables with silent "h" with increased accuracy, as in hora and ahora;

(F) words that use syllables que-, qui-, as in queso and quito; gue-, gui-, as in guiso and juguete; and güe-, güi-, as in paragüero and agüita;

(G) words that have the same sound represented by different letters with increased accuracy (e.g., "r" and "rr," as in ratón and perro; "ll" and "y," as in llave and yate; "g" and "j," as in gigante and jirafa; "c," "k," and "q," as in casa, kilo, and quince; "c," "s," and "z," as in cereal, semilla, and zapato; "j" and "x," as in cojín and México; "i" and "y," as in imán and doy; "b" and "v," as in burro and vela);

(H) write with more proficient use of orthographic patterns and rules such as using n before "v," "m" before "b," and "m" before "p," and changing "z" to "c" when adding -es;

(I) use knowledge of syllabic sounds, word parts, word segmentation, and syllabication to spell;

(J) write with increasing accuracy using accent marks including:

(i) words that have a prosodic or orthographic accent on the last syllable (palabras agudas) (e.g., feliz, canción);

(ii) words that have a prosodic or orthographic accent on the second-to-last syllable (palabras graves) (e.g., casa, árbol); and

(iii) words that have an orthographic accent on the third-to-last syllable (palabras esdrújulas) (e.g., último, cómico, mecánico);

(K) become familiar with the concept of hiato and dipthongs and the implications for orthographic accents (le-er, rí-o; quie-ro, vio);

(L) use accents appropriately on words commonly used in questions and exclamations (e.g., cuál, dónde, cómo);

(M) differentiate the meaning or function of a word based on the diacritical accent (e.g., se/sé, el/él, mas/más);

(N) mark accents appropriately when conjugating verbs in simple and imperfect past, perfect, conditional, and future tenses (e.g., corrió, jugó, tenía, gustaría, vendrá); and

(O) use resources to find correct spellings.

(23) Research/Research Plan. Students ask open-ended research questions and develop a plan for answering them. Students (with adult assistance) are expected to:

(A) generate a list of topics of class-wide interest and formulate open-ended questions about one or two of the topics; and

(B) decide what sources of information might be relevant to answer these questions.

(24) Research/Gathering Sources. Students determine, locate, and explore the full range of relevant sources addressing a research question and systematically record the information they gather. Students (with adult assistance) are expected to:

(A) gather evidence from available sources (natural and personal) as well as from interviews with local experts;

(B) use text features (e.g., table of contents, alphabetized index) in age-appropriate reference works (e.g., picture dictionaries) to locate information; and

(25) Research/Synthesizing Information. Students clarify research questions and evaluate and synthesize collected information. Students (with adult assistance) are expected to revise the topic as a result of answers to initial research questions.

(26) Research/Organizing and Presenting Ideas. Students organize and present their ideas and information according to the purpose of the research and their audience. Students (with adult assistance) are expected to create a visual display or dramatization to convey the results of the research.

(27) Listening and Speaking/Listening. Students use comprehension skills to listen attentively to others in formal and informal settings. Students continue to apply earlier standards with greater complexity. Students are expected to:

(A) listen attentively to speakers and ask relevant questions to clarify information; and

(B) follow, restate, and give oral instructions that involve a short related sequence of actions.

(28) Listening and Speaking/Speaking. Students speak clearly and to the point, using the conventions of language. Students continue to apply earlier standards with greater complexity. Students are expected to share information and ideas about the topic under discussion, speaking clearly at an appropriate pace, using the conventions of language.

(29) Listening and Speaking/Teamwork. Students work productively with others in teams. Students continue to apply earlier standards with greater complexity. Students are expected to follow agreed-upon rules for discussion, including listening to others, speaking when recognized, and making appropriate contributions.

§128.13.Spanish Language Arts and Reading, Grade 2, Beginning with School Year 2009-2010.

(a) Introduction.

(1) The Spanish Language Arts and Reading Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) reflect language arts standards that are authentic to the Spanish language and Spanish literacy, not mere translations from English. The Spanish Language Arts and Reading TEKS are organized into the following strands: Reading, where students read and understand a wide variety of literary and informational texts; Writing, where students compose a variety of written texts with a clear controlling idea, coherent organization, and sufficient detail; Research, where students are expected to know how to locate a range of relevant sources and evaluate, synthesize, and present ideas and information; Listening and Speaking, where students listen and respond to the ideas of others while contributing their own ideas in conversations and in groups; and Oral and Written Conventions, where students learn how to use the oral and written conventions of the Spanish language in speaking and writing. The Reading strand is structured to reflect major topic areas of the National Reading Panel Report as well as other current and relevant research on Spanish literacy development. In second grade, students will engage in activities that build on their prior knowledge and skills in order to strengthen their reading, writing, and oral language skills. Students should write and read (or be read to) on a daily basis.

(A) Spanish, as opposed to English, has a closer letter-sound relationship and clearly defined syllable boundaries. The syllable in Spanish is a more critical unit of phonological awareness than in English because of the consistent phoneme-grapheme correspondence. Syllables are important units for Spanish because of their strong effect in visual word recognition (Carreiras et al., 1993) and their major role in predicting Spanish reading success. In addition, Spanish presents a much higher level of orthographic transparency than English and does not rely on sight words for decoding. This orthographic transparency accelerates the decoding process and the focus quickly moves to fluency and comprehension. Spanish uses frequency words that are identified by the rate of occurrence in grade appropriate text and used to build on fluency and comprehension. However, in English, "sight" words are used because of words that are not decodable such as "are" or "one." In Spanish, decoding issues are not as prevalent as issues of comprehension. These specific features of the Spanish language will influence reading methodology and development.

(3) To meet Public Education Goal 1 of the Texas Education Code, §4.002, which states, "The students in the public education system will demonstrate exemplary performance in the reading and writing of the English language," students will accomplish the essential knowledge, skills, and student expectations at Grade 2 as described in subsection (b) of this section.

(b) Knowledge and skills.

(1) Reading/Beginning Reading Skills/Print Awareness. Students understand how Spanish is written and printed. Students are expected to distinguish features of a sentence (e.g., capitalization of first word, beginning and ending punctuation, commas, quotation marks, and em dash).

(2) Reading/Beginning Reading Skills/Phonics. Students use the relationships between letters and sounds and spelling based on orthographic rules to decode written Spanish. Students will continue to apply earlier standards with greater depth in increasingly more complex texts. Students are expected to:

(A) use orthographic rules to segment and combine syllables including vowel dipthongs (e.g., na-die, ra-dio);

(B) use "y" as a conjunction with increasing accuracy;

(D) become familiar with words that use syllables que-, qui-, as in queso and quito; gue-, gui-, as in guiso and juguete; and güe-, güi-, as in paragüero and agüita;

(E) decode words that have same sounds represented by different letters with increased accuracy (e.g., "r" and "rr," as in ratón and perro; "ll" and "y," as in llave and yate; "g" and "j," as in gigante and jirafa; "c," "k," and "q," as in casa, kilo, and quince; "c," "s," and "z," as in cereal, semilla, and zapato; "j" and "x," as in cojín and México; "i" and "y," as in imán and doy; "b" and "v," as in burro and vela);

(F) read words with common prefixes (e.g., in-, des-) and suffixes (e.g., -mente, -dad, -oso); and

(G) identify and read abbreviations (e.g., Sr., Dra.).

(3) Reading/Beginning Reading/Strategies. Students comprehend a variety of texts drawing on useful strategies as needed. Students are expected to:

(A) use ideas (e.g., illustrations, titles, topic sentences, key words, and foreshadowing) to make and confirm predictions;

(B) ask relevant questions, seek clarification, and locate facts and details about stories and other texts and support answers with evidence from text; and

(4) Reading/Fluency. Students read grade-level text with fluency and comprehension. Students are expected to read aloud grade-level appropriate text with fluency (rate, accuracy, expression, appropriate phrasing) and comprehension.

(5) Reading/Vocabulary Development. Students understand new vocabulary and use it when reading and writing. Students are expected to:

(A) use prefixes and suffixes to determine the meaning of words (e.g., componer/descomponer; obedecer/desobedecer);

(B) use context to determine the relevant meaning of unfamiliar words or multiple-meaning words;

(D) alphabetize a series of words and use a dictionary or a glossary to find words.

(A) identify moral lessons as themes in well-known fables, legends, myths, or stories; and

(B) compare different versions of the same story in traditional and contemporary folktales with respect to their characters, settings, and plot.

(7) Reading/Comprehension of Literary Text/Poetry. Students understand, make inferences and draw conclusions about the structure and elements of poetry and provide evidence from text to support their understanding. Students are expected to describe how rhyme, rhythm, and repetition interact to create images in poetry.

(8) Reading/Comprehension of Literary Text/Drama. Students understand, make inferences and draw conclusions about the structure and elements of drama and provide evidence from text to support their understanding. Students are expected to identify the elements of dialogue and use them in informal plays.

(A) describe similarities and differences in the plots and settings of several works by the same author; and

(B) describe main characters in works of fiction, including their traits, motivations, and feelings.

(14) Reading/Comprehension of Informational Text/Expository Text. Students analyze, make inferences and draw conclusions about and understand expository text and provide evidence from text to support their understanding. Students are expected to:

(A) identify the main idea in a text and distinguish it from the topic;

(B) locate the facts that are clearly stated in a text;

(D) use text features (e.g., table of contents, index, headings) to locate specific information in text.

(15) Reading/Comprehension of Informational Text/Procedural Text. Students understand how to glean and use information in procedural texts and documents. Students are expected to:

(A) follow written multi-step directions; and

(B) use common graphic features to assist in the interpretation of text (e.g., captions, illustrations).

(A) recognize different purposes of media (e.g., informational, entertainment);

(B) describe techniques used to create media messages (e.g., sound, graphics); and

(17) Writing/Writing Process. Students use elements of the writing process (planning, drafting, revising, editing, and publishing) to compose text. Students are expected to:

(A) plan a first draft by generating ideas for writing (e.g., drawing, sharing ideas, listing key ideas);

(B) develop drafts by sequencing ideas through writing sentences;

(D) edit drafts for grammar, punctuation, and spelling using a teacher-developed rubric; and

(E) publish and share writing with others.

(18) Writing/Literary Texts. Students write literary texts to express their ideas and feelings about real or imagined people, events, and ideas. Students are expected to:

(A) write brief stories that include a beginning, middle, and end; and

(B) write short poems that convey sensory details.

(A) write brief compositions about topics of interest to the student;

(B) write short letters that put ideas in a chronological or logical sequence and use appropriate conventions (e.g., date, salutation, closing); and

(20) Writing/Persuasive Texts. Students write persuasive texts to influence the attitudes or actions of a specific audience on specific issues. Students are expected to write persuasive statements about issues that are important to the student for the appropriate audience in the school, home, or local community.

(21) Oral and Written Conventions/Conventions. Students understand the function of and use the conventions of academic language when speaking and writing. Students continue to apply earlier standards with greater complexity. Students are expected to:

(A) understand and use the following parts of speech in the context of reading, writing, and speaking:

(i) regular and irregular verbs (past, present, and future in the indicative mode);

(ii) nouns (singular/plural, common/proper);

(iii) adjectives (e.g., descriptive: viejo, maravilloso;

(iv) articles (e.g., un, una, la, el);

(v) adverbs (e.g., time: antes, después; manner: cuidadosamente);

(vi) prepositions and prepositional phrases;

(vii) pronouns (e.g., él, su); and

(viii) time-order transition words; and

(B) distinguish among declarative, interrogative, exclamatory, and imperative sentences.

(22) Oral and Written Conventions/Handwriting, Capitalization, and Punctuation. Students write legibly and use appropriate capitalization and punctuation conventions in their compositions. Students are expected to:

(A) write legibly leaving appropriate margins for readability;

(B) use capitalization for:

(i) proper nouns; and

(ii) the salutation and closing of a letter;

(D) recognize and use punctuation marks, including beginning and ending punctuation in sentences; and

(E) identify and read abbreviations (e.g., Srita., Dr.).

(23) Oral and Written Conventions/Spelling. Students spell correctly. Students are expected to:

(A) spell words using orthographic rules including:

(i) words that use syllables with hard /r/ spelled as "r" or "rr," as in ratón and carro;

(ii) words that use syllables with soft /r/ spelled as "r" and always between two vowels, as in pero and perro;

(iii) words that use syllables with silent "h" with increased accuracy, as in hora and ahora;

(iv) words that use syllables que-, qui-, as in queso and quito; gue-, gui-, as in guiso and juguete; and güe-, güi-, as in paragüero and agüita; and

(v) words that have the same sound represented by different letters with increased accuracy (e.g., "r" and "rr," as in ratón and perro; "ll" and "y," as in llave and yate; "g" and "j," as in gigante and jirafa; "c," "k," and "q," as in casa, kilo, and quince; "c," "s," and "z," as in cereal, semilla, and zapato; "j" and "x," as in cojín and México; "i" and "y," as in imán and doy; "b" and "v," as in burro and vela);

(B) write with more proficient use of orthographic patterns and rules such as using "n" before "v," "m" before "b," and "m" before "p," and changing "z" to "c" when adding -es;

(D) write with increasing accuracy using accent marks including:

(i) words that have a prosodic or orthographic accent on the last syllable (palabras agudas) (e.g., feliz, canción);

(ii) words that have a prosodic or orthographic accent on the second-to-last syllable (palabras graves) (e.g., casa, árbol); and

(iii) words that have an orthographic accent on the third-to-last syllable (palabras esdrújulas) (e.g., último, cómico, mecánico);

(E) become familiar with the concept of hiato and dipthongs and the implications for orthographic accents (le-er, rí-o; quie-ro, vio);

(F) use accents appropriately on words commonly used in questions and exclamations (e.g., cuál, dónde, cómo);

(G) differentiate the meaning or function of a word based on the diacritical accent (e.g., se/sé, el/él, mas/más);

(H) mark accents appropriately when conjugating verbs in the past, present, and future in the indicative modes (e.g., corrió, jugó, gustaría, vendrá);

(I) replace "z" with "c" when adding -es to words ending in "z" to make them plural (e.g., lápiz, lápices; feliz, felices);

(J) identify and read abbreviations (e.g., Sr., Dra.); and

(K) use resources to find correct spellings.

(24) Research/Research Plan. Students ask open-ended research questions and develop a plan for answering them. Students are expected to:

(A) generate a list of topics of class-wide interest and formulate open-ended questions about one or two of the topics; and

(B) decide what sources of information might be relevant to answer these questions.

(25) Research/Gathering Sources. Students determine, locate, and explore the full range of relevant sources addressing a research question and systematically record the information they gather. Students are expected to:

(A) gather evidence from available sources (natural and personal) as well as from interviews with local experts;

(B) use text features (e.g., table of contents, alphabetized index, headings) in age-appropriate reference works (e.g., picture dictionaries) to locate information; and

(26) Research/Synthesizing Information. Students clarify research questions and evaluate and synthesize collected information. Students are expected to revise the topic as a result of answers to initial research questions.

(27) Research/Organizing and Presenting Ideas. Students organize and present their ideas and information according to the purpose of the research and their audience. Students (with adult assistance) are expected to create a visual display or dramatization to convey the results of the research.

(28) Listening and Speaking/Listening. Students use comprehension skills to listen attentively to others in formal and informal settings. Students continue to apply earlier standards with greater complexity. Students are expected to:

(A) listen attentively to speakers and ask relevant questions to clarify information; and

(B) follow, restate, and give oral instructions that involve a short related sequence of actions.

(29) Listening and Speaking/Speaking. Students speak clearly and to the point, using the conventions of language. Students continue to apply earlier standards with greater complexity. Students are expected to share information and ideas that focus on the topic under discussion, speaking clearly at an appropriate pace, using the conventions of language.

(30) Listening and Speaking/Teamwork. Students work productively with others in teams. Students continue to apply earlier standards with greater complexity. Students are expected to follow agreed-upon rules for discussion, including listening to others, speaking when recognized, and making appropriate contributions.

§128.14.Spanish Language Arts and Reading, Grade 3, Beginning with School Year 2009-2010.

(a) Introduction.

(1) The Spanish Language Arts and Reading Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) reflect language arts standards that are authentic to the Spanish language and Spanish literacy, not mere translations from English. The Spanish Language Arts and Reading TEKS are organized into the following strands: Reading, where students read and understand a wide variety of literary and informational texts; Writing, where students compose a variety of written texts with a clear controlling idea, coherent organization, and sufficient detail; Research, where students are expected to know how to locate a range of relevant sources and evaluate, synthesize, and present ideas and information; Listening and Speaking, where students listen and respond to the ideas of others while contributing their own ideas in conversations and in groups; and Oral and Written Conventions, where students learn how to use the oral and written conventions of the Spanish language in speaking and writing. The standards are cumulative--students will continue to address earlier standards as needed while they attend to standards for their grade. In third grade, students will engage in activities that build on their prior knowledge and skills in order to strengthen their reading, writing, and oral language skills. Students should read and write on a daily basis.

(A) Spanish, as opposed to English, has a closer letter-sound relationship and clearly defined syllable boundaries. The syllable in Spanish is a more critical unit of phonological awareness than in English because of the consistent phoneme-grapheme correspondence. Syllables are important units for Spanish because of their strong effect in visual word recognition (Carreiras et al., 1993) and their major role in predicting Spanish reading success. In addition, Spanish presents a much higher level of orthographic transparency than English and does not rely on sight words for decoding. This orthographic transparency accelerates the decoding process and the focus quickly moves to fluency and comprehension. Spanish uses frequency words that are identified by the rate of occurrence in grade appropriate text and used to build on fluency and comprehension. However, in English, "sight" words are used because of words that are not decodable such as "are" or "one." In Spanish, decoding issues are not as prevalent as issues of comprehension. These specific features of the Spanish language will influence reading methodology and development.

(3) To meet Public Education Goal 1 of the Texas Education Code, §4.002, which states, "The students in the public education system will demonstrate exemplary performance in the reading and writing of the English language," students will accomplish the essential knowledge, skills, and student expectations at Grade 3 as described in subsection (b) of this section.

(b) Knowledge and skills.

(1) Reading/Beginning Reading Skills/Phonics. Students use the relationships between letters and sounds and spelling based on orthographic rules to decode written Spanish. Students will continue to apply earlier standards with greater depth in increasingly more complex texts. Students are expected to:

(A) use orthographic rules to segment and combine syllables including dipthongs (e.g., na-die, ra-dio);

(B) use "y" as a conjunction with increasing accuracy;

(D) become familiar with words that use syllables que-, qui-, as in queso and quito; gue-, gui-, as in guiso and juguete; and güe-, güi-, as in paragüero and agüita;

(E) decode words that have the same sounds represented by different letters with increased accuracy (e.g., "r" and "rr," as in ratón and perro; "ll" and "y," as in llave and yate; "g" and "j," as in gigante and jirafa; "c," "k," and "q," as in casa, kilo, and quince; "c," "s," and "z," as in cereal, semilla, and zapato; "j" and "x," as in cojín and México; "i" and "y," as in imán and doy; "b" and "v," as in burro and vela);

(F) read words with common prefixes (e.g., in-, des-) and suffixes (e.g., -mente, -dad, -oso); and

(G) use knowledge of syllabication to identify the syllable that is stressed (sílabatónica).

(2) Reading/Beginning Reading/Strategies. Students comprehend a variety of texts drawing on useful strategies as needed. Students are expected to:

(A) use ideas (e.g., illustrations, titles, topic sentences, key words, and foreshadowing clues) to make and confirm predictions;

(B) ask relevant questions, seek clarification, and locate facts and details about stories and other texts and support answers with evidence from text; and

(3) Reading/Fluency. Students read grade-level text with fluency and comprehension. Students are expected to read aloud grade-level appropriate text with fluency (rate, accuracy, expression, appropriate phrasing) and comprehension.

(4) Reading/Vocabulary Development. Students understand new vocabulary and use it when reading and writing. Students are expected to:

(A) identify the meaning of common prefixes (e.g., ex-, dis-) and suffixes (e.g., -era, -oso), and know how they change the meaning of roots;

(B) use context to determine the relevant meaning of unfamiliar words or distinguish among multiple meaning words and homographs;

(D) identify and apply playful uses of language (e.g., tongue twisters, palindromes, riddles); and

(E) alphabetize a series of words to the third letter and use a dictionary or a glossary to determine the meanings, syllabication, and pronunciation of unknown words.

(5) Reading/Comprehension of Literary Text/Theme and Genre. Students analyze, make inferences and draw conclusions about theme and genre in different cultural, historical, and contemporary contexts and provide evidence from the text to support their understanding. Students are expected to:

(A) paraphrase the themes and supporting details of fables, legends, myths, or stories; and

(B) compare and contrast the settings in myths and traditional folktales.

(6) Reading/Comprehension of Literary Text/Poetry. Students understand, make inferences and draw conclusions about the structure and elements of poetry and provide evidence from text to support their understanding. Students are expected to describe the characteristics of various forms of poetry and how they create imagery (e.g., narrative poetry, lyrical poetry, humorous poetry, free verse).

(7) Reading/Comprehension of Literary Text/Drama. Students understand, make inferences and draw conclusions about the structure and elements of drama and provide evidence from text to support their understanding. Students are expected to explain the elements of plot and character as presented through dialogue in scripts that are read, viewed, written, or performed.

(A) sequence and summarize the plot's main events and explain their influence on future events;

(B) describe the interaction of characters including their relationships and the changes they undergo; and

(9) Reading/Comprehension of Literary Text/Literary Nonfiction. Students understand, make inferences and draw conclusions about the varied structural patterns and features of literary nonfiction and respond by providing evidence from text to support their understanding. Students are expected to explain the difference in point of view between a biography and autobiography.

(10) Reading/Comprehension of Literary Text/Sensory Language. Students understand, make inferences and draw conclusions about how an author's sensory language creates imagery in literary text and provide evidence from text to support their understanding. Students are expected to identify language that creates a graphic visual experience and appeals to the senses.

(11) Reading/Comprehension of Text/Independent Reading. Students read independently for sustained periods of time and produce evidence of their reading. Students are expected to read independently for a sustained period of time and paraphrase what the reading was about, maintaining meaning and logical order (e.g., generate a reading log or journal; participate in book talks).

(12) Reading/Comprehension of Informational Text/Culture and History. Students analyze, make inferences and draw conclusions about the author's purpose in cultural, historical, and contemporary contexts and provide evidence from the text to support their understanding. Students are expected to identify the topic and locate the author's stated purposes in writing the text.

(13) Reading/Comprehension of Informational Text/Expository Text. Students analyze, make inferences and draw conclusions about expository text and provide evidence from text to support their understanding. Students are expected to:

(A) identify the details or facts that support the main idea;

(B) draw conclusions from the facts presented in text and support those assertions with textual evidence;

(D) use text features (e.g., bold print, captions, key words, italics) to locate information and make and verify predictions about contents of text.

(14) Reading/Comprehension of Informational Text/Persuasive Text. Students analyze, make inferences and draw conclusions about persuasive text and provide evidence from text to support their analysis. Students are expected to identify what the author is trying to persuade the reader to think or do.

(15) Reading/Comprehension of Informational Text/Procedural Texts. Students understand how to glean and use information in procedural texts and documents. Students are expected to:

(A) follow and explain a set of written multi-step directions; and

(B) locate and use specific information in graphic features of text.

(16) Reading/Media Literacy. Students use comprehension skills to analyze how words, images, graphics, and sounds work together in various forms to impact meaning. Students will continue to apply earlier standards with greater depth in increasingly more complex texts. Students are expected to:

(A) understand how communication changes when moving from one genre of media to another;

(B) explain how various design techniques used in media influence the message (e.g., shape, color, sound); and

(C) compare various written conventions used for digital media (e.g., language in an informal e-mail vs. language in a web-based news article).

(17) Writing/Writing Process. Students use elements of the writing process (planning, drafting, revising, editing, and publishing) to compose text. Students are expected to:

(A) plan a first draft by selecting a genre appropriate for conveying the intended meaning to an audience and generating ideas through a range of strategies (e.g., brainstorming, graphic organizers, logs, journals);

(B) develop drafts by categorizing ideas and organizing them into paragraphs;

(D) edit drafts for grammar, mechanics, and spelling using a teacher-developed rubric; and

(E) publish written work for a specific audience.

(18) Writing/Literary Texts. Students write literary texts to express their ideas and feelings about real or imagined people, events, and ideas. Students are expected to:

(A) write imaginative stories that build the plot to a climax and contain details about the characters and setting; and

(B) write poems that convey sensory details using the conventions of poetry (e.g., rhyme, meter, patterns of verse).

(19) Writing. Students write about their own experiences. Students are expected to write about important personal experiences.

(20) Writing/Expository and Procedural Texts. Students write expository and procedural or work-related texts to communicate ideas and information to specific audiences for specific purposes. Students are expected to:

(A) create brief compositions that:

(i) establish a central idea in a topic sentence;

(ii) include supporting sentences with simple facts, details, and explanations; and

(iii) contain a concluding statement;

(B) write letters whose language is tailored to the audience and purpose (e.g., a thank you note to a friend) and that use appropriate conventions (e.g., date, salutation, closing); and

(21) Writing/Persuasive Texts. Students write persuasive texts to influence the attitudes or actions of a specific audience on specific issues. Students are expected to write persuasive essays for appropriate audiences that establish a position and use supporting details.

(22) Oral and Written Conventions/Conventions. Students understand the function of and use the conventions of academic language when speaking and writing. Students continue to apply earlier standards with greater complexity. Students are expected to:

(A) use and understand the function of the following parts of speech in the context of reading, writing, and speaking:

(i) regular and irregular verbs (past, present, future, and perfect tenses in the indicative mode; present and past in the subjunctive mode);

(ii) nouns (singular/plural, common/proper);

(iii) adjectives (e.g., descriptive: dorado, rectangular; limiting: este, ese, aquel);

(iv) articles (e.g., un, una, lo, la, el, los, las);

(v) adverbs (e.g., time: luego, antes; manner: cuidadosamente);

(vi) prepositions and prepositional phrases;

(vii) possessive pronouns (e.g., su, sus, mi, mis, suyo);

(viii) coordinating conjunctions (e.g., y, o, pero); and

(ix) time-order transition words and transitions that indicate a conclusion;

(B) use the complete subject and the complete predicate in a sentence;

(D) identify and read abbreviations (e.g., Sr., Dra., Atte.).

(23) Oral and Written Conventions/Handwriting, Capitalization, and Punctuation. Students write legibly and use appropriate capitalization and punctuation conventions in their compositions. Students are expected to:

(A) write legibly in cursive script with spacing between words in a sentence;

(B) use capitalization for:

(i) geographical names and places;

(ii) historical periods; and

(iii) official titles of people;

(D) use correct mechanics including paragraph indentations or "sangrias."

(24) Oral and Written Conventions/Spelling. Students spell correctly. Students are expected to:

(A) spell words using orthographic rules, including: