In its January 2009 report to the Coordinating Board Designing Texas Undergraduate Education in the 21st Century, the Undergraduate Education Advisory Committee (UEAC) suggested that the statewide general education core curriculum be reconsidered. Commissioner Paredes subsequently asked the UEAC to undertake the first revision of the legislatively-mandated 42 semester-credit-hour core curriculum since its approval in July 1998. Dr. Paredes charged the advisory committee to revise the Texas Core Curriculum "to ensure that it reflects current and future demands on student knowledge and skills."

Following a comprehensive review of trends and promising practices in undergraduate core curriculum initiatives nationwide, including curriculum requirements in other states and core curricula at more than one hundred different public and private colleges and universities, the UEAC developed recommendations for a revised Texas Core Curriculum centered on increasing student learning and improving student success. The recommendations were presented to the Commissioner and Coordinating Board staff as a second report - Revising the State Core Curriculum: A focus on 21st century competencies.

Coordinating Board staff considered the recommendations of the advisory committee carefully, and in August 2011, proposed revisions to the existing Board rules that reflect many of the UEAC's recommendations. Further revisions to the proposal were made based on the public comments that were received in August and September 2011. The Coordinating Board approved the rules with one additional amendment during the regular quarterly meeting of the Board on October 27, 2011.

Rules

• Chapter 4, Subchapter B §4.28-4.31

Timeline for Implementation

• November 2011 - November 2013: Faculty develop and select courses
• August 2013 - November 2013: Institution's core curriculum due to Coordinating Board staff for review
• Fall 2014: Statewide implementation of core curriculum for incoming Freshmen

Elements of the Texas Core Curriculum

• Statement of Purpose
• Core Objectives definitions
• Component Areas

Assessment Guidelines

Process for Implementation - UPDATE 11/5/2012

• Memo to Institutions (Sent November 5, 2012)
  • Submission Timeline
  • Submission Components
    • Course Selection Process
    • Core Objective Assessment Plan
    • Proposed Courses
• An online submission portal is being developed specifically for institutions to submit their proposed 2014 Core Curriculum
  • Details and instructions for using this online submission portal will be sent to institutions by early July 2013.

FAQ For Faculty & Institutions

• Who is responsible for selecting courses for the core on our campus?
• What is the Component Area Option?
• How will labs (science, math, language, etc.) fit into the core?, etc.

Resources

• Quick reference for Core Curriculum 2014
• Core Curriculum Implementation - C. Parsoneault, Senior Program Director, THECB
• Core Curriculum Revisions, Assessment, & Timeline - L. Heston, Assistant Director, THECB
• Redesigning the Core Curriculum for the 21st Century - R. Peebles, VP of Instruction, Midland College
• STARLINK Webinar: The Core Curriculum: A Focus on 21st Century Competencies (April 11, 2012)
  • Webinar handouts:
  • Core Curriculum 2014
  • Core Curriculum Assessment
  • Core Curriculum Implementation
• Side-by-Side Comparison of "old" vs "new" Core Curriculum

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