Chandler, Committee to Create State K-12
Engineering Standards
Engineering Work Group Members
- Mary Braden, Aldine ISD
- Emily Gresham, Spring Branch ISD
- John Hansen, University of Texas at Tyler
- Scott Rippetoe, Conroe ISD
- John Chandler, Texas Tech University
- Robert Cutrona, Sea River
- Sriram Vishwanath, University of Texas
- Craig Wright, Arlington ISD
- Contessa Hoskin, Raytheon
- Ronald Tipton, Waco ISD
- Michael Yakubovsky, Coppell ISD
- Brett Williams, Fredericksburg ISD
- Enrique Villalobos, Region 19 Education Service Center
- Torrence Robinson, Texas Instruments
- Mark Ramsey, Texas Drilling Associates
February 28, 2008
John Chandler, Ph.D., a director of the T-STEM Center, has been chosen to serve on the work group committee to create new state K-12 engineering standards for the Texas Education Agency.
Nominated by Bob Craig, a State Board of Education member representing District 15, Chandler will join other committee members in Austin where they will begin the review process.
Starting with entering high-school freshmen in 2010, the new engineering standards will be included in the science portion of the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS). The TAKS tests measure student knowledge of the state mandated curriculum, or Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS). Students are tested beginning in third grade and must successfully pass the tests to advance to the next grade level and ultimately graduate.
"I'm excited that the Texas Education Agency is beginning the process of including engineering content in the TEKS," said Chandler. "Texas continues to be a leader in preparing for tomorrow's technology-driven economy, which requires that students be engineering-minded problem solvers. Including engineering in the state standards for 2010 is an important step toward ensuring that the next generation is ready to meet the needs of tomorrow's economy."
The fifteen-member committee will review, revise and edit the engineering TEKS, identifying objectives to be assessed at specific grade levels before making recommendations to the State Board of Education for adoption, according to Anita Givens, deputy associate commissioner for standards and alignment at the Texas Education Agency.
The State Board of Education will review the new standards with teachers and conduct field-tests on students across Texas before the new assessments are implemented across the state.
"Texas Tech University has been preparing engineers since its creation and has been a leader in supporting engineering education in K-12 schools," said Chandler. "I look forward to working with others across the state to set a foundation for K-12 engineering education in Texas, and I know that the Texas Tech University T-STEM Center will continue to support engineering content in schools across the state."