Texas Education Agency - AI Guidelines for Public Schools

🤠 A Message to Texas Educators

"Texas leads the nation in educational innovation while maintaining our commitment to local control and community values. These AI guidelines provide a framework for our 1,200+ school districts and charter schools to implement artificial intelligence in ways that serve Texas's 5.4 million students. From our largest urban districts to our smallest rural communities, we're ensuring every Texas student is prepared for the jobs of tomorrow."

— Commissioner Mike Morath

Executive Summary

Everything's bigger in Texas—including our commitment to educational excellence. The Texas Education Agency (TEA) provides these guidelines to help Independent School Districts (ISDs), charter schools, and Education Service Centers (ESCs) navigate the integration of artificial intelligence in K-12 education. These guidelines respect local control while ensuring statewide standards for student safety, privacy, and academic achievement.

⭐ Texas Education Priorities for AI

Local Control: Districts maintain autonomy in AI implementation decisions
Student Safety: Protecting Texas children is our highest priority
Academic Excellence: AI must enhance, not compromise, rigorous standards
Workforce Readiness: Preparing students for Texas's innovation economy
Fiscal Responsibility: Cost-effective solutions for all district sizes
Rural Access: Ensuring equity for all Texas communities

Framework for Texas Schools

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1. Academic Integration & TEKS Alignment

Requirement: All AI implementation must align with Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) standards.

Grade Band Guidelines:

K-2: No direct student AI use; teacher tools only
3-5: Limited, supervised AI exposure (30 min/week max)
6-8: Structured AI literacy education (2 hrs/week)
9-12: Advanced AI integration with college/career focus

STAAR Test Considerations:

AI use prohibited during all state assessments
Test prep may include AI with proper documentation
Districts must ensure AI doesn't create testing advantages

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2. Student Safety & Privacy

Texas Law Compliance: Adherence to HB 89 (student privacy) and FERPA requirements.

Mandatory Protections:

Parent consent required for students under 18
No collection of biometric data
Data must remain in the United States
Vendors must sign TEA-approved data agreements
Annual privacy audits required

Prohibited Uses:

Behavioral prediction or profiling
Social credit scoring
Mental health diagnosis
Sharing data with third parties for advertising

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3. Fiscal Responsibility & Funding

Funding Sources: Multiple pathways for AI investment based on district needs.

District Size	Recommended Approach	Funding Options	Support Available
Major Urban (> 50,000 students)	Enterprise solutions	Bond programs, Title funds	Direct TEA support
Suburban (5,000-50,000)	District-wide licenses	State allotment, grants	ESC partnerships
Mid-Size (1,000-5,000)	Shared services model	Consortium purchasing	Regional cooperatives
Rural/Small (< 1,000)	ESC-provided tools	Rural grants, E-Rate	Full ESC support

🌾 Special Provisions for Rural Texas Districts

Recognizing that 40% of Texas school districts are rural, serving communities from the Panhandle to the Rio Grande Valley:

Rural District Support Package:

Connectivity Solutions: State partnerships for broadband expansion
Shared Licensing: ESC bulk purchasing agreements
Mobile AI Labs: Traveling resources for districts without infrastructure
Virtual Professional Development: Online training to reduce travel burden
Peer Networks: Rural district AI implementation cohorts

Rural Implementation Timeline:

Phase 1 (2025): Infrastructure assessment and planning
Phase 2 (2026): ESC-supported pilot programs
Phase 3 (2027): Full implementation with ongoing support

📖 TEKS Integration Requirements

Technology Applications TEKS - AI Additions:

Grades 3-5: Understanding AI as a tool (126.7.c.1)
Grades 6-8: AI ethics and digital citizenship (126.18.c.3)
High School: AI applications in career paths (126.33.c.5)

Cross-Curricular Integration:

Subject	AI Application	TEKS Standard
English Language Arts	Writing assistance, research	110.X.b.11-13
Mathematics	Problem-solving support	111.X.b.1
Science	Data analysis, simulations	112.X.b.3
Social Studies	Research, primary sources	113.X.b.29
CTE	Industry-specific AI tools	130.X

Implementation Pathways by District Type

🏙️ Urban Districts (Houston, Dallas, San Antonio, Austin, Fort Worth)

Develop district-wide AI governance committees
Pilot programs in select campuses before scaling
Partner with local universities and tech companies
Focus on multilingual AI support for diverse populations
Leverage existing IT infrastructure

🏘️ Suburban Districts

Collaborative purchasing through regional cooperatives
Parent education programs through PTAs
Integration with existing 1:1 device programs
Focus on college readiness and dual credit

🌵 Border Region Districts

Bilingual AI tools prioritized
Cross-border educational partnerships
Focus on bridging digital divide
ESC Region 1 specialized support

📋 Charter School Considerations

Texas's 900+ charter schools have additional flexibility in AI implementation:

May develop independent AI policies aligned with charter mission
Required to meet same privacy and safety standards as ISDs
Eligible for TEA AI pilot programs
Must report AI usage in annual performance reports

Professional Development Requirements

🎓 ESC-Provided Training Programs

Texas's 20 Education Service Centers offer comprehensive AI training:

Basic AI Literacy

6 CPE hours

AI fundamentals
Classroom integration
Ethics and safety

Advanced Integration

12 CPE hours

Subject-specific applications
Assessment strategies
Parent communication

Leadership Track

18 CPE hours

Policy development
Budget planning
Implementation management

T-TESS Alignment: AI competencies integrated into teacher evaluation framework

Accountability and Monitoring

Approved AI Resources

Metric	Target	Measurement	Reporting
Teacher Training	100% by 2026	CPE completion	Annual to TEA
Student Access	Equitable across demographics	Usage data	PEIMS submission
Academic Impact	Maintain/improve STAAR	Assessment scores	Accountability reports
Privacy Compliance	Zero violations	Audit results	Immediate to TEA
Parent Satisfaction	> 70% approval	Annual surveys	District boards

TEA-Vetted Platforms

Khan Academy (Free)
Code.org AI Curriculum
Microsoft Education Suite
Google for Education
Texas-specific: Reasoning Mind

Texas Partnerships

UT Austin AI Institute
Rice University EdTech
Texas A&M Engineering
SMU Data Science
Houston Tech Consortium

Support Contacts

TEA AI Help: (512) 463-9734
Email: ai@tea.texas.gov
ESC Support: Via regions
Legal: ogc@tea.texas.gov

Texas Success Stories

🌟 Early Adopter Districts

Plano ISD: AI-powered personalized learning showing 15% improvement in math scores
El Paso ISD: Bilingual AI tools supporting 65% Spanish-speaking students
Spring Branch ISD: Teacher efficiency increased 20% with AI lesson planning
Midland ISD: Rural connectivity solutions enabling AI access for all students
IDEA Public Schools: Charter network using AI for college readiness