TEKS Coverage Matrix
Three-tier depth map for TEKS §127.2 Career and College Exploration (Adopted 2023), aligned to CCE 36-week scope.
Tier Definitions
- EXPLICIT (E). The TEKS is the stated Lesson Objective or DOL of at least one week or day. Students produce an artifact that directly demonstrates the TEKS.
- IMPLICIT (I). The TEKS is demonstrated as a side-effect of other activities, not the main objective. Students practice the skill but it is not the week's stated goal.
- GAP (G). Coverage is thin, incidental, or absent. Flagged for deepening in round-2 revisions or pre-2027 district-wide updates.
A TEKS can be both Explicit in some weeks and Implicit in others. The tier column shows the STRONGEST coverage the curriculum currently offers.
Matrix
| TEKS | Description | Tier | Explicit Weeks | Implicit Weeks | Depth Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| d(1)A | Analyze and discuss assessment results | E | Wk0 (1SW), 4SW Wk1 Days 1, 2, 5 | 1SW Wk2 Day 5 (H&L Pathway Fit), 2SW Wk3 Day 5 (Xello Learning Styles), 2SW Wk4 Day 3 (Xello Education Experience), 2SW Wk5 Day 5 (CareerOneStop Skills Matcher), 3SW Wk1 Day 4 (Xello Life Experiences), 3SW Wk2 Day 5 (Xello Work Experiences), 3SW Wk3 Day 5 (Xello Interests), 3SW Wk5 Day 5 (Xello Career Factors) | Wk0 is the seeding week; 4SW Wk1 is the explicit mid-year reconciliation. Matrix reconciliation 2026-04-17: dropped 5SW Wk1 and 6SW Wk6 from Implicit Weeks — no day in either week tags d(1)(A). |
| d(1)B | Explore CTE career clusters | E | Every cluster week (~28 weeks) | None | H&L 14 clusters + Irving ISD 6 campuses |
| d(1)C | Identify career opportunities within clusters | E | Nearly every week (~30 weeks) | None | Hat Research template is the primary evidence artifact |
| d(1)D | Research and evaluate emerging occupations | E | 1SW Wk3, 1SW Wk5, 2SW Wk6, 3SW Wk2-3, 4SW Wk4, 5SW Wk2 | None | "Emerging" explicitly in the exit ticket and activity |
| d(2)A | Research academic/technical/cert requirements | E | 1SW Wk1-2, Wk4; 2SW Wk2-4, Wk6 Day 5; 3SW Wk1, 3SW Wk5 Day 3 (TDLR); 4SW Wk4 Days 2, 3, 5, Wk5; 5SW Wk1, Wk3-4, Wk6; 6SW Wk1 | Every Hat Research week | Hat Research template demands education/cert citations. Matrix reconciliation 2026-04-17: added 1SW Wk2, 2SW Wk6 Day 5, 4SW Wk4 Days 2/3/5; dropped 5SW Wk2 (no day in that week tags d(2)(A)) |
| d(2)B | Evaluate educational/training options | E | 1SW Wk4; 2SW Wk3; 3SW Wk1, 3SW Wk2 Day 5; 4SW Wk5; 6SW Wk1 | Weeks comparing apprenticeship vs. college | Typically paired with d(3)G. Matrix reconciliation 2026-04-17: added 3SW Wk2 Day 5 (two-pathway plant-science tour) |
| d(3)A | MS to HS transition requirements | E | 1SW Wk5 Days 4-5 (Glowforge logo, My Career Journey); 4SW Wk2 Days 1-2 | None | Explicit artifact: Course Plan. Matrix reconciliation 2026-04-17: dropped 2SW Wk1 Implicit (no day tagged; "legal pathway mention" was thematic ambient, not a probe) |
| d(3)B | College credit opportunities (AP, dual credit) | E | 4SW Wk2 Day 3 | 2SW Wk4 (Medical Billing pathway) | Thin but specific. Consider deepening in 2027 if AP/dual credit landscape shifts |
| d(3)C | Methods to pay for college/postsecondary | E | 5SW Wk5 Day 4 (FAFSA, scholarships, grants, work-study) | None | Single week covers this. Adequate for 7th grade; will be revisited in 8th-9th |
| d(3)D | Impact of effective planning | E | 4SW Wk2 Day 5 (exit-ticket question 2 explicitly probes cost of not taking the 9th-grade gateway course — direct metacognition about planning impact) | 4SW Wk2 Day 3 (Family Career Plan Letter frames pathway → college-credit planning) | Round-2 deepening 2026-04-17: tier promoted from I to E. The Day 5 exit ticket "what happens to my pathway if I DON'T take this course in 9th grade?" is the explicit-metacognition probe the previous matrix note called for; students articulate the impact of NOT planning, which satisfies d(3)(D) at the artifact level. No new content authored — promotion reflects existing probe honestly. Code removed from Round-2 backlog |
| d(3)E | PSAT/SAT/ACT/ASVAB/TSI impact | E | 4SW Wk2 Day 1, 5SW Wk2 Day 2 | None | Two weeks, both with explicit content. Adequate; revisit in 2027 if test landscape changes |
| d(3)F | Co-curricular/extracurricular importance | E | 4SW Wk1 Day 4 (benefit-of-joining framing + exit-ticket probe) | 4SW Wk2 Day 4 (Course Plan extracurricular slot), 4SW Wk6 Day 3 (SkillsUSA, TSA) | Round-2 deepening 2026-04-17: promoted 4SW Wk1 Day 4 to Explicit after adding a "Why Student Organizations Matter" framing admonition + extending the exit ticket to probe one specific benefit of joining the Rank 1 org in 9th grade. Tier moved from I to E |
| d(3)G | Steps to enroll in career opportunities | E | 3SW Wk5 Day 3 (TDLR), 4SW Wk3 Day 2 (military/civilian pilot), Wk5 Days 2 + 4 (apprenticeship + Ratteree/trade school), 5SW Wk3 Days 2 + 4 (apprenticeship), 5SW Wk4 Day 4 (HVAC enrollment steps) | None | Strong coverage across multiple pathways. Matrix reconciliation 2026-04-17: added 5SW Wk4 Day 4 and 5SW Wk3 Day 4 (day-level tags previously missing from matrix) |
| d(3)H | Professional associations | E | 2SW Wk1 Days 4-5, 4SW Wk6 Days 3, 5, 5SW Wk3 Days 2, 5 | Every week citing SkillsUSA/HOSA/FCCLA/TSA/FBLA/FFA | H&L pathway → association mapping supports this. Matrix reconciliation 2026-04-17: dropped 4SW Wk1 Day 4 (that day tags d(1)(A) + d(8)(A) + d(8)(B), not d(3)(H)); added 2SW Wk1 Day 4, 4SW Wk6 Day 5, 5SW Wk3 Day 5 |
| d(3)I | Entrepreneurship | E | 2SW Wk1 Day 2 (implied); 3SW Wk4-6; 5SW Wk6; 6SW Wk3 | Every week mentioning small business | Strong explicit coverage in 3SW Wk6 full week |
| d(4)A | Time management and goal-setting | E | 2SW Wk5 Day 3 (SMART goals), 4SW Wk3 Day 4-5 | Every capstone/deliverable week | |
| d(4)B | Transferable skills | E | 1SW Wk3 Days 1, 5; 1SW Wk4 Days 3-5; 2SW Wk5; 3SW Wk4 Day 2 (Motivation Powerskill); 4SW Wk4 Day 4; 4SW Wk6 Days 1-2, 5; 6SW Wk4 Days 1-2, 5 | Every Hat Research week | Explicit "transferable skills" language in multiple exit tickets. Matrix reconciliation 2026-04-17: added 3SW Wk4 Day 2 (Motivation chart) and 4SW Wk4 Day 4; day-level sweep also exposed multi-day coverage in 1SW Wks 3-4 and 4SW/6SW capstone weeks |
| d(4)C | Oral professional presentations | E | 6SW Wk4 Days 2-5, 6SW Wk6 Days 2-4 (Capstone) | 5SW Wk3 Days 4-5 (Power Pitch), 5SW Wk4 Day 5, 5SW Wk6 Day 5 | Matrix reconciliation 2026-04-17: added 5SW Wk4 Day 5 and 5SW Wk6 Day 5 (day-level tags); dropped 3SW Wk6 Day 4 pitch (day tags d(3)(I) + d(4)(F), not d(4)(C)) |
| d(4)D | Apply core academic skills | I | None | Embedded in every week (math in budget, writing in reflections, reading in H&L) | By design implicit; not a gap. Reading/writing/math every week |
| d(4)E | Community service and volunteerism | E | 6SW Wk1 Day 4 (LO: "reflect on how community service builds career-relevant skills") | 3SW Wk1 Day 4 (Xello Volunteer Hours), 4SW Wk6 Day 3 (CTSO community-service benefit in exit ticket) | Round-2 deepening 2026-04-17: tier corrected from I to E — 6SW Wk1 Day 4's LO already explicitly names community-service reflection, which meets the Explicit-tier bar (mis-tiered when matrix first drafted). Also added 4SW Wk6 Day 3 Implicit touchpoint after broadening the CTSO jigsaw and exit ticket to include community-service programs. Three touchpoints total |
| d(4)F | Work ethic, integrity, dedication, perseverance | E | 1SW Wk5 Day 3 (integrity), 2SW Wk2 Day 4; 3SW Wk6 Day 4; 4SW Wk6 Days 1, 4 | None | Strong explicit coverage across all six blocks. 2SW Wk5 audited 2026-04-17 and removed from Explicit Weeks (communication-skills days probe d(4)(B) transferable skills, not d(4)(F) work-ethic characteristics) |
| d(5)A | Analyze labor market trends | E | 1SW Wk2 Day 3; 2SW Wk6 Day 5; 5SW Wk3 Day 3, Wk4-6 | None | Matrix reconciliation 2026-04-17: added 5SW Wk3 Day 3 (no day tagged the code when matrix was written); dropped 4SW Wk4 (that week's days tag d(5)(B) for classification, not d(5)(A) trend analysis) |
| d(5)B | Classify high-skill/wage/demand occupations | E | 2SW Wk4 Day 2; 4SW Wk4 Day 2; 5SW Wk3 Day 3, Wk4 Day 3 | Every week citing BLS data | |
| d(5)C | Effects of changing trends on career choices | E | 3SW Wk3 Day 4 (societal trends), 6SW Wk3 Day 2 (economy) | Every emerging-careers week | |
| d(5)D | Prepare a personal budget | E | 3SW Wk6 Day 5, 4SW Wk1 Day 3 (Climber Profile budget), 5SW Wk5 (full week), 5SW Wk6 Day 5 (Real Estate mortgage math) | None | 5SW Wk5 is the anchor week. Matrix reconciliation 2026-04-17: added 4SW Wk1 Day 3 and 5SW Wk6 Day 5 (day-level tags previously missing from matrix) |
| d(5)E | Compare salaries of 3+ careers | E | 1SW Wk2 Day 3; 2SW Wk3 Day 2; 3SW Wk4 Day 2; 4SW Wk5 Days 3 + 5 (cross-cluster); 5SW Wk1 Day 2, Wk5 Days 3, 5 | None | |
| d(6)A | Steps of an effective job search | E | 6SW Wk1 Day 3 (4-step version), 6SW Wk2 Day 4 (job search prep), Wk5 Day 1 (7-step version) | None | Two versions in the workbook (4-step and 7-step); both taught. Matrix reconciliation 2026-04-17: added 6SW Wk2 Day 4 (day-level tag); dropped 3SW Wk5 Day 2 Implicit (that day tags d(6)(C) + d(7)(B) mock-interview and thank-you, not d(6)(A) search steps) |
| d(6)B | Appropriate appearance for interview | E | 6SW Wk4 Day 4, Wk5 Day 3 | None | |
| d(6)C | Participate in a mock interview | E | 3SW Wk5 Day 2 (cosmetology mock interview), 6SW Wk5 Day 4 | None | Audited 2026-04-17: promoted 3SW Wk5 Day 2 from Implicit to Explicit after TEKS audit confirmed the mock interview IS the day's primary artifact |
| d(7)A | Write a resume | E | 6SW Wk2 Days 2-3 | None | |
| d(7)B | Write business correspondence (cover letter, thank you) | E | 2SW Wk6 Day 1 (cover letter), 3SW Wk5 Day 2 (thank-you email), 6SW Wk5 Days 2, 5 | None | Audited 2026-04-17: 2SW Wk6 Day 1 added after audit confirmed the H&L "Cover Letter: The Golden Ticket" activity is the explicit d(7)(B) probe. 3SW Wk5 Day 2 promoted from Implicit to Explicit in the same audit pass |
| d(7)C | Complete sample job applications | E | 6SW Wk5 (via CareerOneStop Practice Application) | 1SW Wk3 Day 3 (H&L Future Work Inc.) | |
| d(7)D | Protocol for selecting/using references | E | 6SW Wk5 Day 3, 1SW Wk1 Day 3 | None | |
| d(8)A | Select a career pathway | E | 4SW Wk1 Day 2 (Iceberg + first selection), 6SW Wk6 (final) | None | Buffer-week risk per PLANNING §6. Both weeks are buffer-framed. If teacher cuts both buffers, d(8)(A) is uncovered. Mitigation: the Climber Profile pathway selection happens in 4SW Wk1 Day 2 regardless of buffer framing |
| d(8)B | Document HS courses and postsecondary requirements | E | 4SW Wk1 Days 4-5 (Climber Profile course pre-work), 4SW Wk2 (full week), 6SW Wk6 Days 1-4 | None | Same buffer-week risk as d(8)A. Matrix reconciliation 2026-04-17: added 4SW Wk1 Days 4-5 (day-level tags previously missing from matrix) and expanded 6SW Wk6 to Days 1-4 (capstone polishing touches d(8)(B) each day) |
| d(8)C | Write a plan for starting career | E | 4SW Wk2 Day 5, 6SW Wk6 Days 2, 4 | None | Same buffer-week risk as d(8)A. Capstone is the definitive artifact |
Coverage Summary
- Explicit: 36 of 37 TEKS codes (97%)
- Implicit only: 1 code: d(4)D (by design — core academic skills are embedded, never named as a week's primary objective)
- Hard gaps (no coverage): 0
Flagged for Round-2 Deepening
These codes are covered but thinly. Consider deepening during round-2 revisions if teacher feedback surfaces student weakness. Thresholds updated 2026-04-17 after matrix reconciliation tightened day-level tag counts.
- ~~d(3)D (Impact of effective planning).~~ PROMOTED 2026-04-17. Tier moved from I to E after audit confirmed the 4SW Wk2 Day 5 exit-ticket question 2 (cost of skipping the 9th-grade gateway course) IS explicit metacognition about planning impact. Code removed from Round-2 backlog.
- ~~d(3)F (Co-curricular/extracurricular importance).~~ DEEPENED 2026-04-17. 4SW Wk1 Day 4 promoted to Explicit via "Why Student Organizations Matter" framing admonition + benefit-of-joining exit-ticket probe. Remaining Implicit touchpoints (4SW Wk2 Day 4, 4SW Wk6 Day 3) still reinforce the code. Code removed from Round-2 backlog.
- ~~d(4)E (Community service and volunteerism).~~ DEEPENED 2026-04-17. Tier corrected from I to E (6SW Wk1 Day 4 LO "reflect on how community service builds career-relevant skills" already meets Explicit bar). Third touchpoint added at 4SW Wk6 Day 3 Implicit via CTSO jigsaw community-service extension + exit-ticket benefit-option expansion. Code removed from Round-2 backlog.
Buffer-Week TEKS Risk (d(8) block)
Per PLANNING §6: every d(8) week (4SW Wk1, 6SW Wk6) is framed as a flex/buffer week. If a teacher cuts both buffers entirely, d(8)(A), d(8)(B), and d(8)(C) are uncovered. The Climber Profile pathway selection (4SW Wk1 Day 2) happens regardless of buffer framing, which protects d(8)(A). But d(8)(B) (HS course documentation) and d(8)(C) (career plan) depend on the Career Plan being completed. Mitigation options: (1) make 6SW Wk6 non-buffer-framed; (2) move Career Plan documentation to a non-buffer week; (3) add a d(8) backup admonition naming the minimum artifact required regardless of buffer use.