1. (a) Implementation.

   1. (1) The provisions of this section shall be implemented by school districts beginning with the 2025-2026 school year.
   2. (2) School districts shall implement the employability skills student expectations listed in §127.15(d)(1) of this chapter (relating to Career and Technical Education Employability Skills, Adopted 2025) as an integral part of this course.
2. (b) General requirements. This course is recommended for students in Grades 10-12. Recommended prerequisites: Principles of Art, Audio/Video Technology, Principles of Information Technology, Physics for Engineers, or Principles of Applied Engineering. Students shall be awarded one credit for successful completion of this course.

3. (c) Introduction.

   1. (1) Career and technical education instruction provides content aligned with challenging academic standards and relevant technical knowledge and skills for students to further their education and succeed in current or emerging professions.
   2. (2) The Information Technology career cluster focuses on the design, development, support, and management of hardware, software, multimedia, and systems integration services. This career cluster includes occupations ranging from software developer and programmer to cybersecurity specialist and network analyst.
   3. (3) The Geographic Information Systems (GIS) course employs an analytic process using industry standard software to find trends and patterns in collected data. Whether collecting data first-hand or from reputable websites, GIS aims to use scientific methods to find solutions to various problems and issues.
   4. (4) Students are encouraged to participate in extended learning experiences such as career and technical student organizations and other organizations that foster leadership and career development in the profession such as student chapters of related professional associations.
   5. (5) Statements that contain the word "including" reference content that must be mastered, while those containing the phrase "such as" are intended as possible illustrative examples.

4. (d) Knowledge and skills.

   1. (1) The student demonstrates knowledge and appropriate use of computer hardware components and software programs and examines how hardware and software are interrelated. The student is expected to:

      1. (A) use operating systems, software applications, and communication and networking components appropriately;
      2. (B) compare and appropriately use various input, processing, output, and primary/secondary storage devices;
      3. (C) evaluate and select software based on quality, appropriateness, effectiveness, and efficiency; and
      4. (D) solve digital file format and cross platform connectivity compatibility issues.

   2. (2) The student uses data input skills. The student is expected to:

      1. (A) incorporate into a product and use a variety of input devices such as keyboard, scanner, or mouse appropriately; and
      2. (B) use digital keyboarding standards for the input of data.

   3. (3) The student demonstrates knowledge and understanding of what GIS is and the use of GIS technology in different career fields. The student is expected to:

      1. (A) identify historical and contemporary developments in GIS;
      2. (B) describe the basic components of GIS; and
      3. (C) identify appropriate application of GIS technologies in different career fields.

   4. (4) The student demonstrates knowledge and appropriate use of database software. The student is expected to:

      1. (A) design and construct a relational database from a geographic data model using a database software;
      2. (B) use joins, hyperlinks, and relational linking appropriately within a database;
      3. (C) convert data into a data depiction using classifications; and
      4. (D) transfer data from different sources into a database for storage and retrieval.

   5. (5) The student demonstrates knowledge and appropriate use of spatial databases and sources. The student is expected to:

      1. (A) identify and use appropriately various spatial databases and sources such as digital terrain models, digital orthophoto quadrangles, geographic databases, land use and land cover data, digital imagery, hydrographic spatial data, and demographic data; and
      2. (B) describe and demonstrate appropriate use of spatial analysis.

   6. (6) The student demonstrates knowledge and appropriate use of GIS software. The student is expected to:

      1. (A) determine the appropriate software tool from GIS to use for a given task or project;
      2. (B) create queries and spatial queries for finding features, borders, centroids, and networks and determining distance, length, and surface measurements and shapes;
      3. (C) describe characteristics of maps and spatial data; and
      4. (D) identify and use geographical scales, coordinates, and specific map projections.

   7. (7) The student demonstrates knowledge and appropriate use of GIS data collection devices. The student is expected to:

      1. (A) plan and conduct supervised GIS and Global Positioning System (GPS) experiences;
      2. (B) initialize and prepare a GPS receiver for data collection;
      3. (C) collect geographical coordinates from a GPS receiver; and
      4. (D) transfer data from a GPS device to a personal computer.

   8. (8) The student acquires electronic information in a variety of formats. The student is expected to:

      1. (A) collect electronic information in various formats, including text, audio, video, and graphics; and
      2. (B) gather authentic data from a variety of electronic sources to use for individual and group GIS projects.

   9. (9) The student uses appropriate computer-based productivity tools to create and modify solutions to problems. The student is expected to:

      1. (A) explain project management guidelines for designing and developing GIS projects; and
      2. (B) design solutions for a project using visual organizers such as flowcharts or schematic drawings.

   10. (10) The student produces a product using a variety of media. The student is expected to:

       1. (A) publish information in a variety of formats, including hard copies and digital formats; and
       2. (B) prepare a presentation of GIS information using graphs, charts, maps, and presentation software.

   11. (11) The student examines GIS maps, reports, and graphs. The student is expected to:

       1. (A) explain industry-standard legends used in GIS;
       2. (B) describe symbols, scaling, and other map elements used in GIS;
       3. (C) generate GIS reports and graphs; and
       4. (D) create maps using a variety of map display types such as choropleth, heat maps, dot density maps, topographic maps, or graduated symbols maps.

Source Note:The provisions of this §127.697 adopted to be effective August 1, 2025, 50 TexReg 3752.