Common Planner
K–12 Standards

Speech and Language Development

Other Texas CTE: Health Science sets

Implementation.a

  • 1

    The provisions of this section shall be implemented by school districts beginning with the 2025- 2026 school year.a.1

  • 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.a.2

General requirements. This course is recommended for students in Grades 11 and 12. Recommended prerequisites: Principles of Health Science, Anatomy and Physiology, and Introduction to Speech Pathology and Audiology. Students shall be awarded one credit for successful completion of this course.b

  • b

    General requirements. This course is recommended for students in Grades 11 and 12. Recommended prerequisites: Principles of Health Science, Anatomy and Physiology, and Introduction to Speech Pathology and Audiology. Students shall be awarded one credit for successful completion of this course.b

Introduction.c

  • 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.c.1

  • 2

    The Health Science Career Cluster focuses on planning, managing, and providing therapeutic services, diagnostics services, health informatics, support services, and biotechnology research and development.c.2

  • 3

    The Speech and Language Development course provides advanced knowledge and skills related to speech and language acquisition and growth of developing children. Understanding healthy development and speech, language, and communication developmental milestones is a prerequisite for studying communication disorders. This course provides students with the knowledge and skills necessary to pursue further education, possibly culminating in a bachelor's degree and subsequent master's degree in communication sciences and disorders.c.3

  • 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.c.4

  • 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.c.5

Knowledge and skills.d

  • 1

    The student understands basic human communication processes, including the biological, neurological, psychological, developmental, linguistic, and cultural processes. The student is expected to:d.1

    1. A

      differentiate between communication, speech, language, and hearing;d.1.A

    2. B

      summarize the structural bases of speech production and hearing;d.1.B

    3. C

      compare anatomy and physiology of the speech mechanism;d.1.C

    4. D

      examine and describe the anatomy and physiology of the auditory system;d.1.D

    5. E

      identify and describe healthy verbal and nonverbal communication development;d.1.E

    6. F

      describe the developmental building blocks and prerequisites for healthy speech and language development;d.1.F

    7. G

      identify and define terminology related to human communication such as speech sound production, fluency (stuttering), voice, language, hearing, hearing loss, breathing, swallowing, pragmatics, and cognition; andd.1.G

    8. H

      explain social-interactive and psychological bases of communication and the influences it has on interpersonal communication, including linguistic and cultural influences.d.1.H

  • 2

    The student gains knowledge and understanding of various theoretical perspectives of healthy speech and language acquisition. The student is expected to:d.2

    1. A

      investigate and explain the major theories of language acquisition;d.2.A

    2. B

      compare the major theories of speech sound production; andd.2.B

    3. C

      research and explain the connections between language development and speech development as they relate to phonological awareness in learning to read.d.2.C

  • 3

    The student understands the healthy development of speech sound production in children. The student is expected to:d.3

    1. A

      describe articulatory phonetics and explain how articulatory phonetics relate to the respiratory system, including the larynx, vocal tract, articulators (velopharynx, tongue, lips, and jaw), and air flow;d.3.A

    2. B

      analyze the foundation for speech acquisition in relation to auditory perception before birth and in infants;d.3.B

    3. C

      describe early vocal development in infants as a prerequisite for speech;d.3.C

    4. D

      explain how the use of vowels by infants and young children is important for the development of speech;d.3.D

    5. E

      illustrate ways to categorize or describe vowel and diphthong production;d.3.E

    6. F

      research and describe the development of consonant inventories in young English- speaking children;d.3.F

    7. G

      describe and differentiate between models for describing consonant production;d.3.G

    8. H

      summarize progression in speech development for combining sounds into syllable shapes and words; andd.3.H

    9. I

      analyze the linguistic and cultural influences of the heritage/native language on the development of speech sound production in English.d.3.I

  • 4

    The student understands the components of a developing language system and how language skills develop in children. The student is expected to:d.4

    1. A

      identify and explain the components of a language system, including phonology, phonetics, morphology, syntax, semantics, and pragmatics;d.4.A

    2. B

      explain the components of a developing language system in terms of vocabulary, grammar, and social and interpersonal communication;d.4.B

    3. C

      describe the prerequisite skills for developing language;d.4.C

    4. D

      differentiate between language delay, language disorders, and language difference;d.4.D

    5. E

      outline the milestones of healthy language development from birth through age five years related to comprehension and expression;d.4.E

    6. F

      summarize healthy language development from Kindergarten (age 5) through Grade 5 (age 10 or 11) and describe factors that influence age-appropriate development of language;d.4.F

    7. G

      describe healthy continuing language development in adolescence for each component of a developing language system; andd.4.G

    8. H

      compare cultural and ethnic differences in language development.d.4.H

  • 5

    The student explores the healthy development of verbal fluency skills in children. The student is expected to:d.5

    1. A

      define and differentiate between verbal fluency, disfluencies, and stuttering;d.5.A

    2. B

      identify and explain common disfluencies and periods of expected disfluencies;d.5.B

    3. C

      explain the development of speech and language skills;d.5.C

    4. D

      differentiate between and discuss variables that may affect verbal fluency; andd.5.D

    5. E

      describe ways to measure verbal fluency for English language learners and evaluate the effectiveness of each method.d.5.E

  • 6

    The student explores parameters of voice production in children and adults. The student is expected to:d.6

    1. A

      describe the physical and physiological parameters of voice production;d.6.A

    2. B

      describe the components of healthy voice production, including voice quality, pitch, loudness, resonance, and duration;d.6.B

    3. C

      explain causes or etiologies of variations in voice production;d.6.C

    4. D

      describe how parameters of voice production change throughout the span of life;d.6.D

    5. E

      analyze environmental variables that may affect voice production;d.6.E

    6. F

      explain the practice of speech-language pathology and allowable services; andd.6.F

    7. G

      analyze the ethical considerations for the speech-language pathologist in dealing with individuals with a possible voice disorder and the requirement for ongoing work with a physician.d.6.G

  • 7

    The student understands the development of effective language and communication skills needed to demonstrate high levels of achievement in elementary and secondary school. The student is expected to:d.7

    1. A

      research and describe the milestones of communication development and literacy development;d.7.A

    2. B

      compare milestones of communication development to the milestones of literacy development;d.7.B

    3. C

      differentiate between interpersonal language used for conversational interaction and more formal, literate language used for learning academic content;d.7.C

    4. D

      define and provide examples of tier 1, tier 2, and tier 3 vocabulary as it relates to language development and meeting grade level expectations of academic vocabulary across subject areas;d.7.D

    5. E

      explain the development of language used for oral and written narratives and demonstrate how story grammar can be used as a bridge between conversational language and academic language;d.7.E

    6. F

      analyze the development of pragmatic-language skills and the types of verbal, nonverbal, and written communication skills needed to do well in school; andd.7.F

    7. G

      define emergent literacy and analyze the language base necessary for the development of reading skills.d.7.G

  • 8

    The student explores healthy and unhealthy speech and language development. The student is expected to:d.8

    1. A

      describe the role of the speech-language pathologist in determining healthy speech and language development and speech sound disorders and language disorders;d.8.A

    2. B

      explain the purpose of and describe techniques for screening speech and language skills in children;d.8.B

    3. C

      explain the purpose of and describe techniques for evaluating speech and language skills in children;d.8.C

    4. D

      analyze the Response to Intervention (RtI) method for accurately identifying a speech or language disorder in school-age children; andd.8.D

    5. E

      discuss the role of the speech-language pathologist in referral, counseling, and providing basic information when there are concerns about a child's speech or language development.d.8.E

  • 9

    The student demonstrates effective verbal and nonverbal communication skills. The student is expected to:d.9

    1. A

      describe and demonstrate appropriate communication skills when interacting with elementary age students, classroom teachers, speech-language pathologists, principals, and parents in various situations;d.9.A

    2. B

      identify and demonstrate verbal and nonverbal communication techniques that should be used when communicating with children who have sensory loss, language barriers, cognitive impairment, and other learning disabilities;d.9.B

    3. C

      identify and evaluate electronic communication and technology devices that may be used when interacting with children with communication disorders; andd.9.C

    4. D

      differentiate between oral interpretation and translation skills from English to a second language.d.9.D

  • 10

    The student explores the influence of dialects of Standard American English or native language on the development of speech and language skills in English and on the production of English. The student is expected to:d.10

    1. A

      provide examples of how a common phrase may be expressed across Standard American English and three different dialects;d.10.A

    2. B

      describe how speech and language patterns vary as a function of language, age, socioeconomic status, and geography;d.10.B

    3. C

      analyze the characteristics of American English dialects in terms of speech sound production and language use;d.10.C

    4. D

      explain the influence of heritage language on the speech sound production and grammar development of English in emergent bilingual students; andd.10.D

    5. E

      analyze speech and language patterns of English language learners in terms of expected speech and language development.d.10.E

Frequently asked questions

What grade levels do these standards cover?
Grade 9, Grade 10, Grade 11, and Grade 12

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Keep exploring CTE: Health Science standards

Sibling grade bands, other subjects in this jurisdiction, and the same subject across other states.

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