{"id":5128,"date":"2026-10-18T08:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-10-18T08:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/infobymattcole.com\/?p=5128"},"modified":"2026-10-11T21:39:18","modified_gmt":"2026-10-11T21:39:18","slug":"digital-citizenship-texas-teks-grades-4-8-where-expectations-change","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/infobymattcole.com\/index.php\/2026\/10\/18\/digital-citizenship-texas-teks-grades-4-8-where-expectations-change\/","title":{"rendered":"Digital Citizenship in the Texas TEKS, Grades 4\u20138: Where Expectations Change"},"content":{"rendered":"

In kindergarten through Grade 3, the digital citizenship standards are about habits: log off, don't share your login, know what is safe to share. From Grade 4 on, they turn into something closer to analysis. Students are asked to explain how copyright applies to creative work, identify phishing and malware by name, evaluate whether a source is biased, and judge the effects of cyberbullying on both people involved.<\/p>\n

This post maps that shift grade by grade from Grade 4 through Grade 8, using the text of the Texas Technology Applications TEKS (Chapter 126, August 2024 update). If you teach K\u20133, start with the K\u20133 progression post<\/a> and come back here.<\/p>\n

Reading the standards correctly<\/h2>\n

One rule from the introduction of both the elementary and middle school subchapters changes how you plan: statements containing the word "including"<\/strong> reference content that must be mastered<\/em>, while statements containing "such as"<\/strong> are possible illustrative examples<\/em>. When a standard lists "cookies, pop-ups, smart devices, and unsecured networks," check which word introduces the list before you decide that all four are required.<\/p>\n

Grades 4\u20138 at a glance<\/h2>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
<\/th>\nGrade 4 (\u00a7126.9)<\/th>\nGrade 5 (\u00a7126.10)<\/th>\nGrade 6 (\u00a7126.17)<\/th>\nGrade 7 (\u00a7126.18)<\/th>\nGrade 8 (\u00a7126.19)<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Digital footprint<\/strong><\/td>\nDescribe how information retained online creates a permanent footprint<\/td>\nIdentify the components of a footprint (online activity, game use, social media)<\/td>\nIdentify the impact of a footprint<\/td>\nClassify actions as having a positive or negative effect on a footprint<\/td>\nAnalyze why managing a footprint matters and how it can affect the future<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Etiquette and collaboration<\/strong><\/td>\nDescribe etiquette for text, email, chat; demonstrate it for shared documents and video conferencing<\/td>\nDescribe and apply etiquette for different audiences: peers, teachers, other adults<\/td>\nCreate formal and informal digital communications using appropriate etiquette<\/td>\nCreate and revise<\/em> communications using a feedback process<\/td>\nCreate and publish a formal communication for a global audience<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Copyright and intellectual property<\/strong><\/td>\nDescribe the rights and responsibilities of a creator; define copyright law and how it applies to creative work<\/td>\nDescribe the purpose of copyright and possible consequences of inappropriate use<\/td>\nDefine intellectual property and terms including copyright, permission, fair use, creative commons, open source, public domain<\/td>\nExplain why IP laws matter, including benefits for owners and consequences of violating them<\/td>\nAdhere to IP law when creating digital products<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Citations<\/strong><\/td>\nCreate citations for digital media with assistance<\/strong><\/td>\nCreate citations with assistance<\/strong><\/td>\nCreate citations and cite sources<\/td>\nCreate citations and cite sources<\/td>\nCreate citations and cite sources<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Information quality<\/strong><\/td>\nNot listed<\/td>\nNot listed<\/td>\nDescribe how information can be exaggerated or misrepresented online<\/td>\nEvaluate how media, including social media, can exaggerate and misrepresent<\/td>\nEvaluate the bias<\/strong> of digital information sources, including websites<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Security and privacy<\/strong><\/td>\nIdentify data collection tools (cookies, pop-ups, smart devices, unsecured networks) and why privacy matters<\/td>\nDiscuss cybersecurity strategies (e.g., a secured connection) and how data collection tracks navigation<\/td>\nIdentify real-world problems: phishing, malware, password attacks, identity theft, hacking<\/td>\nDescribe and model ways to protect oneself from real-world attacks<\/td>\nAnalyze real-world scenarios to identify threats and propose ways to prevent harm<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Cyberbullying<\/strong><\/td>\nDiscuss and explain how to respond, including advocating for self and others<\/td>\nDiscuss how interactions escalate online; explain ways to stand up to cyberbullying<\/td>\nIdentify methods: harassment, impersonation, cyberstalking<\/td>\nAnalyze the negative impacts on the victim and the bully<\/td>\nEvaluate case studies to identify warning signs of a victim (such as withdrawal or lack of sleep) and predict outcomes for both victim and bully<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Section references use paragraphs (c)(8)\u2013(10) in each section.<\/p>\n

Four shifts worth planning around<\/h2>\n

1. "With assistance" disappears at Grade 6.<\/strong> Grades 4 and 5 ask students to create digital citations with assistance<\/em>. Grades 6, 7, and 8 drop the qualifier: students create citations and cite sources on their own, and Grade 6 is also the first grade to name fair use, creative commons, open source, and public domain. A Grade 6 plan that still hands students a pre-built citation template is behind the standard.<\/p>\n

2. Source quality enters in Grade 6.<\/strong> Elementary grades say nothing about exaggeration or bias. Grade 6 introduces "exaggerated or misrepresented" information, Grade 7 adds social media, and Grade 8 asks students to evaluate bias in sources including websites. Teach this deliberately across three years, not as a single lesson.<\/p>\n

3. Cyberbullying moves from "what should I do?" to "what happens and why?"<\/strong> Grades 4 and 5 are about response, including advocating for self and others. By Grade 6 the standards name the methods (harassment, impersonation, cyberstalking). Grade 7 analyzes impact on both victim and bully, and Grade 8 adds warning signs and predicting outcomes. Prevention scripts alone stop meeting the standard after Grade 5.<\/p>\n

4. Security vocabulary becomes specific.<\/strong> The first time a standard names phishing, malware, password attacks, identity theft, and hacking is Grade 6. Before that, the standards use broader language: data collection tools, secured connections.<\/p>\n

A self-audit by grade<\/h2>\n