The Texas SuperCyclist Curriculum 2.1 represents more than ten years of dedicated multi-organization support, work, research, and training. In 1993, the Texas Bicycle Coalition ( TBC) worked with the Texas Legislature to pass a bill mandating a child bicycle safety curriculum for the state. In 1996, TBC, as part of the steering committee, and funded by the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT), worked with the Texas Department of Public Safety (TxDPS) to introduce the first state bicycle safety curriculum.
With subsequent funding from TxDOT, the Texas Bicycle Coalition Education Fund (TBCEF) developed The Texas SuperCyclist Curriculum Teacher’s Guide, and implemented a SuperCyclist certification training program for existing Texas elementary school teachers statewide. In 2004, TBCEF extended this training to future elementary school teachers by implementing the SuperCollege Project which offers SuperCyclist certification at participating Texas colleges and universities. By January 2005, over 3,000 teachers and youth workers had become certified, extending the potential reach of the program to over 500,000 children each year.
Since 1996, state and federal grants combined with contributions from corporate sponsors and partners, have enabled TBCEF to update, expand, and evalate the program. Beginning in 2002, TBCEF also sought support and partnership from SuperCyclist certified teachers to update and enhance the curriculum’s Teacher’s Guide and Teacher Master Pages.
The result, the Texas SuperCyclist Curriculum 2.0, distributed in both hardcopy and digital format, not only improved and expanded the lessons on bicycle laws, and equipment maintenance, but also incorporated the mandated state education requirements for physical activity. In addition to the classroom activities adapted from the original lesson plans, curriculum 2.0 introduced a set of physical activities, including stretches and exercises, which improve coordination, balance, strength, and flexibility - very important skills for cyclists and other athletes.
TBCEF further broadened the curriculum’s original scope by introducing elements of the BikeTexas Safe Routes to School Program. The curriculum utilizes five lessons which help students develop skills necessary to evaluate public roads and sidewalks as potential bicycle routes. Brisk walks, the physical activity component of these lessons, offer “field training” which reinforce the classroom activities.
Texas SuperCyclist Curriculum 2.1, the latest curriculum update, funded in part by a grant from the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA), significantly enlarges the audience of the curriculum by incorporating Spanish translations of all 38 SuperCyclist Curriculum Master Pages. The Master Pages are designed as homework and reference materials which students take home and share with family members. These translations bring the Texas SuperCyclist Program to Spanish speaking households across Texas.
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