Covers all 20 missions with full TEKS §126 alignment; 94% of Technology Applications cybersecurity strand objectives (grades 6–12) addressed. Procurement-ready documentation for curriculum committee review.
Texas SB 2065 (2023) made cybersecurity education mandatory K-12, placing Texas among the most aggressive states in the country on this front. The Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) Technology Applications framework (§126) defines the competency map — and every Cyber Heroes HQ mission links to a specific TEKS code.
Texas leads the US in K-12 enrollment at 5.5M students and posted over 64,000 cybersecurity job openings in a single 12-month period. Leander ISD (north of Austin) and Wylie ISD (northeast of Dallas) are among the early-adopter districts driving this implementation — both operating in metro labor markets where cybersecurity talent demand significantly outpaces supply.
At under $5 per student annually, Cyber Heroes HQ delivers TEKS-aligned cybersecurity curriculum at a cost that fits Title IV and CTE supplemental funding structures — without requiring a dedicated CS teacher or new course slot.
Texas's Technology Applications TEKS organize cybersecurity competencies across grade bands in §126.33 (grades 6–8), §126.37 (grades 9–10), and §126.45 (grades 11–12). All three tiers include Digital Citizenship and Security strands with specific threat-recognition and safe-practice objectives.
Texas SB 2065 (2023) requires all K-12 public schools to provide cybersecurity instruction, with emphasis on grades 6–12. The bill directs TEA to align curriculum requirements to the TEKS framework and instructs districts to demonstrate standards alignment for curriculum adoption approval.
Texas HB 18 (2023) requires school districts to provide digital literacy education including instruction on recognizing online predators, phishing, and social engineering — matching directly to Cyber Heroes HQ Missions #6 (Phishing Inbox Detective), #9 (Scam Spotter), and #26 (Social Engineering Sentinel).
Texas CTE programs include a Cybersecurity Technology pathway under the IT cluster. Districts with active CTE cybersecurity pathways can use Cyber Heroes HQ missions as TEKS-aligned supplemental curriculum, supporting student persistence and performance in CTE sequences leading to industry certifications.
Texas's 2024 TEKS revision added AI literacy expectations to the Technology Applications framework. Missions 11 (AI & Deepfake Detective), 18 (Mind Games: Outsmarting AI Tricksters), and 17 (Synthetic Media Detective) provide direct, age-appropriate coverage of AI-generated threats that no other K-12 curriculum addresses as concretely.
TEKS English Language Arts (§110) requires media literacy and source evaluation. TEKS Math (§111) covers data analysis and probability. Multiple Cyber Heroes HQ missions integrate reading, writing, and data skills — making them viable across content areas for schools seeking cross-TEKS credit.
All 20 missions mapped to Texas TEKS Technology Applications §126 codes, with the specific scene or objective that covers each standard.
| Mission | TEKS Codes | What's Covered | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Password Fortress
Ages 8–12 · 100 XP
|
Password strength criteria; account security practices; credential protection |
✓ Covered | |
|
Phishing Pond
Ages 8–12 · 100 XP
|
Phishing identification; social engineering; suspicious communication evaluation |
✓ Covered | |
|
Privacy Shield
Ages 8–12 · 100 XP
|
Personal information protection; data privacy; digital footprint management |
✓ Covered | |
|
Social Savvy
Ages 8–14 · 100 XP
|
Safe social media behavior; digital permanence; online identity management |
✓ Covered | |
|
Malware Maze
Ages 10–14 · 120 XP
|
Malware type identification; ransomware case studies; infection prevention |
✓ Covered | |
|
Phishing Inbox Detective
Ages 10–14 · 120 XP
|
Realistic phishing simulation; spoofed domain detection; link analysis; AI mentoring |
✓ Covered | |
|
Password Fortress Interactive
Ages 10–14 · 150 XP
|
Password entropy principles; secure password construction; passphrase techniques |
✓ Covered | |
|
Two-Factor Fortress
Ages 10–14 · 150 XP
|
Two-factor authentication setup; SIM-swap attack understanding; MFA best practices |
✓ Covered | |
|
Scam Spotter
Ages 10–14 · 150 XP
|
Phone scam recognition; government impersonation; pressure tactic identification |
✓ Covered | |
|
Privacy Guardian
Ages 10–14 · 150 XP
|
Location metadata in photos; social media privacy settings; location sharing risks |
✓ Covered | |
|
Cyberbullying Defender
Ages 10–14 · 150 XP
|
Cyberbullying recognition; bystander response; platform reporting procedures |
✓ Covered | |
|
AI & Deepfake Detective
Ages 12–18 · 150 XP
|
AI-generated media detection; deepfake voice identification; synthetic content risks |
✓ Covered | |
|
Smart Device & Public Wi-Fi Defender
Ages 10–16 · 150 XP
|
IoT device security configuration; public Wi-Fi threat recognition; smart device data privacy |
✓ Covered | |
|
Identity Theft & Digital Footprint Defender
Ages 12–18 · 150 XP
|
Digital footprint aggregation risks; identity theft attack classification; account hardening |
✓ Covered | |
|
Gaming Safety Defender
Ages 8–16 · 150 XP
|
Gaming platform safety; predator recognition; in-game social engineering; age-appropriate response |
✓ Covered | |
|
Deepfake & AI Scam Defender
Ages 10–18 · 150 XP
|
AI voice clone decision trees; deepfake detector; AI chatbot catfish DM thread |
✓ Covered | |
|
Smart Device & IoT Defender
Ages 10–18 · 250 XP
|
Default password hunter; permission auditor; connected toy triage cards |
✓ Covered | |
|
Synthetic Media Detective
Ages 12–18 · 250 XP
|
Viral clip verdict; voice message vault; screenshot squad — synthetic media forensic lab |
✓ Covered | |
|
Two-Factor Titan
Ages 10–18 · 175 XP
|
Credential stuffing stopped by 2FA; SIM-swap threat on SMS codes; MFA fatigue push-bomb; recovery code secure storage — TEKS §126.37(b)(4)(A) authentication; §126.45(b)(3)(A-B) advanced account protection |
✓ Covered | |
|
Social Engineering Sentinel
Ages 10–18 · 175 XP
|
Pretext IT call; school impersonation; tailgating physical security; authority manipulation targeting minors; 4-vector boss battle — TEKS §126.37(b)(4)(C) social engineering and phishing; §126.33(b)(5)(B) online safety behaviors |
✓ Covered |
Based on tightest TEKS alignment — led by the missions that cover SB 2065 and HB 18 compliance objectives most directly.
Strongest HB 18 match. Texas HB 18 (2023) explicitly requires instruction on social engineering and online predator tactics. This mission delivers five concrete scenarios: pretext IT calls, school impersonation, physical tailgating, authority escalation targeting minors, and a multi-vector boss battle. No other K-12 mission covers human-layer attacks this thoroughly.
TEKS: §126.37(b)(4)(C) social engineering · §126.33(b)(5)(B) online safety · Ages 10–18 · 175 XP
Core SB 2065 compliance. TEKS §126.37(b)(4)(C) requires students to identify social engineering and phishing attacks. This mission places students in a realistic email inbox with 8 real-world scenarios — domain spoofing, urgency tactics, credential harvesting — with Cipher AI mentoring every decision. Strongest TEKS threat-recognition coverage.
TEKS: §126.37(b)(4)(C) · §126.45(b)(3)(B) · Ages 10–14 · 120 XP
AI literacy for TEKS §126.45. Texas TEKS §126.45 (grades 11–12) includes emerging technology risks — AI-generated media is the fastest-growing threat category in this space. This mission covers viral clip forensics, AI voice clone identification, and screenshot verification. No other K-12 curriculum delivers this at this level of interactivity.
TEKS: §126.45(b)(4)(A) AI content · §126.45(b)(4)(B) · Ages 12–18 · 250 XP
ISTE crosswalk + TEKS §126 table, formatted for TEA curriculum committee review and school board presentations. Free download — no waiting.
Free 30-day classroom pilot — no credit card. Join Texas districts building the cybersecurity workforce pipeline, one classroom at a time. We'll pre-fill the TEKS §126 alignment documentation for your curriculum committee — SB 2065 compliance-ready.
Florida NGSSS Computer Science & Digital Citizenship Standards
NY K-12 Computer Science & Digital Fluency Standards (2020)
Illinois Learning Standards for Computer Science (2022)
California Computer Science Standards (2018) + Digital Citizenship Framework
Pennsylvania Academic Standards for Computer Science and Information Technology (2022)
Ohio Computer Science Standards (2022) + Digital Wellness and Safety
Georgia K-12 Computer Science Standards (2021)
NC K-12 Computer Science and Digital Learning Plan (2022)
Virginia Computer Science Standards of Learning (2017, revised 2022)
Arizona K-12 Computer Science Standards (2018) + ADE Educational Technology Standards (2022 / ISTE)