SCHOOL-BASED DECISION MAKING
School: Sample School
Subject of the Policy: #19 Selection of Instructional Materials and Student
Access to Instructional Resources (Textbooks)
Policy Statement
The SBDM Council, when selecting instructional materials, shall adhere to the procedures outlined in the Jefferson County Public Schools (JCPS) Selection of Instructional Materials (Including Reevaluation/Reconsideration Process) document. The purpose of this document is to determine which textbooks, instructional materials, and student support services shall be provided in the school (per KRS 160.345). An ad hoc committee will make a recommendation to the SBDM Council as to which instructional materials should be purchased. The recommendation shall be in compliance with “Section IV: Criteria for Selection of Materials” as outlined in the Selection of Instructional Materials (Including Reevaluation/Reconsideration Process) document.
Sample School believes that instructional resources (textbooks) are tools used to teach the standards and that textbooks are not the curriculum. Kentucky Core Academic Standards (KCAS) and Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) are relatively new standards, and therefore, it may take some time for textbook resources to become more aligned to the standards. Sample School will seek guidance and input from JCPS curriculum specialists on textbooks and instructional resources that best align to the standards. For success in learning, students need varied opportunities to interact with instructional resources aligned to the standards. It is for this reason that our policy permits all students to take issued textbooks and instructional resources home. The policy is aimed at identifying and correcting impediments to student academic success and to ensure that all students have access to standards-aligned instructional materials and textbooks, including those in print and digital formats.
Textbooks and instructional resources (print and digital) fall within one of three categories:
• State-adopted textbooks
• Supplemental instructional materials
• Off-list notification of basal textbooks or instructional resources
The principal should:
· Appoint a school textbook coordinator at the beginning of each year.
· Share with the school community textbook and instructional resource policies, procedures, and all efforts to ensure sufficiency.
The school textbook coordinator should:
• Serve as point-of-contact at the site for all textbook instructional resource questions/concerns.
• Follow the progress of any adoption.
• Become familiar in detail with the name and publisher of all basal program materials, including both student and teacher resources.
• Maintain current and appropriate inventory records to expedite effective ordering for sufficiency and take the appropriate action for lost or damaged materials.
• Maintain licenses associated with subscriptions for Web-based instructional resources, including open and public domain licenses for educational content that is developed with public funding and other digital resources.
Teachers should:
• Discuss the meaning of textbook and instructional resource responsibility with all students.
• Maintain diligent effort to ensure the availability of instructional resources for all students.
Students should:
· Use instructional resources for their intended purposes, care for them, and return them in good condition.
Parents should:
• Make sure resources are kept in good condition and returned to the classroom on time.
• Ensure compensation for any lost or damaged instructional resources. Compensation for lost or damaged resources is determined by the principal or his or her designee and may include payment, replacement in kind, or volunteer work.
SBDM Councils should:
• Conduct internal textbook and instructional materials sufficiency audits at the school site at least twice a year or at each semester change.
1. If the Council determines that there are insufficient textbooks or instructional materials, or both, the Council will notify the district textbook coordinator of the number of students who lack sufficient standard-aligned textbooks or instructional materials in each subject area and the reasons that each student does not have sufficient textbooks or instructional resources, or both, and will take action to ensure that each student has sufficient textbooks or instructional materials, or both, within two months of the beginning of the school year in which the determination is made.
2. For purposes of this section, the statement “sufficient textbooks or instructional materials” means that each student has standards-aligned textbooks or instructional materials, or both, to use in class and to take home. This statement does not require two sets of textbooks or instructional materials for each student.
3. The statement “sufficient textbooks or instructional materials,” as defined above, does not include photocopied sheets from only a portion of a textbook or instructional materials copied to address a shortage.
Date of First Reading:
Date of Second Reading:
Date Adopted:
Signature: ______
(SBDM Council Chairperson)
7/21/2015