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Curriculum Standards
Textbooks
General Overview
Each year, instructional materials for a different content area are reviewed and considered for adoption. Publishers are required to submit bids which identify every student title, teacher edition, ancillary and free item that will be made available. An exact price must be offered, which will remain in effect for the length of the adoption contract (7 years). Publishers are also required to provide samples of new materials for review by the Department of Education and each member of the State Textbook Adoption Committee. The recommendations of the State Textbook Adoption Committee are forwarded to the State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (SBESE) for final approval and placement on the state list of approved textbooks/instructional materials.
Bulletin 1794 State Textbook Adoption Policy and Procedure Manual outlines the policies and procedures for state textbook adoptions.
Bulletin 1794―State Textbook Adoption Policy and Procedure Manual
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Approved Textbooks
Follow the link below for a list of currently approved K-12 instructional materials.
Approved Textbooks
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Following SBESE approval of new titles for each adoption, a State Textbook Caravan is held. All new materials approved in the specific content areas are presented to teachers and other educators in various sites across the state. Publishers are required to make formal presentations and/or have sample copies available in a display format. All teachers, principals, and central office supervisors are invited to attend one of the caravan sites. The caravan serves as the initial overview and comparison of all new titles available.
Following the State Textbook Caravan, each local school system begins a local review process. This process identifies the titles each school system will adopt and use in the designated content areas. Most local systems currently use a process similar to the state-level process. All requests for samples and/or formal presentations at the local level must be initiated by the local textbook supervisor or the appropriate content area supervisor.
Follow the links below for detail information regarding the current and upcoming K-12 state textbook adoptions and caravans by specific content areas.
2008-2009 English Language Arts K-12 Adoption
2009-2010 Career and Technical Education K-12 Adoption
2010-2011 K-12 Science, Comp Ed & CTE(Journey to Careers) Textbook Adoption
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State Textbook Adoption Committee
Prior to submission of new materials for review by the State Textbook Adoption Committee, each publisher must attend an orientation session where the Louisiana Grade Level Expectations and state testing content are reviewed in detail. Publishers are then required to submit, with their new materials, detailed correlations to the state’s content standards for that subject area. Publishers that do not provide the required correlations are disqualified.
The State Textbook Adoption Committee is comprised of parents, teachers, and other educators who have been nominated by local school superintendents, SBESE members, and members of the Nonpublic School Commission. The committee also attends an orientation session where content standards and state testing content are reviewed in detail. The committee is instructed to review all student and teacher editions in light of the state content standards by following the correlations provided by publishers and checking them for accuracy and adequacy.
The State Textbook Adoption Committee members conduct an independent review of all new materials and then convene as a group for their public deliberations. During these deliberations, committee members review and discuss every title, identifying strengths and weaknesses and formulating questions for additional information from publishers when necessary. At the conclusion of its public deliberations, the committee votes on each title and recommends whether it should be included on the state-approved list. The committee also has the option of recommending any title, pending additions, revisions, or stipulations requested of publishers by the committee.
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Public Display of Materials Submitted for Review in Textbook Adoptions
State policy provides the opportunity for interested persons who are legal residents of Louisiana to inspect and review the books offerred for adoption at designated public review sites. Up to twenty-two cooperating public display sites statewide are maintained during each textbook adoption cycle. Up to four copies of each student edition that is being considered for adoption is placed at each site for public review and check out for 90 days. Locations of public display sites will be posted on our website for each textbook adoption. After inspection, the reviewer may provide written comments or objections on a form provided by the department. These comments/objections must be returned to the department by the established deadline in order to be presented to the State Textbook Adoption Committee for consideration during its public deliberations. These comments are also forwarded to the SBESE Textbook and Library Media Advisory Council for review and consideration.
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Participation of Publishing Companies in Textbook Adoptions
The Louisiana Department of Education seeks to provide Louisiana students with high-quality, standards-based educational materials and encourages publishing companies to participate in the state textbook adoption process. All publishing companies are invited to participate. Due to the increasing rate of publishing company mergers, moves and publisher representative turnovers, it is the responsibility of the publishing company and its representative to update their e-mail address with the department in order to be informed of upcoming state textbook adoptions. The website will be updated regularly and adoption invitations will be posted. Publishers will need to visit the website frequently to learn about current and upcoming state textbook adoptions.
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Publishers should be mindful of the following state policies:
Prior to the completion of the State Textbook caravan, any publisher initiated communication with local schools and school systems must be coordinated through the Parish/City Textbook Supervisor or the appropriate Curriculum Supervisor. Once the state adoption process has been initiated in January, publishers may not initiate direct contacts with principals, teachers, or schools until after the completion of the State Textbook caravan in the following year (Section 507.E.4). State policy requires publishers to furnish samples only at the written request of the local school system textbook adoption coordinator after the state committee review (Section 507.F.1).
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Purchasing Textbooks
Textbooks may be purchased from School Book Supply Company of Louisiana, the preferred state-designated book depository in Louisiana. For each book, you will need to provide the exact title, publisher, and copyright date. LEAs may also order alternate formats (Braille, Audio, Large Print and Digital) for eligible students.
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Textbooks for Home Study
We suggest that parents of the SBESE Approved Home Study Program first contact the Textbook Supervisor at the local school district regarding local policies for textbook loans and rentals. Textbooks may also be purchased from School Book Supply Company of Louisiana.
School Book Supply Company of Louisiana - http://www.schoolbook-la.com
Telephone: (225) 387-2362
Toll free: 1-800-272-3055
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8(g) Superior Textbooks
Follow the link below for information and guidelines for the 8(g) Superior Textbooks program.
8(g) Superior Textbooks
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National Instructional Materials Access Center
The National Instructional Materials Access Center (NIMAC) located in Louisville, Kentucky, will receive and catalog publishers' electronic files of print instructional materials in a standard format: the National Instructional Materials Accessibility Standard (NIMAS). The NIMAS was recently developed by experts across the country for this specific purpose. The center will provide these standardized files to those who have been authorized to obtain the files to produce textbooks and other core print instructional materials for blind, visually impaired and print disabled students across the country. The combination of a standard format and a central repository should significantly expedite the time frame in which instructional materials are delivered to students who need them in the classroom.
Search the National Instructional Materials Access Center (NIMAC)
Though just beginning during the 2006-07 school year, this link allows you to find out whether the print version of the textbook you wish to purchase is available as a NIMAS source file for authorized conversion houses to use in the production of alternate formats.
The Louisiana Instructional Materials Resource Center
The Louisiana Instructional Resource Materials Center for the Blind is an authorized entity that provides state-approved textbooks in braille and large print for the students who are identified as blind or print-handicapped.
Local school systems must submit medical eye reports for all students they wish to register for borrowing privileges with the LIMC.
Please feel free to contact the LIMC staff with questions regarding products and services offered to or for this population group. For questions about your order, please contact Mr. Sidney Stewart.
Ms. Janet Ford, Director
Louisiana Instructional Materials Center for the Blind
1230 Government St.
Baton Rouge, LA 70802
225-219-1686
LIMC@lsvi.org
Resources: Alternate Format Providers
The link allows you to explore existing and emerging best practices designed to increase the availability of accessible, alternate format instructional materials in the classroom.
In addition, you find listings of alternate format providers for braille, audio, e-text, and large print.
The link below provides an annotated list of research articles related to accessible instructional materials.
Recent Research on Accessible Materials
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