Policy and Procedure

The Commission is responsible for the adoption of all core materials used within the district.

Instructional Materials are all materials designed for use by students and their teachers as learning resources to help students to acquire facts, skills, cultural competencies and/or to develop cognitive processes. 

These instructional materials, used to help students meet state learning standards, may be printed or digital, and may include textbooks, technology-based materials, other educational media, and assessments. 

They may carry different licensing types from open to all rights reserved. For the purposes of this policy, there are five categories of instructional materials:

Core Instructional Materials are the primary instructional resources for a given course. They are district-approved and provided to all students to help meet learning standards and provide instruction towards course requirements. 

Alternative Core Materials are the primary instructional materials for a given course that are used with a subset of students. These materials are intended to replace approved core materials and may be used for specialized course offerings or flexible learning environments. 

Intervention Materials are designed to support strategic or intensive intervention for students who are at risk of not meeting established learning standards. Intervention materials are used with students to accelerate progress toward particular learning goals based on systematic assessment, decision-making, and progress monitoring. 

Supplemental Materials are used in conjunction with the core instructional materials of a course. These items extend and support instruction. They include, but are not limited to, books, periodicals, visual aids, video, sound recordings, computer software and other digital content. 

Temporary Supplemental Materials are those items used in conjunction with the core instructional materials of a course that are of interest or value for a short period of time and are chosen within district-established guidelines. They are not intended to supplant the adopted curriculum nor be used on a regular instructional basis. Examples might include timely articles from relevant, reliable sources, websites, or news broadcasts. The use of temporary supplemental materials for time periods of over one year requires consideration of the material as either part of the core instructional material for a course or supplemental material for the course depending on the nature and scope of the material. 

Instructional Material Delivery Formats 

Instructional materials may be delivered in many formats, and may include textbooks, technology-based materials, or other educational media. 

Open Educational Resources 

Open Educational Resources (OER) are teaching and learning resources that reside in the public domain or have been released under an intellectual property license that permits their free use and re-purposing by others. A wide variety of free, high quality instructional content is available from supplemental to core instructional materials. District staff is encouraged to consider OER when selecting instructional materials. OER are subject to the same selection and adoption procedures as other instructional materials outlined in this document.

Technology-based Resources 

Recommended instructional materials that are technology based must be reviewed and approved by the tribe’s educational technology staff to assess the compatibility and impact of the suggested program. Equity of access for students and teachers must be considered for all core materials delivered in digital formats.

Criteria for Selection of Core Instructional Materials Core instructional materials shall be selected based upon the degree to which they: 

1. Demonstrate likelihood of impact as shown by scientific or evidence-based research; 

2. Enable implementation of the district’s developed curriculum and meet state standards and College Readiness requirements; 

3.  Provide sufficient flexibility to meet the varied needs and abilities of the students served; 

4.  Provide sufficient flexibility to integrate Muckleshoot and/or other Indigenous People’s history, government, culture and traditional teachings when appropriate ; 

5. Provide clear and appropriate differentiation components for students receiving special education services, students with academic opportunity gaps, and highly capable students; 

6. Where appropriate, present balanced but differing views of issues, controversial or otherwise, in order that students may develop critical analysis and informed decision-making skills; 

7. Demonstrate consideration of appropriate format(s) (including technological, visual, and/or auditory components); 

8. Support an equitable access to learning and learning materials for all students; including the provision of appropriate, high-quality accessible instructional materials to all students with disabilities who require them; and Are free of stereotyping and gender, race, class, and other forms of bias, recognizing that under certain circumstances biased materials may serve as appropriate resources to present contrasting and differing points of view, and biased materials may be employed in order to teach students about bias, stereotyping, and propaganda in historical or contemporary contexts. The Washington Models for the Evaluation of Bias Content in Instructional Materials, published by the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) should be consulted in the selection process to further to the goal of eliminating content bias: https://www.k12.wa.us/CurriculumInstruct/InstructionalMaterialsReview.aspx