6161 - Equipment Books and Materials

Policy

Instructional

6161 - Equipment, Books, and Materials

The Board of Education believes that all the schools should be well equipped and maintained and that current textbooks and materials should be made available to students to support their learning.

The Board of Education recognizes that appropriate texts, library reference materials, maps and globes, laboratory equipment, audiovisual equipment, art supplies, athletic equipment, current periodicals, tests and questionnaires, and similar materials are the tools of the teaching profession. To this end, the administration and the teaching staff will, as a result of their ongoing, systematic review of the curriculum, recommend to the Board of Education improvements in curriculum and the needed materials and new textbook adoptions to support these improvements.

It is the Board of Education’s intention that comparable materials are available to all students throughout the school system.

The disposition of old and obsolete textbooks shall be accomplished under the direction of the Superintendent of Schools in accordance with state and district regulations.

Legal Reference:

Connecticut General Statutes: 10-228 Free textbooks, supplies, materials and equipment.

Adopted: June 23, 1994 Windsor Locks Public Schools, Windsor Locks, CT

Revised: October 22, 2020

Regulation

Instructional

6161 - Equipment, Books, and Materials

It is the policy of the Board of Education to provide educational materials and equipment that support and enrich the curriculum and further the achievement of the district’s instructional goals.

Basis textbooks and materials will be reviewed continuously in order to keep up with the great expansion of knowledge and the rapid changes going on in our world.

All textbooks and curriculum resources should present balanced views concerning the international, national and local issues and problems of the past, present and future.

Textbooks and curriculum resources should:

1. Provide materials to promote instruction of Common Core State Standards and promote Mastery Based Learning in all basic subject areas.

2. Provide literary appreciation, aesthetic and ethical values.

3. Provide materials that will stimulate critical reading, higher level thinking and scientific inquiry.

4. Provide materials that will develop and foster an appreciation of cultural diversity and development in the United States and throughout the world.

5. Provide for all students an effective education that does not discriminate on the basis of race, age, color, religion, national origin, sex, or physical disabilities.

6. Allow sufficient flexibility for meeting the needs of individual students and groups of students.

The administration will develop and review administrative rules, outlining a procedure to select textbooks and curriculum resources which meet the above criteria.

This process will include:

1. Analysis, evaluation and recommendation by professional staff

2. The opportunity for interested citizens in the district to review recommended textbooks and curriculum resources.

The Board of Education shall make the final approval of textbooks, curriculum resources, and other educational media to be used in the schools in order to support the curriculum.

Legal References:

Connecticut General Statutes:

10-221 Boards of Education to prescribe rules

10-222 Boards to have use of funds derived from repayment for school material 10-338 Free textbooks, supplies, materials and equipment

President’s Council, District 25 v. Community School Board Nol 25, 457 F.2d 289 (1972), cert. Denied 409 U.S.C. 998 (Nov. 1972)

Minarcini v. Strongsville City School District, 541 F.2d 577 (6th Cir. 1976)

Island Trees Union Free School District Board of Education v. Pico, 457 US 853 (1982) Academic Freedom Policy (adopted by Connecticut State Board of Education 9/9/81)

Instructional

6161 - Equipment, Books, and Materials

Procedures for the Selection of Instructional Materials

The materials covered by these selection procedures are for primary source textbooks and instructional materials (physical or digital) that are used to support and enhance the educational program in a given grade level, course, or area of study in the Windsor Locks Public Schools. Any materials identified for this process must utilize 51% or more of the instruction addressing the grade level, course, or class curriculum.

Staff Responsibilities

The responsibility for the recommendation and selection of materials rests with the instructional staff and administration and trained personnel who know the curriculum, instructional methods, and the range of student needs. This process shall be overseen by the Assistant Superintendent. The selection of materials is an ongoing process, reflecting changes in the development of curriculum and the continuous publications of new materials. Additionally, these regulations and procedures should not be limited to physical resources, but also include instructional digital- or technology-based instructional material.

Criteria for Evaluation of Instructional Materials

The instructional material shall:

1. Be aligned to the goals, objectives, curriculum, and mastery-based instructional beliefs of the Windsor Locks Public Schools.

2. Support and develop student engagement, thinking, and reasoning.

3. Accurately and effectively present the instructional standards and concepts of the subject matter.

4. Be clearly and positively reviewed by staff and/or included in professional review lists.

5. Provide opportunities for students to become familiar with varying perspectives and viewpoints when appropriate.

6. Provide equitable access to all students enrolled in a particular grade level, course, or class.

7. When appropriate, demonstrates or models access to information while valuing and demonstrating digital citizenship through the appropriate use of digitally-based resources.

Criteria used in the selection process will include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Supports and address the range of student abilities, needs, and interests

• Is accurate in its presentation of content and material

• Includes diverse points of view and issues in a particular course or area of study

• Provides representation of achievements and accomplishments of diverse groups

• Analyzed for the overall quality of product relative to cost and longevity within instructional usage

• Can be accessed equitable to all students

• Meets all criteria addressing and protecting student data privacy in accordance with Connecticut Public Act 16-189

Adoption Process

Textbooks and other primary instructional materials that are used in the direct instruction of the curriculum over the entire course of study (51% or more) are to be selected and adopted using the following Regulations and Procedures:

1. Building administration will work with the Assistant Superintendent to identify a committee to select the textbook or other primary source instructional material. All textbooks or primary source instructional materials identified for this process should be evaluated by at least two staff members (who instruct that course or are certified to teach the specific course/grade level) and a building-based administrator. Additional members may participate based upon the textbook or instructional material being recommended

2. Secure and review several available textbooks or similar instructional material samples from publishers. In this step, the selection committee reviews the proposed instructional material by considering alignment to content standards, alignment to course curriculum, readability, and ancillary resources available to support instruction and student learning.

3. After a review and discussion by the selection committee, the chairperson of the selection committee should complete the WINDSOR LOCKS PUBLIC SCHOOLS RECOMMENDATION FOR TEXTBOOK/INSTRUCTIONAL RESOURCE ADOPTION (see Appendix A), and submit it to the Assistant Superintendent for review. The Assistant Superintendent will then submit the proposal to the Windsor Locks Board of Education Curriculum Committee for review. Following review, the Windsor Locks Board of Education Curriculum Committee will then submit the proposal to the Windsor Locks Board of Education for final adoption approval. Any proposed adoption action by the Windsor Locks Board of Education shall be formally communicated to the public through the public posting of the Board of Education Agenda along with necessary information to the public on how to view a proposed textbook or resource. The Board of Education shall allow ten school days for the public to view and provide input on a recommended textbook or resource prior to a formal adoption.

Appendix A

WINDSOR LOCKS PUBLIC SCHOOLS RECOMMENDATION FOR TEXTBOOK/INSTRUCTIONAL RESOURCE ADOPTION

Title of Recommended Textbook or Instructional Resource:

Author(s):

Publisher:

Instructional Resource to be Used in Grade(s) or Course:

Check all that apply:

[  ] New Instructional Resource

[  ] Replacement for the Following Instructional Resource:

[  ] Supplement to the Following Instructional Resource:

Title and Copyright Date of Instructional Resource be Replaced or Supplemented:

Rationale for the Addition, Replacement, or Supplementation:

Additional Textbooks/ Instructional Resource Considered During the Review Process:

Selection Committee Members:

Summary of Rationale for Selecting this Text:

All certified teachers who instruct this course, class, or subject endorse this Instructional Resource: [  ] Yes [  ] No

Purchasing Information (ie. pricing, quantity needed, etc.):

Signature: Chair of Selection Committee:

Signature: Assistant Superintendent of Schools:

REVIEW BY WINDSOR LOCKS BOARD of EDUCATION CURRICULUM COMMITTEE

Date of Review:

Curriculum Committee Members Present:

Summary of Instructional Resource Discussion:

Determination of Adoption

[  ] New Instructional Resource Recommended for Adoption by Board of Education

[  ] New Instructional Resource Not Recommended for Adoption by Board of Education - Further Review Required

[  ] New Instructional Resource Not Recommended Adoption by Board of Education