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Policy-Code-IJJ

Text/Supplementary Materials Selection and Adoption

Section I: Instructional Program

Policy Title: Text/Supplementary Materials Selection and Adoption
Policy Code: IJJ

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Definitions

  • Textbook: printed instructional materials or digital content, or both, and related printed or non-printed instructional materials that are used 70-75% of the time in the classroom by all students in a standards based instructional area.

    As provided by state law, "textbook" means printed instructional materials or digital content, or both, as well as related printed or non-printed instructional materials, written and published primarily for use in school instruction and required to earn credit for a given course of study, including materials that require the availability of electronic equipment in order to be used as a learning resource. 

  • Supplemental Materials: printed instructional materials or digital content, or both, and related printed or non-printed instructional materials that are used 25-30% of the time in the classroom by all students in a standards based instructional area to provide additional information for the course or extend or strengthen the textbook.
  • Occasional Use Materials: Reference/library materials provided for single or light use. This policy should in no way discourage the use of "occasional/single use" educational resources like journal articles, current events periodicals, shared online teaching resources, video clips, etc., that enhance the learning environments for students.

Governing Board Approval Required

As required by State law, the Board shall approve for all schools:

  1. the course of study (as set out in the five curricular documents required by the administration to approve courses, at a minimum),
  2. the textbooks and supplementary materials for each course, and
  3. all units recommended for credit under each subject, prior to implementation of each for-credit course. 

The Board shall approve all textbooks and supplemental materials used in each course, prior to approval of the course. 

If the course includes a textbook or supplemental materials that have not been approved by the Board at the time of approval of the course, the supplemental materials may not be used until after they are approved by the Board.

Textbook Selection

The Superintendent shall establish textbook selection committees, consisting of teachers and school site-level administrators, students as appropriate, and community members; the textbook selection committees will evaluate textbooks and make recommendations to the Board regarding approval for use in the District. Textbooks shall be reviewed by a textbook selection committee before they may be approved by the Board. All textbook selection committee meetings shall be open to the public.

Textbooks recommended by textbook selection committees for Board approval will be placed on display in the District office for a period of at least sixty (60) days prior to the meeting at which the Board will vote on their adoption for use in classrooms.

Supplemental materials will be placed on display in the District Office for a period of at least ten (10) days prior to the meeting at which the Board will consider their adoption.

Final recommendations for the adoption of textbooks and supplemental materials will be submitted to the Board in a time frame in which instructional materials can be discussed, plans for their use revised and approved, and materials ordered prior to the start of the course(s).

It is the duty of the administration to ensure that the Board approves only those textbooks and supplemental materials that ensure continuity of instruction and alignment of educational goals and outcomes across grades and subjects District-wide.

Objectives of Selection

It is the responsibility of the school text materials selection committees to:

  • Recommend resources that will support and enrich the curriculum, taking into consideration the varied interests, abilities, learning styles, and maturity levels of students served;
  • Recommend resources that will stimulate growth in factual knowledge, critical thinking skills, and critical analysis of the different sides of issues as well as literary appreciation and societal values, in order to develop the whole child as a productive citizen of the United States and the world;
  • Place principle above personal opinion and reason above prejudice and recommend resources of the highest quality, in order to assure a comprehensive collection of resources appropriate for the complete education of all students.
  • The Superintendent will establish procedures for the purchase and distribution of all approved textbooks and supplementary materials free of cost to students.

Removal of Text and Supplementary Materials

Textbook selection committees may recommend to the Superintendent that certain previously adopted textbooks or supplementary materials be deleted from the Board-approved list. No textbooks or supplementary materials may be deleted without the prior approval of the Board.

Disposal of Learning Materials

The Board authorizes the Superintendent to establish regulations for disposing of surplus or outdated learning materials when it has been determined that the cost of selling such materials equals or exceeds the estimated market value of the learning materials.

Ownership of Board Approved Learning Materials

All textbooks and materials purchased with any funds, except Perkins Grant funds, are the property of TUSD. All students from all schools have the right to use textbooks and materials that are the property of TUSD. School personnel, including but not limited to teachers and librarians, are required to share textbooks, novels, and other applicable resources to which they have access or over which they have control, using the system established by the TUSD Administration.

The TUSD Administration will ensure that effective systems for sharing and tracking TUSD textbooks and other resources exist, throughout the District and within each school and Department, as necessary and appropriate. The Administration will rely on the expertise of school personnel to establish and update the system. The Administration will evaluate the system every year in order to update and improvement the system. The Administration will update and improve the book sharing system each year.

Adopted: October 5, 2004
Revised: July 24, 2012
Revised: November 10, 2015
Revised: April 23, 2019

LEGAL REF.: A.R.S. 15-203
15-342
15-721
15-722
15-723
15-724
15-727

CROSS REF.: IJL – Library Materials Selection and Adoption
KE – Public Concerns and Complaints

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