FILE: IFA
INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS
The Vernon Parish School Board shall authorize the Superintendent to develop and maintain a process for evaluating and recommending to the School Board for adoption of all textbook and other instructional materials that adequately supports the instructional needs of students and the stated philosophy and purposes of the school(s) and district. Textbooks and other instructional materials may be selected from the list of materials rated Tier 1 or Tier 2 by the state review process and may be purchased under the authority of a state contract through the central depository or publisher directly. The School Board also has the option to select textbooks and materials when there are no Louisiana Department of Education reviews available or the state review process cannot meet the necessary timelines for reviewing submitted instructional materials from the district. The following criteria must be met:
Bulletin 741, Louisiana Handbook for School Administrators, and Bulletin, 1703 will be used for local evaluation criteria as they provide policies and regulations that govern the process for textbooks and instructional materials.
Those textbooks and/or materials under consideration are completely aligned to the most current Louisiana standards.
Those textbooks and/or materials under consideration are high quality materials being purchased and implemented to meet student performance needs.
Those textbooks and/or materials under consideration have been reviewed using a process similar to the LDOE state review process (see description below) by local review committee(s) appointed by the Superintendent and composed of:
classroom teachers or other educators such as instructional coaches and district staff who are employed in Louisiana public schools
parents of Louisiana public school students
other stakeholders in Louisiana who have an interest or knowledge of the curriculum or subject matter under consideration
The School Board shall provide an opportunity for parents and patrons to review and provide input on textbooks and materials in core subject areas under consideration prior to adoption by the School Board.
State-reviewed materials are evaluated by a committee of Louisiana educators. The committee reviews for alignment to the state content standards using a rubric. Reviews are tiered based on their quality or alignment to state content standards:
Tier 1 materials exemplify quality and meet all criteria on the review rubric.
Tier 2 materials are approaching quality. They meet the non-negotiable criteria on the review rubric.
Tier 3 materials do not represent quality. They do not meet the non-negotiable criteria on the review rubric.
All materials reviewed by the Louisiana Department of Education are made available for review on the Vernon Parish Schools webpage Information link to Louisiana Department of Education website where the online review process can be accessed. All interested Louisiana citizens are invited to participate in the review process. To participate, citizens must agree to the rules for participation.
To the maximum extent practical, electronic instructional resources, e.g., textbooks, media, or other instructional content and materials) should be purchased and utilized (La. Rev. Stat. Ann. §17:351.1 (C)(2).)
Textbooks and instructional materials approved at the local level have no state or local Minimum Foundation Program (MFP) funding restrictions. Districts are not bound by a state list of recommended or approved textbooks and instructional materials. The annual appropriation for the purchase of instructional materials and supplies is defined in the MFP appropriation bill on a per student amount. Locally reviewed instructional materials and state-reviewed materials not under contract must have publisher agreements that:
provide that the publisher, distributor, wholesaler, or retailer shall not charge a purchase price, rental fee, or other fee for the purchase, lease, or use of an instructional material that exceeds the lowest price or fee charged to a school governing authority in any other state for the same instructional material;
provide that upon the request, a publisher or other content provider shall allow the purchase of textbooks and other instructional materials through the central depository
require compliance with the National Instructional Materials Accessibility Standard, as consistent with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 2004 (20 USC 1474(e)) for the conversion of print instructional materials from which Braille and large print textbooks can be produced for eligible students.
ADDITIONAL CONSIDERATIONS
Vernon Parish schools may establish the price and sell of any textbook or library book no longer in use to any person or entity for private use.
While most home study programs provide their own curriculum and resources that are comparable to that provided in public schools, when requested and available, the following apply when loaning textbooks for use in a SBESE state-approved home study program:
Parents or guardians must present a copy of the student’s approved Home-Study application
Parents or guardians must select textbooks from the listing available from the local education agency
Parents or guardians must provide a deposit equal to one hundred percent (100%) of the replacement cost, which must be returned upon course completion
Parents or guardians must return books or remit payment for any books not returned to continue participation.
Revised: September, 2014
Revised: June, 2016
Ref: Constitution of Louisiana, Art. VIII, Sec.13
La. Rev. Stat. Ann. §§17:81, 17:355
Board minutes, 5-5-83, 10-14-14, 6-2-16
Vernon Parish School Board