Instructional materials are central to students’ educational success, and local governing boards play a critical role in ensuring the smooth adoption of high-quality materials that reflect the diversity in their communities.
Instructional materials adoptions are an important way for governing boards to ensure their LEA provides high-quality instruction. Textbooks and associated resources can give classroom teachers support providing instruction that improves learning access for students, including those with specific educational needs, such as multilingual learners, students ready for further acceleration, students with disabilities and more.
There’s no one-size-fits-all approach to adoption. Governance teams can choose to adopt instructional materials for the entire LEA or allow individual schools to make decisions about instructional materials. However, governing boards shouldn’t expect to do this work alone. While the board sets the expectations for adoptions and has final approval, the process must include teachers and other educators as the primary reviewers of materials, determining which will be most helpful to them in the classroom. Parents and community members should also be involved in the review process.
Resources found on this page highlight the importance of high-quality instructional materials for student learning, provide crucial information about the legal requirements enacted by Assembly Bill 1078, provide a comprehensive overview of the adoption process at the state and local level and considers upcoming adoptions related to California’s new Mathematics Framework.
Resources
Instructional Materials Adoptions: State and local governing board processes, roles, and responsibilities (Brief)
Instructional Materials Adoptions: Local governing board responsibilities (Brief)
State Roles, Responsibilities, and Process for Instructional Materials Adoption (Fact sheet)
Archived webinar: Laying the Foundation for a Successful Instructional Materials Adoption: School Board Strategies | Presentation Slides | May 30, 2024
Archived webinar: Before the Adoption: Creating the conditions for a high-quality mathematics program | Presentation Slides | Oct. 16, 2024