GREAT SCHOOLS, GREAT MINDS

As of July 2014, Florida Senate Bill 864 gives each school board  "the constitutional duty and responsibility to select and provide adequate instructional materials for all students..." In February 2015, the Collier County School Board approved (3-2) a new policy to meet these new requirements.
 

New materials will be selected by a committee, specifically:

 

• a 15-21-member committee will be set up by the superintendent (with input from school staff and the Board) to review new instructional materials for a given grade level and subject;  

 

• each committee will include: 1/3 teachers nominated by their principals, 1/3 administrators and/or academic coaches or content area coordinators nominated by the head of the Department of Curriculum & Instruction; and 1/3 parents or full-time Collier County residents or any other person who has content knowledge and expertise, nominated by school board members or the superintendent;

 

• the superintendent designs the rubric (a table or form) to be used by committee members to evaluate new materials, with the help of committees of community members, teachers and administrators;

 

• new materials must align with state standards contained in Florida Statute 1003.41;

 

• the criteria for selecting new materials are the accuracy of materials, whether they are up-to-date and aligned with state standards, and the quality of the materials used (defined as the degree of excellence exhibited by the materials relative to other materials the reviewer is aware of);

 

• the age of the students, the educational purpose, the degree to which this material would be supplemented, and consideration of racial, ethnic, socioeconomic and cultural diversity within the school district are also factors for consideration.

 

Senate Bill 864 grants parents unprecedented decision-making power in textbook selection. Any full-time resident of Collier County may apply to be part of a selection committee.

S.B. 864 also gives parents a way to challenge instructional materials their children are using in the classroom. First, parents are encouraged to speak with their child's teacher, and then principal. It is hoped that an alternative reading or assignment may be agreed upon, but if a parent and principal cannot come to an agreement, the challenge will proceed through a clearly defined process, ending at the school board. Each step provides an opportunity for educators and parents to discuss the educational and pedagogical value of classroom materials, and the appropriateness of a material for a child.

 

We will keep an eye on how the process is being used to ensure school district resources don't become depleted by excessive challenges.

What can you do next?
 

1) Let the School Board members and Superintendent Kamela Patton know you appreciate their hard work.

 

2) Consider volunteering to sit on an instructional materials selection committee.  As long as you are a full-time resident of Collier County, you are eligible. Email us your questions, or to express your interest.