School District nears adoption phase for textbooks
Public can review the materials on district website, public hearing set for March 5
The School District of Lee County has revised its process for textbook adoptions to align with the state releasing its short, vetted list.
High School Secondary Curriculum & Instruction Director Candace Allevato said the district purposely held off a year, so they could take the full year to review the materials for social studies textbooks.
“We would go through our adoption cycle at the same time the state does to purchase,” she said. “We waited until the state gave a fully vetted list — the state released list. That is a shift from how we have typically done business.”
The same process will be done for science textbook adoption.
“We will hold until the state comes out with a short list and next year we will adopt science,” Allevato said.
Allevato said the public now has the chance to review the materials as well, which is available on the district’s website.
“On March 5 we have a public hearing only to receive comments — any feedback on the materials which are being recommended from the committee,” she said of the school board’s action meeting.
The school board will then vote on the adoption of the social studies instructional material on March 26, followed by objection form on March 27, which is open for 30 days.
If no objections, on April 25, Allevato said they will begin ordering materials before the school year is over. She said teachers like to have the material in hand before the summer, so they can start to plan.
“Our goal is once we get through April 25 to begin ordering materials, so we can begin our professional development,” Allevato said.
The textbook adoption begins in the fall when the district meets with publishers and hosts a publisher showcase, which is available to any teacher, community member, or family.
There were four social studies committees, which were comprised of teachers, administrators, students, parents, and community members.
The committee makes a recommendation based on benchmarks, student, and teacher needs.
“Once we have a recommendation and approval of the board, we begin negotiations,” Allevato said.
The price provided at the beginning of committee work, may not be the price at the end.
“We take the packages off the table and don’t look at the cost because it changes throughout the entire process,” Allevato said. “We will build a custom package.”
The elementary school social studies recommendation was Teacher Curriculum Institute – Social Studies Alive! for an estimated cost of $3,508,894 for print and digital.
Elementary Curriculum & Instruction Director Dr. Bethany Quisenberry said the recommendation for the elementary school textbook was due to the realistic and student-centered opportunities with hands-on activities, including access points for ESE and multi-language students. It was also expressed that the program was more age appropriate for primary students.
The middle school social studies and civics recommendation is Teacher Curriculum Institute – History Alive! and Civics Alive! for an estimated cost of $2,329,260.
Secondary Curriculum & Instruction Director for Middle School Lori Houchin said the textbooks provide text translation and the ability to edit presentations allowing teachers to make them their own. There are also formative assessments that the committee felt were aligned with state assessments and benchmark standards.
The high school economics and United States government textbook recommendation is Teacher Curriculum Institute Econ Alive! and Government Alive! for an estimated cost of $1,250,122.
The high school U.S. History and World History textbook recommendation is Savvas – Florida History Interactive for an estimated cost of $1,924,538.
Allevato said the textbook aligns with end of course exams and is inquiry based and project based making it alive with charts, graphs, and real world.
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