District Information and Resources
Each Oklahoma school district has a responsibility to conduct a thorough review of instructional materials to guide the investment of textbook funding. A Local Textbook Committee must be established consistent with legislative requirements found at 70 O.S. § 16-111.
Local Textbook Committee Responsibilities
Districts must appoint members to the local textbook committee. This usually occurs in October or early November each year and no later than February.
The local textbook committee needs to meet to become familiar with and/or make recommendations to improve, as well as district guidance and requirements for textbook evaluations.
After the State Textbooks Committee approves materials for adoption for the upcoming school year, the district committee can contact selected publishers to request samples and/or present them to the committee.
Once the district chooses the textbook(s) for adoption, the textbook committee must submit the adoption recommendation to the district.
Districts may purchase textbooks on or after July 1 of each year.
For additional information, review the District Adoption Timeline.
Instructional Material Evaluation Rubrics: General Information
The state-approved Evaluation Rubrics may help districts assess the quality of instructional materials. Districts should evaluate materials based on their specific needs and are encouraged to modify rubrics to reflect those particular district needs.
Rubric Structure
The rubric below may be used to evaluate an existing district curriculum to support internal reviews and/or other comprehensive instructional material programs that may not have been bid for state adoption.
| Gateway | Criterion | Indicator |
|---|---|---|
| Districts can begin the process by looking at each gateway rating for an established overview of the instructional material. | Districts can then review each criterion to learn more about specific features of the instructional materials. | The indicators provide information about specific content and characteristics of the material. |
Rubric Results
The rubric results below reflect the State Textbook Committee's results using a three-tiered rating system. The top tier, "Exemplifies Quality," indicates the highest standard. The second tier, "Approaching Quality," signifies materials that meet many criteria but may need improvement. The third tier, "Not Representing Quality," identifies materials not meeting established standards. 70 O.S. §16-102(F).
| Rubric Rating | Evaluation Results |
|---|---|
| Exemplifies Quality | All Gateways are "Exemplifies Quality" |
| Approaching Quality | All Gateways are "Approaching Quality" or Better |
| Not Representing Quality | Any Gateway is "Not Representing Quality" |
All state-reviewed instructional materials with completed rubrics can be found under Approved Titles.
Submission of a Textbook Plan
The superintendent of each school district shall submit to the State Board of Education a textbook plan outlining the estimated number of textbooks needed and the total amount of money to be spent on them. 70 O.S. § 16-111(D)
District Ordering - Resource Links
iStar Online is a convenient online ordering system Oklahoma school districts can use to submit estimates of instructional material needs and orders. Registered users can click here to access. To register with iSTAR, email oksupport@istaronline.com.
Districts can submit textbook orders directly to a depository. Below is contact information for the Archway Depository and Thompson School Book Depository. All depositories handling orders must have a physical Oklahoma address. The district superintendent or textbook coordinator appointed by the superintendent is responsible for placing orders with the appropriate depository for all textbooks outlined in the district’s textbook plan for the upcoming year. 70 O.S. § 16-111(D)
| Archway Depository |
Thompson School Book Depository |
|---|---|
| 8100 SW 47th Street Oklahoma City, OK 73179 405-681-9588 https://www.archway.com |
39 NE 49th Street Oklahoma City, OK 73105 800-456-2828 http://www.thompsonschoolbook.com |
Flexibility in the Use of State-Appropriated Funding
According to 70 O.S. § 16-114a(B), a school district may request flexibility in using state textbook funding. Approval requires the district to prove to the State Board of Education that the textbooks and materials used for the current subject areas are up-to-date and suitable for student learning.
Visit the Accreditation Standards Division for more information about Statutory Waiver and Deregulation processes.
Replacement of Destroyed Textbooks
State law, 70 O.S. §16-114a(C), allows for any textbooks distributed to districts that have been destroyed by fire or other hazards to be replaced by the State Board of Education. Please direct related inquiries to the Office of Legal Services.
Additional Support
For further reading and ideas for improving the local review process, the following reports may be useful:
EdReports
Instruction Partners
- Questions for Naming Curriculum Criteria (Curriculum Support Guide, 2018)
- Selection and Decision Making Approaches (Curriculum Support Guide, 2018)
Contact Information
Carolynn Bristow
Project Manager, Educational Material
Oklahoma State Department of Education
(405) 522-1904
carolynn.bristow@sde.ok.gov
