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. In brief, the Local Textbook Committee should:
To support Local Textbook Committees in their review of instructional materials, a science evaluation rubric for the FY22 adoption cycle has been developed and is available for use.
For a more detailed timeline, visit the Oklahoma District Textbook Committee Timeline.
The superintendent of each school district shall submit to the State Board of Education a textbook plan outlining the estimated number of textbooks needed by the school district and the total amount of money to be expended by the district for textbooks. Further information on an improved method of submitting such plans will be provided in spring 2021.
According to 70 O.S. § 16-114a(B), districts may request flexibility in the use of state-appropriated funding. Approval for such a request requires the school district to demonstrate to the State Board of Education that the textbooks and instructional materials used by the district for the subject areas being considered in the current textbook adoption cycle are current and appropriate for student learning. A school district that has received textbook funding flexibility approval from the Board may elect to expend any monies allocated for textbooks, including any monies carried over, for any purpose related to the support and maintenance of the school district as determined by the board of education of the school district.
Visit the Accreditation Standards Division for more information about Statutory Waiver and Deregulation processes.
State law, 70 O.S. §16-114a(C), allows for any textbooks distributed to districts that have been destroyed by fire or other hazard to be replaced by the State Board of Education. Please direct related inquiries to the Office of Legal Services.
For more guidance on the requirements of Local Textbook Committees, visit https://oktextbooks.ok.gov. To speak with someone at the Oklahoma State Department of Education who is knowledgeable about these requirements, contact Rebecca Morales at Rebecca.Morales@sde.ok.gov.
For further reading and ideas for improving the local review process, the following reports may be useful: