St. Helena Unified School District

SHUSD Textbooks and Instructional Materials

The textbook-adoption process includes these steps:

1. The principal meets with the Director of Educational Services. 

• Review process.
• Establish a timeline resulting in board action.
• Select Instructional Materials Evaluation Committee.

2. Instructional Materials Evaluation Committee.

• Director of Educational Services.
• Principal.
• Teachers (minimum two).
• Parent(s), additional staff, as deemed necessary (two to three).

3. Text-review process.

• Committee reviews state-adopted list.
• Committee screens adopted texts for quality and alignment to state standards and selects two to four texts for further review.
• Publisher representatives for each selected text make presentations to the committee.
• Publisher representative presents the district with costs for piloting textbooks (in writing).
• Publisher representative presents the district with costs for the entire adoption, if selected (in writing).
• Teachers pilot text for two semesters.(if possible)
• Piloting teachers meet with other staff at least two times to discuss text and make recommendations.
• Evaluation form is completed by each teacher piloting text.
• Recommendation is made to the Superintendent.
• Community display of recommended text(s) (30 days).
• Superintendent recommends approval of adoption to the board of trustees.
• Board of trustees meeting for first reading of adoption recommendations
• Board of trustees’ approval of recommended texts (second reading). Each student, including English learners, has access to current, standards-based textbooks and other.instructional resources.