TEXT FOR PROPOSED COMMISSIONER RULE

The text of the proposed Commissioner Rule in 19 TAC Chapter 66, Subchapters AA, BB, and CC is available on the TEA website at http://www.tea.state.tx.us/index4.aspx?id=8375&menu_id=962.

The public comment period on the proposed rule text begins on April 30, 2010 and ends on June 1, 2010.

Comments may be made either by selecting the link on the page referenced above or via email to review.adoption@tea.state.tx.us

TEXTBOOKS FOR CAREER AND TECHNICAL EDUCATION COURSES

In July 2009, the State Board of Education (SBOE) adopted newly revised Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) for career and technical education (CTE). The new TEKS reduce the number of courses from 607 to 194, update technical and academic content, increase rigor and relevance, imbed college and career readiness standards, and align with the nationally recognized 16 career clusters. Districts must implement these new courses with the 2010-2011 school year.

Since new instructional material for the CTE courses will not be available to districts for several years, the Texas Education Agency is allowing districts to request CTE materials that were adopted in 2003 under Proclamation 2001 that correspond to the new courses. Please use the list found at the link below to determine whether currently-adopted materials are suitable for use with the new courses.

PEIMS Service IDs for New Career and Technical Education Courses Implemented in School Year 2010-11 Associated with Current Adoption Multilist Codes (Updated May 2010)

ORDERING INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS FOR SCHOOL YEAR 2010-11

PRESENTATION FROM PUBLISHERS MEETING ON MARCH 3, 2010

COMMISSIONER RULES

The link below provides a draft version of proposed new Commissioner rule contained in the Texas Administrative Code.

Proposed New Commissioner Rules in Texas Administrative Code

Any questions or comments regarding these rules can be sent to review.adoption@tea.state.tx.us.

PROPOSER'S CONFERENCE FOR RFO FOR OPEN-SOURCE TEXTBOOKS AND RFQ FOR ELECTRONIC TEXTBOOKS

On January 27, 2010, the TEA held a proposer’s conference to familiarize the public with the implementation of recent legislation regarding open-source textbooks and electronic textbooks and instructional materials.

A PDF of the agendas, the PowerPoint presentations, and an archive of the webcasts are available at the links below.

Agenda: Proposer's Conference in Response to the Request for Offer (RFO) for Open Source Textbooks
Agenda: Proposer's Conference in Response to the Request for Qualifications(RFQ) for Electronic Textbooks
Presentation: Proposer's Conference, RFO, State Developed Open Source Textbooks
Presentation: Proposer's Conference, RFQ, Electronic Textbooks
Audio file: Proposer's Conference for RFO
Audio file: Proposer's Conference for RFQ

The RFO is available on the TEA website at
http://esbd.cpa.state.tx.us/bid_show.cfm?bidid=86724

The RFQ is available on the TEA website at
http://esbd.cpa.state.tx.us/bid_show.cfm?bidid=86713

STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION RULES

The link below provides a draft of the proposed changes to State Board of Education rule 19 TAC §66.69.

Proposed Changes to State Board of Education Rule in Texas Administrative Code

The State Board of Education approved for second reading and final adoption revisions to 19 TAC Chapter 66 at their January 2010 meeting and is scheduled to take action regarding second reading and final adoption of 19 TAC §66.69 at the March 2010 meeting.

Any questions or comments regarding these rules can be sent to review.adoption@tea.state.tx.us.

PROCLAMATION 2011 STATE TEXTBOOK REVIEW PANEL NOMINATIONS

The Texas Education Agency is now accepting nominations for the state review panels that will evaluate instructional materials submitted under Proclamation 2011. The deadline for submission is January 15, 2010.

Proclamation 2011 of the State Board of Education calls for instructional materials in the following areas:

• Prekindergarten Systems
• English Language Arts, Grades 2 – 8
• Spanish Language Arts, Grades 2 – 6
• English as a Second Language, Grades K – 8 – Student and Teacher Editions
• Spelling, Grades 1 – 6
• Handwriting, Grades 1 – 3
• Speech, Grades 6 – 8
• English, Levels I – IV

The state review panel is charged with evaluating instructional materials to determine coverage of the TEKS and to identify factual errors. The panel members play a very important role in ensuring that students throughout the state of Texas have the benefit of quality instructional materials. The materials adopted under Proclamation 2011 will be used in schools beginning with the 2011-2012 school year.

The TEA encourages you to nominate individuals for appointment to the state review panels by completing the application available at the links below. Individuals are permitted to nominate themselves. Appointments to the State Review Panel are made by the Commissioner of Education and will be announced in March 2010.

State review panels will convene in Austin during parts of June and July of 2010 to review instructional materials submitted under Proclamation 2011. Appointed state review panel members will serve for one week during that period. Members will attend an orientation/training meeting at the beginning of the week, and should plan to remain on-site for a period of five days to conduct the evaluation. The Texas Education Agency will reserve hotel lodging, and reimburse panel members for all travel expenses, as allowable by law.

Completed forms should be returned no later than January 15, 2010. Thank you for your participation.

State Review Panel Nomination Form

SPECIAL TEXTBOOK REDISTRIBUTION CENTER RETURN SHIPMENTS

Surplus braille and large type textbooks should be shipped to the Special Textbook Redistribution Center no later than January 29, 2010. All returns must be shipped by the United States Postal Service, Free Matter for the Blind or Handicapped. Instructions on creating a return packing list in the EMAT/EVI system are available on the Instructional Materials and Educational Technology Division's web page at http://ritter.tea.state.tx.us/textbooks/forms/index.html.

INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS ADOPTED UNDER PROCLAMATION 2010

At their November 2009 meeting, the State Board of Education adopted materials submitted under Proclamation 2010. The board adopted all of the materials listed on the Final Recommendations of the Commissioner of Education Regarding Instructional Materials Offered for Adoption under Proclamation 2010. All materials were adopted as conforming. A complete list of the programs adopted under Proclamation 2010 is available at the link below. These materials are scheduled to be implemented in schools beginning with the 2010-2011 school year.

Instructional Materials Adopted Under Proclamation 2010

PUBLISHER MEETING ON PROCLAMATION 2010, 2011, AND OPEN-SOURCE AND ELECTRONIC TEXTBOOKS

On October 29, 2009 , the TEA held a meeting designed to familiarize publishers with Proclamation 2011, recent changes to Proclamation 2010, and with the implementation of recent legislation regarding open-source textbooks and electronic textbooks and instructional materials.

A PDF of the agenda, the PowerPoint presentations, and an archive of the webcast are available at the links below.

Agenda
Presentation: Proclamation 2011 Process Overview
Presentation: Proclamation 2011 Content Overview
Presentation: Open-Source and Electronic Textbooks
Archive of webcast

The Proclamation 2011 handouts are available on the Proclamation 2011 page at: http://ritter.tea.state.tx.us/textbooks/proclamations/proc2011/index.html.

Links to the proposed Commissioner and State Board of Education Rules are posted on this announcements page.

Proclamation 2011 Statement of Intent to Bid

PUBLISHER MEETING ON PROCLAMATIONS 2010, 2011, and 2012

On July 7, 2009 the Texas Education Agency held a meeting to discuss Proclamations 2010, 2011, 2012, the adoption cycle, new legislation, and textbook funding.

A PDF of the agenda, the PowerPoint presentation, and the handouts, as well as an audio recording of the meeting, are available at the links below:

Agenda

Presentation

Adoption Cycle

Proclamation 2010 Maximum Cost Pages

Proclamation 2011 Maximum Cost Pages

Proclamation 2012 Maximum Cost Pages

Audio File of Meeting

Frequently asked questions and answers concerning the new emat system. A link to the initial edition of Frequently Asked Questions on the new EMAT system is found below:

Frequently Asked Questions and Answers Concerning the New EMAT System

We plan to update this list of FAQs as often as needed to provide answers to the most commonly asked questions that we have received from textbook coordinators statewide. Our hope is that these FAQs, used together with the EMAT WebEx training recordings, the PowerPoint slides, and textbook coordinator experience working in the new EMAT Beta test system will enable textbook coordinators to work with confidence in the new EMAT system.

TExtbook credits. House Bill 188, passed by the 80th Texas Legislature, created a statewide program in which districts and open-enrollment charter schools receive credits for selecting adopted instructional materials that are priced below maximum cost. This textbook credit program grants districts and open-enrollment charter schools half of the difference between the price paid for the materials and the maximum cost established by the proclamation under which the materials were adopted.

Many districts and open-enrollment charter schools have been accumulating textbook credits from their orders for instructional materials adopted under Proclamations 2004 and 2005. Districts and open-enrollment charter schools will be able to begin using their credits in the spring of 2010 as they order materials adopted under Proclamation 2010 or the Midcycle 2010 Proclamation. Currently, the credits may be used only toward the purchase of any adopted instructional materials. Available credits will be applied when districts and open-enrollment charter schools place their orders in the Educational Materials and Textbooks (EMAT) Online system.

The link below lists the school districts and open-enrollment charter schools that have earned textbook credits and the amount of credits available to each one.

Textbook Credits

For additional information, please contact the Division of Instructional Materials and Educational Technology at (512) 463-9601 or textbooks@tea.state.tx.us.

DOCUMENTS FOR March 24-25 webex training sessions on the new EMAT SYSTEM . The following documents have been prepared to assist textbook coordinators and their alternates who will attend the March 24-25, 2009 WebEx training sessions on the new EMAT system.

Draft User's Guide

PowerPoint Presentation

THE PROCLAMATION 2010 PUBLISHER ORIENTATION MEETING

On October 30, 2008, the Texas Education Agency held a meeting to familiarize publishers with the requirements of Proclamation 2010. The presentations by the instructional materials staff provided an overview of the process, and the presentations by curriculum staff addressed specific requirements of the English Language Proficiency Standards and the English Language Arts and Reading TEKS.

A PDF of the agenda, the PowerPoint presentation, and an audio recording of the meeting are available at the links below:

Meeting Agenda

Meeting Presentation

Audio File

Proclamation 2010 and Proclamation 2011 are posted at http://www.tea.state.tx.us/textbooks/proclamations/index.html.

TEXTBOOK ERROR REPORTING

The Texas Education Agency (TEA) has created a program that will allow the public to report errors discovered in textbooks and other instructional materials used in Texas classrooms. This program, set to begin on September 29, 2008, will also provide the public with access to a list of all of the errors discovered.

Students, teachers, parents, and others concerned about the accuracy and quality of textbooks are encouraged to use the email address textbookerrors@tea.state.tx.us to report any errors in fact, misspellings, or other inaccuracies. The TEA will review all reported errors, and list those that are confirmed in the Inventory of Known Textbook Errors posted on the TEA website. For each confirmed error, the TEA will notify both the publisher and each district using the materials, as well as release an announcement via the recently established Textbook Errors mailing list. The TEA will also follow up to ensure that appropriate steps are taken to correct the errors.

The purpose of this program is to ensure that Texans who rely on textbooks to educate and to be educated have the benefit of error-free instructional materials. Posting the known errors to the website will support those who use textbooks by providing relevant and timely information about the reliability of those materials.

To learn more about this program, report an error, or sign up for the Textbook Errors mailing list, please visit http://www.tea.state.tx.us/textbooks/textbookerrors.html.

THE PROCLAMATION 2010 PUBLISHER ORIENTATION MEETING

On August 4, 2008 the Texas Education Agency held a meeting to familiarize publishers with the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) in Proclamation 2010. The presentations by curriculum staff addressed specific requirements of the English Language Proficiency Standards and the English Language Arts and Reading TEKS. An explanation of recent changes to State Board of Education rule and their affects on Proclamation 2010 was also provided.

A PDF of the agenda, a PDF of the PowerPoint presentation, and an audio recording of the meeting are available at the links below:

Meeting Agenda

Meeting Presentation

Audio File

Proclamation 2010 and Proclamation 2011 are posted at http://www.tea.state.tx.us/textbooks/proclamations/index.html

An additional publisher meeting will be held in October to discuss the schedule of activities in Proclamation 2010 and the review and adoption process.

DEUTSCH AKTUELL, LEVEL 3 TEXTBOOKS

EMC/Paradigm Publishing will be replacing all student and teacher editions of their Deutsch Aktuell, Level 3 textbooks in Texas schools. All current copies will be returned to EMC/Paradigm at the publisher’s expense.

The publisher will contact the depository and all schools who have ordered the materials with information regarding this replacement. Both the student edition (ISBN 0-8219-2605-5) and teacher edition (ISBN 0-8219-2606-3) are due to be replaced by August 15, 2008.

If you need further information, please contact the publisher at educate@ecmp.com or the TEA at textbooks@tea.state.tx.us.

PUBLISHER MEETING ON MAXIMUM COST FOR PROCLAMATIONS 2010 AND 2011

On Wednesday, April 30, 2008 at 9:00 A.M., the Texas Education Agency held a meeting to solicit input from publishers on maximum costs associated with subjects included in Proclamations 2010 and 2011. A PDF of the agenda, a PDF of the PowerPoint presentation, and an audio recording of the meeting are available at the links below:

Meeting Agenda

Meeting Presentation

Audio File

PEIMS COURSE NUMBERS FOUND ON PEIMS DIVISION WEB PAGE. Textbook coordinators and campus textbook staff may locate PEIMS course numbers on the PEIMS Division web page under the label PEIMS Data Standards at: http://www.tea.state.tx.us/peims/standards/index.html. The directions for accessing this information are as follows: Under “Download,” click the desired school year that you are interested in viewing. If the school year that you desire to see is not shown on the first page, then go to the PEIMS Data Standards Archive. After the new web page appears, look under “Section 4: Description of Codes” to select the desired code table, sorted alphabetically, numerically, or by code table. Although the Multi List Codes (MLC) are not shown directly, the course names to which they refer are shown along with the corresponding PEIMS codes. The PEIMS Division maintains the most current PEIMS identification numbers available.

APPROVAL OF SUBSTITUTIONS BY STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION. At their September board meeting the State Board of Education approved the following substitutions from Goodheart-Willcox Publisher. The new products have been added into the EMAT system.

• Adventures in Food and Nutrition
  ISBN 9781590706350, copyright 2007, MLC 9488
  (replaced ISBN 1566378346, 2003 copyright)

• Children: The Early Years
  ISBN 9781590705858, copyright 2006, MLC 9486
  (replaced ISBN 1566379458, 2004 copyright)

• Housing Decisions
  ISBN 9781590705339, copyright 2006, MLC 9476
  (replaced ISBN 1590701402, 2004 copyright)

• Learning for Earning
  ISBN 9781590705513, copyright 2006, MLC 7411
  (replaced ISBN 1566379393, 2004 copyright)

• Video: Digital Communication and Production
  ISBN 9781590707678, copyright 2008, MLC 9562
  (replaced ISBN 1566377986, 2002 copyright)
  

PROCEDURES FOR REPLACING DESTROYED INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS. When a district needs to explain the loss of instructional materials due to catastrophes such as fires or floods, or losses due to theft, the Report on State-Owned Textbooks That Have Been Destroyed form, TEX-012, should be submitted by the district to the TEA Instructional Materials and Educational Technology (IMET) Division. This is a printed report that should be mailed to IMET.

Districts should complete the report of destroyed instructional materials within 60 days of the loss of the materials. Only one report per occurrence should be submitted. In addition to completing the TEX-012, the district must also send the IMET Division all building property insurance information, if a claim has been filed for destroyed instructional materials. All monies collected for insured instructional materials must be remitted to IMET.

Districts should locally dispose of the instructional materials reported on the TEX-012. To order replacement materials, the district should submit a supplemental requisition through the online Educational Materials (EMAT) system to IMET. These requisitions will be given special attention by IMET distribution staff to ensure that the replacement instructional materials are shipped as soon as possible.

APPROVAL OF SUBSTITUTIONS BY STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION. At their July board meeting the State Board of Education approved the following substitutions:

• The Handwriting Without Tears request to substitute a newer version of Letters and Numbers for Me (Component Only).
• The Scholastic Publishing request to substitute a newer version of Scholastic Spelling, Level 3, Teacher's Edition, Grade 3; Scholastic Spelling, Level 4, Teacher's Edition, Grade 4; Scholastic Spelling, Level 5, Teacher's Edition, Grade 5; and Scholastic Spelling, Level 6, Teacher's Edition, Grade 6.
• The Goodheart-Willcox request to substitute newer versions of three of their adopted titles: Fashion!; From School to Work; and Technology Shaping our World.

DISPOSITION OF OUT-OF-ADOPTION INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS. School districts and open-enrollment charter schools may dispose of out-of-adoption instructional materials in one of several ways as indicated below:

(1)  First, school districts and open-enrollment charter schools are required to make out-of-adoption instructional materials (other than electronic instructional materials) available to libraries maintained by city and county jails, institutions within the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, and other state agency institutions.

(2)  Second, school districts and open-enrollment charter schools may retain the remaining out-of-adoption instructional materials if they so choose.

(3)  Third, they may donate out-of-adoption instructional materials (other than electronic instructional materials) to students, adult education programs, and nonprofit organizations.

(4)  Fourth, after all efforts to donate out-of-adoption instructional materials (other than electronic instructional materials) to organizations listed in (3) above, have been exhausted, a school district or open-enrollment charter school may donate these materials for recycling locally. Recycling is defined as removing the bindings and shredding the textbooks for the purpose of producing new products from the processed materials.  Under no circumstances shall out-of-adoption instructional materials be sold by a school district or open-enrollment charter school.

The authority of these instructions is the Texas Administrative Code, Chapter 66, Section 66.131, State Adoption and Distribution of Instructional Materials, Subchapter E. Disposition of Instructional Materials, located at  http://www.tea.state.tx.us/rules/tac/chapter066/ch066e.html.

If you have questions, please contact Deanna Marotz at deanna.marotz@tea.state.tx.us or 512-463-9601 or Charles Mayo at charles.mayo@tea.state.tx.us or 512-463-9601.

central freight lines is now the carrier for surplus materials. School districts and charter schools should now use Central Freight Lines to send surplus materials weighing over 150 pounds to other school districts or charter schools. Schools should contact their local Central Freight Lines to pick up the materials. To find a list of all the local Central Freight Lines locations and their local telephone numbers, go to Central Freight’s website, http://www.centralfreight.com, click on “coverage area”, then “TX” (on the map). Shipments can also be tracked on this website using the BOL number. First, click on “Online Resources” and then “Track by BOL#”. Remember to continue to utilize UPS for surplus shipments weighing less than 150 pounds.

AUDIOBOOKS FOR STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES. School districts may now obtain state-adopted instructional materials on audiotape for Special Education students with any disability in kindergarten through 12^th grade.  This includes “students with vision impairment, reading disabilities and other disabilities as appropriate.”  For more nformation, please go to the following link:  http://www.tea.state.tx.us/textbooks/forms/utilizingrfbd.pdf or contact Recording for the Blind and Dyslexic, Texas Unit, by email at bookorder@rfbdtexas.org, toll free at 1-877-246-7321, or by visiting their website at www.rfbd.org.  The form for ordering audiotape textbooks may be found at http://www.tea.state.tx.us/textbooks/forms/rfbdorderform.pdf.