File: IJ (pdf)
Adopted: March 5, 1981
Revised: September 12, 1991; March 10, 1994; August 14, 2001; January 27, 2004; May 8, 2012, January 23, 2018, October 10, 2023
INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS SELECTION AND ADOPTION
As the governing body of the Boulder Valley School District, the Board of Education is legally responsible for the selection of all Instructional Materials. Since the Board is a policymaking body, it delegates to professional personnel of the district the authority for the selection of Instructional Materials, literary works used in the classroom, and library materials in accordance with this policy.
Materials for school classrooms shall be selected by the appropriate professional personnel in consultation with the administration, faculty, students and greater public community. Final decision on selection and purchase of core materials shall rest with the Superintendent or designee, subject to approval by the Board.
The Boulder Valley School District’s course of study is designed to encourage the growth and development of each student toward meeting or exceeding the Board adopted Academic Standards. All instructional resources and materials shall support the district’s education objectives as defined in the Vision, Mission, Values and Goals, including that all students meet or exceed state and district content standards.
The Board believes that it is the responsibility of the district to use these general criteria for evaluation of Instructional Materials. Instructional Materials…:
- …will align to adopted academic standards, enrich and support the curriculum, and meet the personal needs of Boulder Valley students, taking into consideration the varied interests, abilities, learning styles and age.
- …will support evidence-based instructional practices to stimulate growth in factual knowledge, problem-solving and process understanding, literary appreciation, aesthetic values and ethical standards.
- …provide a foundation of information which, in conjunction with engaging instructional discourse and activities, will enable students to make intelligent judgments in their daily lives.
- …realistically represent our pluralistic society and reflect the contributions made by all groups and their individual members.
- …demonstrate a range of different perspectives on controversial issues so that learners may develop, under instructional guidance, the practice of critical analysis.
- …are culturally responsive, inclduing meeting the needs of Emerging Bilingual and Spanish speasking students including through quality translation practices where applicable.
- …comply with any current or anticipated State (e.g. the Colorado Department of Education's approved lists) and Federal requirements to assure efficiency of expenditures and adoptions.
- …will have content that is unbiased and clearly identifies when theories, opinions, and philosophical statements are presented.
- …will have appropriate ancillary print, non-print, and digital materials as needed to support instruction.
- … will provide physical characteristics, durability, format and price that are appropriate for the selected length of the adoption.
- … that are digital in nature must comply with the district's policy on student data privacy.
- … must be developed to the extent that they provide sufficient evidence that all of the above criteria and any criteria set by the adoption committee are met at the time of the public review.
These Instructional Materials Categories are Formally Approved by the Board of Education
- District‐based Core Instructional Materials are approved as the required instructional materials used predominantly for the delivery of core academic coursework to all members of the class. District‐ based Core Instructional Materials must be approved by the Board of Education prior to use in classrooms. District‐based Core Instructional Materials are eligible for District Adopted Instructional Materials funds.
- District‐based Supplemental Materials are defined as all instructional materials selected to support and enhance the learning of core academic standards. These support materials enrich and/or extend the Core Instructional Materials, taking into consideration the needs, varied interests, abilities, socio‐economic backgrounds, and maturity levels of the students served. The Board of Education delegates to the district‐level curriculum staff the approval of these support materials during the prescribed adoption cycle through a committee based process, including teachers, and based on the criteria in this Policy. District‐based Support Materials are eligible for District Adopted Instructional Materials funds.
- School-based Support Materials are defined as non-core materials that are selected and approved by building staff according to the criteria in the policy, purchased by individual schools, using school-based funds, to enrich and/or extend the District-based Core Instructional Materials, taking into consideration the needs, varied interests, abilities, socio-economic backgrounds, and maturity levels of the students served. In selecting these materials, educators shall use their professional discretion and base decisions on the criteria in this policy. When they do so, educators can be confident that they will be supported by the Board. Schools may work with district leadership in selecting these materials.
- Outdated Materials are materials from previous adoption cycles. All materials that are not a part of the new Adopted Materials list will be deleted from the approved materials list. While these materials have components which support specific instructional lessons, these materials are to support classroom use only and should not be used as Core Instructional Materials in a classroom. Excess materials should be disposed of. District funds may not be used to purchase outdated materials.
Funds to purchase adopted Instructional Materials shall be made available on an equitable basis to all schools in the District based on October Count allocations.
All instructional resources and materials shall be available for inspection by Boulder Valley School District community members.
Agreement REF.:
BVSD/BVEA Negotiated Agreement, Section D-26
LEGAL REFS.:
C.R.S. § 22-1-104(2)
C.R.S. § 22-32-109(1)(t)
C.R.S. § 22-32-110(1)(o), (p), (q)
C.R.S. § 22-54-105(1)
20 U.S.C § 1232h (protection of pupil rights)
20 U.S.C § 6301 et seq. (No Child Left Behind Act of 2001)
CROSS REFS.:
DB, Annual Operating Budget
IHBD, Compensatory Education (Title I)
KEC, Complaints About the Curriculum or Instruction
JRCB, Privacy and Protection of Student Data
End of file: IJ