TEXTBOOK ADOPTION GUIDELINES
How do school districts select new curriculum and textbooks?
In order to select new curriculum, textbooks or any instructional materials, the state of California requires school districts to form a committee of parents, community members, administrators, teachers at all grade levels, English learner programs, and programs to support students with special needs. The process of selecting and implementing new instructional materials should be thoroughly planned, conducted publicly and well documented. The following list is a description of the process outlined by state law:
Establish a committee charged with recommending new curriculum or textbooks for adoption.
The committee evaluates possible curriculum or textbooks according to state standards.
Curriculum or textbooks are selected to be piloted in the district.
Teachers are trained in the instructional materials to be piloted.
After the piloting period, the committee evaluates the success of the piloted curriculum or textbooks.
The committee makes a recommendation to the school district.
If the recommendation is favorable, the curriculum or textbooks must be approved by the School Board.
Has Palos Verdes followed the state guidelines?
At the April 27, 2022 School Board meeting, the adoption of two new textbooks was on the agenda. During this meeting, several people spoke and pointed out that input had not been gathered from parents or community members, the Board Members admitted they had not read the textbooks themselves, and Superintendent Cherniss explained that in PVPUSD, most curriculum and textbooks to be considered for our students are recommended by Dr. Lindsay Gotanda. Apparently the entire process of involving a selection committee has been completely abandoned in Palos Verdes public schools.
Who is Dr. Lindsay Gotanda?
According to Superintendent Alex Cherniss, the staff member with the most influence over curriculum and textbook selection in PVPUSD is Dr. Linsey Gotanda, the Deputy Superintendent. Coincidentally, she also holds a seat on the Instructional Quality Commission (IQC). The IQC is an advisory committee to the State Board of Education and is responsible for developing and drafting all new curriculum frameworks, including the newly proposed Mathematics Framework, which applies the principles of Critical Race Theory to Mathematics.
This means that the person who evaluates and recommends textbooks and curriculum used in PVPUSD is also working to implement Critical Race Theory into the study of Mathematics in all California public schools. Perhaps it is time to ask Dr. Gotanda to make her educational philosophies more transparent.
References: California Education Code, Sections 60060-60062, 60200-60206, 60210, 60400-60411.