1| STATE OF OKLAHOMA | | | 2| 1st Session of the 59th Legislature (2023) | | | 3|HOUSE BILL 1370 By: West (Tammy) | | | 4| | | | 5| | | | 6| AS INTRODUCED | | | 7| An Act relating to school textbooks; amending 70 O.S. | | 2021, Section 16-102, which relates to textbook | 8| selection; clarifying when a school district may | | petition the State Board of Education; mandating | 9| approval of Board only if unusual or extraordinary | | circumstances exist; including a rigorous review | 10| process for district petitions; describing review | | criteria; authorizing districts to request support | 11| from the State Department of Education; and declaring | | an emergency. | 12| | | | 13| | | | 14| | | | 15|BE IT ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA: | | | 16| SECTION 1. AMENDATORY 70 O.S. 2021, Section 16-102, is | | | 17|amended to read as follows: | | | 18| Section 16-102. A. The State Textbook Committee shall meet at | | | 19|the call of the chair as often as necessary, with two (2) weeks' | | | 20|public notice, to discharge its responsibilities. If necessary, not | | | 21|later than the first day of December of each year, the State | | | 22|Textbook Committee shall meet to select textbooks for subjects | | | 23|taught in the public schools of the state for grades prekindergarten | | | 24| | | | Req. No. 6596 Page 1 ___________________________________________________________________________
1|through twelve, which selections shall be for not more than six (6) | | | 2|years for every textbook. | | | 3| B. The Committee may suspend any currently pending selection | | | 4|process of textbooks and may extend by at least two (2) years the | | | 5|six-year adoption period of those textbooks currently on the state | | | 6|adopted list, for the purpose of delaying for two (2) years the | | | 7|six-year adoption cycle of subjects. | | | 8| C. "Textbooks", as used in Sections 16-101 through 16-124 of | | | 9|this title, means instructional materials that are designed for use | | | 10|by pupils as a learning resource. Instructional materials may be | | | 11|printed or nonprinted and may include textbooks, technology-based | | | 12|and other educational materials. | | | 13| D. "List of textbooks" or "the list", as used in Sections | | | 14|16-101 through 16-111 of this title, means the official textbook | | | 15|list required by Section 6 of Article XIII of the Oklahoma | | | 16|Constitution. The list shall include the textbooks and other | | | 17|instructional materials selected by the State Textbook Committee for | | | 18|use in the common schools of the state. | | | 19| E. The State Department of Education, in coordination with the | | | 20|State Textbook Committee, shall approve an application process to | | | 21|assemble annually one or more review teams comprised of subject | | | 22|matter experts for each subject area under review to assist the | | | 23|Committee in reviewing textbooks and instructional materials. The | | | 24|number of review teams shall be contingent on the number of subject | | | Req. No. 6596 Page 2 ___________________________________________________________________________
1|areas under review each year. Members of the review teams shall | | | 2|have specific expertise in the subject areas being reviewed that | | | 3|year. Review teams shall consist of no less than twelve members | | | 4|each, but may be as large as is deemed necessary by the State | | | 5|Textbook Committee and the State Department of Education. Subject | | | 6|to the availability of funds within the State Department of | | | 7|Education, members of the review teams shall receive from the | | | 8|Department necessary traveling expenses while in the performance of | | | 9|duties pursuant to the State Travel Reimbursement Act. | | | 10| F. The Committee shall select textbooks or series of textbooks | | | 11|for each subject, which, to the greatest extent possible, are | | | 12|aligned with the subject matter standards adopted by the State Board | | | 13|of Education pursuant to Section 11-103.6 of this title. The | | | 14|Committee, in consultation with the State Department of Education, | | | 15|shall adopt a rubric to be used by the review teams as a means of | | | 16|evaluating textbooks submitted for review. The rubric shall contain | | | 17|a three-tiered rating system in which the first tier shall be | | | 18|labeled "Exemplifies Quality", the second tier shall be labeled | | | 19|"Approaching Quality", and the third tier shall be labeled "Not | | | 20|Representing Quality". The rubric shall also include, but not be | | | 21|limited to, criteria for alignment to subject matter standards such | | | 22|that all standards are present and treated with the appropriate | | | 23|depth to support students in learning the skills and information | | | 24|contained in the subject matter standards, as well as usability for | | | Req. No. 6596 Page 3 ___________________________________________________________________________
1|teacher planning, learning, assessment and differentiated | | | 2|instruction. The Committee, in consultation with the review teams, | | | 3|may include additional criteria specific to the subject area being | | | 4|reviewed. The rubric shall require each criterion to be scored | | | 5|individually with justification, and shall provide an overall | | | 6|recommendation for the rating. | | | 7| G. Review teams shall review all materials in accordance with | | | 8|the rubric adopted in subsection F of this section and shall submit | | | 9|the review and recommended rating to the Committee. The Committee | | | 10|shall consider but not be required to accept the recommended rating | | | 11|of the review teams. The Committee may request that the review | | | 12|teams supply additional information to support their recommendations | | | 13|or the Committee may provide its own justification utilizing the | | | 14|adopted rubric. | | | 15| H. The Committee, having verified that the review process has | | | 16|been conducted in a scrupulous and fair manner, shall adopt a final | | | 17|rating for each textbook prior to including it on the textbook list | | | 18|required by Section 16-110 of this title. The completed rubric for | | | 19|each evaluated textbook, including the review team's | | | 20|recommendations, shall be made publicly available on the State | | | 21|Textbook Committee website. | | | 22| I. After a final textbook list is published, the State Textbook | | | 23|Committee may determine that unusual or extraordinary circumstances | | | 24|exist in a particular subject area during the period for which | | | Req. No. 6596 Page 4 ___________________________________________________________________________
1|textbooks have been selected for that subject area. Unusual or | | | 2|extraordinary circumstances shall include but not be limited to | | | 3|significant new techniques of teaching in a particular subject area | | | 4|or significant new findings or discoveries in a particular subject | | | 5|area. Upon a determination by three-fourths (3/4) of the members of | | | 6|the State Textbook Committee that unusual or extraordinary | | | 7|circumstances exist in a particular subject area, the Committee may | | | 8|select one or more textbooks in that subject area for the remainder | | | 9|of the adoption period. | | | 10| J. The State Department of Education shall house the website of | | | 11|the State Textbook Committee on its agency website. | | | 12| K.FiveAfter a final textbook list is published, five or more | | | 13|district boards of education may petition the State Board of | | | 14|Education to add a book or series of textbooks to the approved list | | | 15|selected by the State Textbook Committee. The Board shall only | | | 16|approve a petition when it determines that unusual or extraordinary | | | 17|circumstances exist. Petitions shall include a rigorous review | | | 18|process completed by the petitioning districts in a manner | | | 19|prescribed by the Board. At a minimum, the review shall include | | | 20|alignment to subject matter standards such that all standards are | | | 21|present and treated with the appropriate depth to support students | | | 22|in learning the skills and information contained in the standards, | | | 23|as well as usability for teacher planning, learning, assessment, and | | | 24| | | | Req. No. 6596 Page 5 ___________________________________________________________________________
1|differentiated instruction. The petitioning districts may request | | | 2|support from the State Department of Education in their review. | | | 3| L. The State Board of Education shall promulgate rules to | | | 4|implement the method and time frame for handling the petitions in | | | 5|the most expeditious manner. | | | 6| SECTION 2. It being immediately necessary for the preservation | | | 7|of the public peace, health or safety, an emergency is hereby | | | 8|declared to exist, by reason whereof this act shall take effect and | | | 9|be in full force from and after its passage and approval. | | | 10| | | | 11| 59-1-6596 EK 12/21/22 | | | 12| | | | 13| | | | 14| | | | 15| | | | 16| | | | 17| | | | 18| | | | 19| | | | 20| | | | 21| | | | 22| | | | 23| | | | 24| | | | Req. No. 6596 Page 6