Responses to Publisher Questions
These responses were developed from questions submitted by publishers during the Science Invitation to Submit Meeting held January 10, 2006. The format consists of a question followed by a response. The response includes summary statements, pertinent portions of the criteria, and relevant sections of the ITS document.
Question 1: Where is it explicitly stated that “e.g.s” do not have to be covered in the program? The last adoption deliberation required all “e.g.s” to be covered.
Answer: The evaluation criteria for all adoptions are not identical. In the 2005 History–Social Science Primary Adoption, “e.g.” was addressed differently because a specific criterion (1.15) stated that: “Where the standards call for examples (or use “e.g.”), materials shall go beyond the listed examples…” No such language exists in the evaluation criteria for the 2006 Science Primary Adoption, so when “e.g.” appears in a standard, those examples provided are only suggestions, and are not required to meet the standard.
Question 2: In the Investigation and Experimentation standards for grades six and seven, there is a standard that states:
Grade 6, 7.b. Select and use appropriate tools and technology (including calculators, computers,
balances, spring scales, microscopes, and binoculars) to perform tests, collect data, and display data.
Grade 7, 7.a. Select and use appropriate tools and technology (including calculators,
computers, balances, spring scales, microscopes, and binoculars) to perform tests, collect data, and display data.
Does the publisher have to provide all the equipment included in the parenthesis to the students, or is this a “for example (e.g.)” situation?
Answer: In this standard, the term “appropriate” precedes the list of items and suggests that these are “examples” of appropriate tools and technology for the Investigation and Experimentation activities at these grade levels. It would not be mandatory to include all the equipment listed in the parenthesis in the science kits, but you would need to meet this standard by including activities that require students to “select and use appropriate tools and technology,” of which, the items listed are examples of, and to include the necessary equipment for the activities in the science kit.
Question 3: There is no student’s edition (SE) at the kindergarten level. The standards are only listed in the teacher’s edition (TE). Is there anywhere else the standards should be listed?
Answer: For kindergarten, the standards do not have to be listed anywhere else.
Category 1, Criterion 4 states that instructional materials must provide: “A checklist of California Science Standards in the teacher edition, with page number citations or other references that demonstrate multiple points of student exposure, and a reasonable and judicious allotment of instructional time for learning the content of each standard. Extraneous lessons or topics that are not directly focused on the standards are minimal, certainly composing no more than 10 percent of the science instructional time.”
Category 2, Criterion 10 states that science instructional materials must provide: “For grades four through eight, explicit statements of the relevant grade-level standards in both the teacher and student editions.”
Question 4: How does Category 1, Criterion 3: “Multiple exposures to the California Science Standards (introductory, reinforcing, and summative), leading to student mastery of each standard through sustained effort.” mesh with the two column Standards Map? Would you expect to see another correlation?
Answer: There is not another correlation column for multiple exposures to the Science Standards. In the two-column Standards Maps, you must provide primary and supporting citations where there are introductory, reinforcing, and summative exposures to the standards in your program, but it is not necessary to mark whether a particular primary or secondary citation happens to be introductory, reinforcing, or summative.
Question 5: As stated during the meeting and as identified in the ITS, page 51, submitted materials should comprise hands-on activities composing at least 20 to 25 percent of the instruction. It was my understanding that when this criteria was originally approved in its final form that it called for a minimum of at least 25 percent hands-on activities. Did I misread the original wording of the criteria when it was written into the document or has it changed from its original form?
Answer: Category 1, Criterion 5, was approved by the State Board of Education to read: “A table of evidence in the teacher edition, demonstrating that the California Science Standards can be comprehensively taught from the submitted materials with hands-on activities composing at least 20 to 25 percent of the science instructional program. Hands-on activities must be cohesive, be connected, and build on each other to lead students to a comprehensive understanding of the California Science Content Standards.”
Question 6: During the ITS meeting on January 10, I heard during the discussion, that "while it's the intent that programs should include at least 20 to 25 percent hands-on activities to be worthy of adoption, if teachers opt to only do, say, 15 percent hands-on activities because they can master the standards via the accompanying textbook, for example, then what goes on in the classroom is okay."
Answer: The science criteria, in keeping with the Science Framework, do not specify a single pedagogical approach, although the framework incorporates certain commonsense pedagogical features. The State Board encourages publishers to select research-based pedagogical approaches that comprehensively cover the rigorous science standards, reflect the Science Framework, make judicious use of instructional time, present science in interesting and engaging ways, and otherwise give teachers the resources they need to teach science effectively.
The California Science Framework provides guidance in Chapter 1 where it states: “Some of the knowledge of science is best learned by having students read about the subject or hear about it from the teacher; other knowledge is best learned in laboratory or field studies. Direct instruction and investigative activities need to be mutually supportive and synergistic. Instructional materials need to provide teachers with a variety of options for implementation that are based on the science standards.” (Science Framework, Chapter 1, p. 6)
Category 1, Criterion 5 states that instructional materials must provide: “A table of evidence in the teacher edition, demonstrating that the California Science Standards can be comprehensively taught from the submitted materials with hands-on activities composing at least 20 to 25 percent of the science instructional program. Hands-on activities must be cohesive, be connected, and build on each other to lead students to a comprehensive understanding of the California Science Content Standards.”
The criteria require that the program may be taught with hands-on activities composing at least 20 to 25 percent of the science instructional program. A program that provides standards-based teaching with 20 to 25 percent hands-on activities may offer non-hands-on alternatives.
Category 5, Criterion 9 states that instructional materials must provide: “Suggestions for how to adapt each hands-on activity provided to other methods of teaching, including teacher modeling, teacher demonstration, direct instruction, or reading, as specified in the California Science Framework.”
Question 7: On the Standards Maps (p. 61 of the ITS), which components should be listed in the header at the top of the page, just those used for the correlation?
Answer: You must provide a list of all of the components in your program in the header of each grade-level map, not just those used for the correlation. Use abbreviations and provide a legend of your abbreviations in this section or in an Appendix at the end of the Standards Maps.
Question 8: On the Standards Maps, can sources other than the student’s edition pages be cited to demonstrate that the standards have been met, such as activity, skill sheet, references?
Answer: Other sources can be cited as long as they have been submitted as part of your program and the students have access to them.
Question 9: How is the short narrative program description due March 1, 2006, different from the program description due with the Standards Maps in official samples due April 13, 2006?
Answer: The short narrative description is not different. A short narrative description of the submitted program must be included with your Submission CD-ROM due on March 1, 2006 (ITS, p. 19. second bullet) and this same short, narrative description of each program submitted and the purpose of program components (ITS, p. 21, #4) must be included in your samples submitted by April 13, 2006. This narrative description shall not exceed six pages, single space, and shall explain how the program works for its clients (e.g., teachers, students, and/or parents/guardians).
Question 10: Materials from publishers will be sent/available at Learning Resource Display Centers (LRDCs). How will electronic components of the curriculum be made available?
Answer: Publishers of instructional materials may be asked to supply software or equipment that will be needed to view or otherwise use the materials if that software or equipment is not available at the LRDCs or available to reviewers (ITS, p. 24, (4)). The publisher can also choose Sampling Option 2 – Technology components (ITS, p. 136): “Computer software, CD-ROM, videotapes, and laser disk components are provided to all Commissioners, State Board members, CRP and IMAP members, and selected LRDCs (up to 15 sites).” The publishers are responsible for providing the LRDCs with mailing instructions to return the equipment to the publisher.
Question 11: Is there a way for the correction of errors? For example, if a content error is found, can the publisher correct it?
Answer: The Edits and Corrections policy on page 31 of the ITS states: “Only the corrections and edits defined below will be permissible during the review of instructional materials for adoption.
Edits and Corrections are defined as:
- Inexact language and imprecise definitions
- Mistaken notations
- Mislabeling of pictures, objects, animals, plants, and so on
- Misspellings or grammatical errors
- Computational errors and examples
Changes as defined below will not be allowed for instructional materials submitted for this adoption.
Changes are defined as:
- Revising the program to meet the criteria and standards
- Rewriting of a chapter or section
- Adding new content
- Moving materials from one grade level to another
- Incorrect data, including definitions and factual errors that require content experts to review the materials prior to approval”
Question 12: What are the deadlines for the two assurance forms?
Answer: After the State Board of Education takes action on the adoption in November 2006, publishers will receive a bulletin regarding post-adoption procedures. Included in this bulletin will be the due dates for the two assurance forms: (1) Assurance Regarding Technology-Based Materials (ITS, p. 187) and (2) Assurance Regarding Compliance Requirements for Basic Instructional Materials (ITS, p. 195). In past adoptions, assurances were due with the final print materials. For the science adoption, final print materials will be due in late January 2007. However, publishers should be familiar with the requirements of these two forms because they will affect the development of their programs.
Question 13: Hard copy textbooks are expensive for small publishers. Are there penalties for providing reviewers with soft cover books and referencing that, if adopted, product “x” would be hard cover?
Answer: The Curriculum Framework and Instructional Resources (CFIR) Division may permit submission of materials in less-than-final format provided that all written text (in manuscript form), audio recordings (or manuscript of text that will be read on audio recordings), and visual images are provided as they will appear in the materials’ final form. The materials submitted must have all the content and illustrations in place. The artwork may be in black and white instead of color, but all illustrations must appear as they will in the finished product. The materials must have approximately the same size pages as the final product, and the pages must be numbered as they will appear in the final product (ITS, p. 23).
Less-than-final format includes instructional materials submitted in soft cover versus hard cover. Also, the California Department of Education (CDE) does not require that instructional materials submitted for adoption meet the National Association of School Textbook Administrators (NASTA) design specifications.
All samples must be in final form (i.e., a form that will be offered for purchase over the period of adoption), unless a written request to submit samples in less-than-final format is submitted to the CFIR Division by March 1, 2006, and permission has been obtained from the CFIR Division before the samples are shipped.
Question 14: What if all the equipment to do the investigations is not included in the kit provided by the publisher, e. g., beakers, or other common items are not included because most schools already have them. What would be the consequence to the publisher? Could the publisher provide the beaker and other common items as “gratis”? Do the reviewers have to be able to conduct all of the investigations? What if the program is almost 50% hands on?
Answer: All materials to conduct the investigations by the reviewers must be included in the kit provided by the publisher so that the reviewer can ensure that the activities cover the standards. If publishers provide the equipment as “gratis,” they must follow the statutory requirement of the “most-favored-nation” clause. (ITS, pp. 35-36)
Question 15: If the experiments include chemicals and live specimens, how are these to be included in the kits and shipped?
Answer: On page 22 of the ITS, it states in section (5), the first bullet, that for “CRP/IMAP Reviewers, State Board Members, Curriculum Commissioners: include only the kit components needed to conduct the experiments required in the instructional materials submitted but include a list, by grade level, of all the items in every kit and a picture of the kit contents.” The exception to this would be volatile chemicals or live specimens. Do not include volatile chemicals or live specimens in the kits submitted even if the experiments require them, however; they must be included in the list of all the items in the kit.
Question 16: Do we have to include the full text of the content standards in our instructional material or can the standards be summarized, rewritten, or abridged?
Answer: The inclusion of the Science Content Standards into the text of instructional materials submitted for adoption is subject to the CDE Copyright Policy which is found on the CDE Web site at: Copyright Statement
[http://www.cde.ca.gov/re/di/cr/] and discussed in the ITS on page 19. The policy states that: "The content must remain unchanged and in its entirety as published by the CDE."
- The content of the standards are not to be abridged, rewritten, or changed in any way.
- You must include the full text of the standards.
- The placement of the standards is up to the publisher: beginning of the edition, at point of instruction (chapter, unit, or lesson), or at the end of the edition.
Question 17: What is the procedure to ask to meet with the Curriculum Commissioners?
Answer: You can make appointments with the Curriculum Commissioners either by email (preferred) or by calling them. There is a list of the email addresses and phone numbers of the Curriculum Commissioners on the CDE Web site at: Members [http://www.cde.ca.gov/be/cc/cd/members.asp].
