Introduction
Until recently, publishers were required to submit State Board of Education (SBE) adopted standards maps to local education agencies so that school districts could ascertain the extent to which instructional materials for grades nine through twelve aligned with the content standards adopted by the SBE. The statutory requirement for publishers to provide these completed standards maps to districts free of charge is no longer in effect. However, publishers are still encouraged to complete the standards map templates by citing where their materials align with the content standards.
The Instructional Materials Funding Realignment Program (IMFRP) (Education Code Section 60422) created in 2003 requires LEAs to adopt standards-aligned instructional materials for kindergarten through grade twelve. These templates provide a valuable tool for LEAs in their review and adoption of instructional materials.
The downloadable standards maps list all of the standards for each content area. It is possible that one textbook will not cover all of the content standards since secondary courses may cover only one domain or one strand in a content area. While the LEAs may expect to find that there are strands or domains that are not addressed in specific instructional materials, the LEA has an obligation to provide standards aligned instructional materials to students for the courses taught. This may be accomplished through the purchase of a combination of materials or through one text.
Role of LEAs in Determining Standards Alignment
Standards maps are designed only for basic, and not supplementary, instructional materials, as defined in Education Code Section 60010(a). A review of the standards maps is only one tool to use during the LEA’s instructional materials evaluation and adoption process.
It is the responsibility of the LEA to ascertain if the instructional program and instructional materials that are available to be used in the classroom do in fact align with grade level content standards. Local school governing boards must also approve instructional materials as being aligned with content standards pursuant to Education Code section 60442(a).
If the publisher has provided a standards map, local education agency reviewers should check all citations provided by the publisher to verify that the materials sufficiently meet the content standards. This verification is determined by the local education agency, not the publisher.
Grades nine through twelve content standards are taught in a series of domain and/or strand specific courses and it is to be expected that there will be standards that are not taught in a particular course or textbook. If standards are not taught in the textbook for a given domain and/or strand, a combination of materials may be used to teach those standards.
Publishers may have added comments regarding their citations in the "Publisher Notes" at the back of the document. Please do contact them with questions regarding their citations and any comments they may have made that are not clear. It is recommended that LEAs schedule presentations by publisher representatives on each program reviewed. LEAs are strongly encouraged to collaborate with other LEAs (e.g. districts, County Offices of Education) that are adopting the same or similar materials, to confirm and share information on instructional materials that meet or do not meet the content standard(s).
Completing the Standards Map
Publishers should fill in the header for each grade level map with the publisher's name, the program's title, list of components (and abbreviations used, such as, PE for pupil edition), and grade level(s) of the program. Publishers should have also completed columns four and five. The following is the information provided in each column of the standards maps:
- The first three columns have been completed with the required information:
- The first column is the grade level.
- The second column is the content standard number.
- The third column is the text of each grade level.
- Columns four and five (Publisher Citations) are reserved for publishers to use to identify supporting citations. These supporting citations are provided to help LEAs evaluate a program and to determine the extent to which each of the standards are covered in that program.
- Primary Citations: These are the places in the program where a specific standard is taught in-depth.
- Supporting Citations: These are places in the program where a specific standard is also taught, but it is not the primary emphasis of instruction.
Nine Through Twelve Local Education Agencies should also complete the following sections of the document:
- Columns seven, eight, and nine, which are shaded and blank, are provided for use by nine through twelve Local Education Agencies (LEAs) to indicate whether a particular program “meets” (Y-yes) or “does not meet” (N-no) the specific standard. The final column is used for note taking by the nine through twelve LEA.
- Meets the Standard: This is column seven, the Y column. The standard is addressed completely and clearly, providing substantial material for teaching and learning.
- Does Not Meet the Standard: This is column eight, the N column. The standard is not addressed, or the program reflects little or no alignment with the standard. There is insufficient material for teaching and learning the standard.
Important Web Sites
- Content standards [http://www.cde.ca.gov/be/st/ss/index.asp] for California public schools, in PDF format.
- Curriculum Frameworks [http://www.cde.ca.gov/ci/cr/cf/allfwks.asp] for California public schools, in PDF format.
- Price Lists of state-adopted instructional materials [http://www3.cde.ca.gov/impricelist/implsearch.aspx] for Kindergarten through grade eight.