Just before spring break the Oklahoma State Department of Education announced plans to restructure the textbook adoption cycle. Science textbook adoption will be switched with Social Studies and as a result will be delayed yet another year beyond what has already been a two year delay due to budget shortfalls. The reason given for the revised schedule is to allow time to revise the state science standards, even though they were revised and made Common Core State Standards complient this past summer on a schedule set by Oklahoma statute.
One question to be asked is what will be the nature of another revision of PASS so soon after the last? The answer seems to depend upon who you ask as some observers contend the change is to wait on the release of the Next Generation Science Standards, although there is no guarantee that Oklahoma will adopt them, while others believe this delay will result in a re-evaluation of PASS and a re-naming to become the C3 Standards for Science. Either of these changes has potential to have tremendous impact on the instruction and assessment system in the state, resulting in dramatic shifts in the scope and sequence of classes and the type and quality of the assessment systems in use. And remember, the newly approved waiver from NCLB brings those assessment systems in to play during teacher evaluation.
Whatever the outcome for Science Standards in Oklahoma, the fact remains that the currently adopted science instructional materials will have been in use for 9 years before they are to be replaced.
Here is the new timeline:
Oklahoma State Textbook Committee’s
INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS SUBJECT CYCLE
(Includes year adopted by committee and effective dates for ordering)
2012 – Social Studies, and PK-5 Social Studies Content Reading
(Effective Dates: July 1, 2013-June 30, 2019)
Social Studies includes: American History, AP U.S. History, Ancient and Medieval History, Black History, Career Exploration, Civics, Conservation of Natural Resources, Current Events, Economics (Social Studies), Geography, Government, AP Government and Politics, International Problems, Modern History, Oklahoma History, Problems of Democracy, Psychology, AP Psychology, Sociology, World History, AP World History, AP European History, and Other Social Studies.
Social Studies Content Reading includes: Reading that promotes Common Core Literacy and provides informational text related to historical people, places, and events; human geographic concepts; economic concepts; citizenship, principals of the American system of government; regional geography, and notable speeches and documents in American and World History.
(Effective Dates – Computer Education/Instructional Technology: July 1, 2013-June 30, 2016) Computer/Technology includes: Introduction to Computers, Computer Literacy, Advanced Programming, Business Computer Applications, Computer Programming I-II, and AP Computer Science, Personal Financial Literacy.
2013 – Science and The Arts, PK-5 Science Content Reading
(Effective Dates – Science: July 1, 2014-June 30, 2020)
Science includes: General Science K-8 or 9-12, Earth Science 7-12, Aeronautics, Biology, Botany, Chemistry, Electronics, Environmental Science, Geology, Physical Science, Physics, Physiology, Zoology.
Science Content Reading includes: Science-based reading that promotes Common Core Literacy and provides informational text on varied Science topics.
The Arts (Fine Arts and Music) includes: Art I-IV, AP Art (Studio), Art Appreciation, AP Art History, AP Studio Art Drawing, Arts and Crafts I-IV, Stage Crafts, Humanities, Applied Music, Music Appreciation, Instrumental Music I-IV, Music Theory, AP Music Theory, Vocal Music I-IV, other Music and Drama.
2014 – Grades 6-12 Basal Reading and Literature/Language Arts
(Effective Dates: July 1, 2015-June 30, 2021)
Reading and Literature includes: Reading, Literature, AP Literature, American Literature, English Literature I-III, and Debate.
Language Arts includes: Dictionary, Journalism, Speech, Remedial Reading, English as a Second Language, Grammar, Language, Composition, and AP Grammar, Language, and Composition.
2015 – Foreign Languages, Health, Vocational Education and
Computer Education/Instructional Technology
(Effective Dates – Languages, Health, and Vocational Education: July 1, 2016-June 30, 2022)
(Effective Dates – Computer Education/Instructional Technology: July 1, 2016-June 30, 2019)
Computer/Technology includes: Introduction to Computers, Computer and Technology Literacy, Advanced Programming, Business Computer Applications, Computer Programming I-II, AP Computer Science A or AB.
2016 – Mathematics
(Effective Dates: July 1, 2017-June 30, 2023)
Mathematics includes: K-12 Mathematics, Algebra I-III, Analytics, Applied Mathematics I-II, Calculus I-II, Consumer Mathematics, General Mathematics, Geometry, Mathematics Analysis, Mathematics of Finance, Matrix Algebra, Plane Geometry, Pre-algebra, Pre-calculus, Remedial Mathematics, Solid Geometry, Statistics and Probabilities, Trigonometry and AP Mathematics Courses.
2017 – Grades PreK-5 Basal Reading and Literature/Language Arts
(Effective Dates: July 1, 2018-June 30, 2024)
Reading and Language Arts includes: Reading, Phonics, Dictionary, Remedial Reading, English as a Second Language, Grammar, Language, Spelling, and Handwriting.
2018 –Social Studies, Instructional Technology, PreK-5 Social Studies Content Reading
(Effective Dates: July 1, 2019-June 30, 2025)
Social Studies includes: American History, AP U.S. History, Ancient and Medieval History, Black History, Career Exploration, Civics, Conservation of Natural Resources, Current Events, Economics (Social Studies), Geography, Government, AP Government and Politics, International Problems, Modern History, Oklahoma History, Problems of Democracy, Psychology, AP Psychology, Sociology, World History, AP European History, and Other Social Studies.
Social Studies Content Reading includes: Reading that promotes Common Core Literacy and provides informational text related to historical people, places, and events; human geographic concepts; economic concepts; citizenship, principals of the American system of government; regional geography, and notable speeches and documents in American and World History.
(Effective Dates – Computer Education/Instructional Technology: July 1, 2018-June 30, 2021) Computer/Technology includes: Introduction to Computers, Computer Literacy, Advanced Programming, Business Computer Applications, Computer Programming I-II, and AP Computer Science, Personal Financial Literacy. Reading includes: Reading, Dictionary, Remedial Reading, English as a Second Language, Spelling, Handwriting, Grammar, Language.