TEXTBOOK EVALUATION AND ADOPTION

Given the prevalence of commercially developed instructional materials in classrooms throughout the United States, the purpose of this article is to encourage educators to carefully examine the textbook adoption process, especially the way in which adoption committees evaluate and select instructional materials. While the evaluation and adoption of these materials is dictated in part by state and local policy, the process of textbook adoption is critical to the selection of high quality materials. In this article, we review the available research literature on the textbook adoption process and include recommendations for improving the process. In addition, we discuss guidelines for designing evaluation criteria that can be used in the selection of instructional materials. Specific examples of screening instruments and an adoption timeline are provided and discussed.