Textbook Adoption Information
The State Textbook Commission is responsible for recommending an official list of textbooks to the Tennessee State Board of Education (SBOE) for approval. Once the SBOE has approved a list of textbooks, it is the responsibility of local boards of education to decide which textbooks to use in their districts.
The state textbook adoption process is administered in accordance with the statutory requirements as set forth in Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 49, Chapter 6, Part 22 and the Rules and Policies of the State Textbook and Instructional Materials Quality Commission. Once the local districts are provided with the list of state-approved vendors, local school systems must adopt books on the official list or submit a waiver request to the department to use textbooks or instructional materials not on the approved list.
Math Adoption 2023-2024
The Franklin Special School District has completed the math adoption for the 2023-2024 school year. During each adoption cycle, the FSSD selects members for the textbook review committee. In accordance with state requirements, the FSSD Board of Education will approve the recommended review committee to review the textbooks and instructional materials proposed for adoption and make their adoption upon recommendations of such committees. These committees are set up by grade and subject matter fields and composed of teachers, administrators, supervisors, and parents with children enrolled in the district at the time of appointment to the committee.
According to the Tennessee Department of Education:
• the School Board may also choose to appoint experts in the grade level or subject matter field for which textbooks and instructional materials are to be reviewed.
• Teachers and supervisors who serve on the committee must be teaching or supervising the respective grade or subject at the time of appointment and must be licensed to teach in the state with endorsements in the subject matter or grade level for which textbooks or instructional materials are being reviewed.
• Teachers and supervisors must have three or more years of experience as teachers or supervisors in public schools. The Director of Schools in the district adopting textbooks or instructional materials serves as an ex officio member of all committees.
After the textbook committee makes its recommendation to the School Board, the Director of Schools records the list of all textbooks or instructional materials adopted by the Board, forwards a copy of the recorded adoption to the Commissioner of Education, and posts the list on the district’s website.
Curriculum-Related Resources
Textbooks are one of many resources used for instruction in our schools.
Parents are accustomed to seeing children work from textbooks as they progress through the curriculum. However, as teachers prepare students for success today and for college or a career in the future, students must be taught how to engage in rigorous instruction that develops an ability to think and problem-solve. This type of learning does not always come from within the pages of a textbook. The ability to apply, analyze, synthesize, evaluate, and predict cause-and-effect situations will be more valuable in the future than the ability to retell, label, define, or describe. While using detailed standards and goals set by the Tennessee Department of Education Academic Standards as the guide to course content and instruction, teachers must differentiate for students based on readiness, interest, and learning styles. In order to accomplish this, FSSD teachers are encouraged to draw from an extensive bank of resources. Textbooks are one of many tools in a larger toolbox of resources available to support instruction. If you liken teachers to carpenters, you understand that when building a magnificent piece of furniture, a carpenter cannot rely on only a hammer. Rather he must use a plane, chisel, saw, sander, or any number of tools to create a masterpiece.
A great classroom instructional program, just like a great piece of furniture, needs many tools in its delivery. An effective teacher uses web-based resources, specialized informational texts, various pieces of literature, lab experiences, and field trips to create that perfect instructional masterpiece.
FSSD students use many hands-on experiences to develop key mathematical and science concepts. These experiences yield understanding that is transferable to other situations and is better remembered for future use. This type of teaching requires a student to interpret and internalize learning and not merely respond from rote memorization or with answers retrieved from surface knowledge. While information can sometimes be remembered if presented through textbooks and lectures, true understanding and the ability to use knowledge in new situations require instruction where children study concepts in depth, make decisions resulting from real-life situations, and analyze and solve problems.
Students in our district are provided with all of the resources they need to support this type of instructional environment. Parents are urged to contact teachers to learn more about the specific resources used in their child’s classroom and how they can help reinforce material learned in class at home.
For more information about the textbook adoption process, please visit the Tennessee Department of Education’s website for Textbook Adoption Cycle and Textbook Services.
Curriculum and Professional Learning
Summer Carlton, Supervisor
Lindy Howse, Secretary
Freedom Intermediate School
840 Glass Lane
Franklin, TN 37064
615-472-3113
