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HCPSS / POLICIES

Policy 8040 Implementation Procedures - Selection of Instructional Resources

Policy Document

Implementation Procedures

I. General Procedures

  1. The Howard County Public School System (HCPSS) procedures for the selection of instructional resources will be used with the exception of the procedures established for:

    1. The program of Family Life and Human Development; and

    2. Any other resources governed by COMAR.

  2. The participation of parents, teachers, students, and other interested community members is a significant element in the selection process. Membership of all committees related to this policy should be representative of the population of Howard County as a whole.

  3. The following instructional resources may be used with students:

    1. Approved curriculum instructional resources that are chosen using procedures and HCPSS selection criteria.

    2. Supplemental curriculum, teacher-selected, and teacher-created instructional resources that comply with the selection criteria.

II. Selection of Resources for the Approved Curriculum Instructional Resources List

  1. All resources for the approved curriculum instructional resources list will be consistent with HCPSS policies and the established HCPSS selection criteria.

  2. Each curricular/program area supervisor will use the HCPSS selection criteria to curate and review proposed additions to the approved curriculum instructional resources list.

  3. All resources for the approved curriculum instructional resources list will adhere to the following public review of proposed resources procedures:

    1. Prior to consideration by the Board, the corresponding Curricular/Program Advisory Committee will provide feedback on the proposals for the approved curriculum instructional resources list according to the HCPSS selection criteria.

    2. Prior to consideration by the Board, all instructional resources intended to be added to the approved curriculum instructional resources list and for systemwide student use will be publicly available for 14 calendar days for parents and community members to review and comment.

    3. The Office of Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment will notify the public regarding the opportunity to review the recommended curriculum instructional resources intended to be added to the approved curriculum instructional resources list.

    4. Any HCPSS employee, Howard County community member, HCPSS students or parents may provide feedback concerning the proposed instructional resources by completing the Citizen’s Review of Instructional Resources form included in the public notice and available at the display site.

    5. The Office of Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment will review and respond to all public comments on the proposed instructional resources.

III. Selection of Supplemental Curriculum Instructional Resources

  1. All supplemental curriculum instructional resources to be used with students will be consistent with HCPSS policies and the established HCPSS selection criteria.

  2. Each curricular/program area supervisor will manage the review and selection process of all instructional resources, including digital tools.

  3. Excerpts from audio and visual resources excluded by this policy may be used to address an important instructional purpose including alignment with course-specific literature/texts, advanced placement, or external course (e.g., Howard County Community College courses and Applied Research Laboratory courses) objectives.

IV. Selection of Teacher-Selected and Teacher-Created Instructional Resources

  1. All teacher-selected and teacher-created instructional resources to be used with students will be consistent with HCPSS policies and the established HCPSS selection criteria.

  2. Excerpts from audio and visual resources excluded by this policy may be used to address an important instructional purpose including alignment with course-specific literature/texts, advanced placement, or external course (e.g., Howard County Community College courses and Applied Research Laboratory courses) objectives.

V. Selection of Library Media Center Collection Resources

  1. Library media center collection resources may be selected from the Approved List of Bibliographic Sources and Reviewing Journals maintained by Media Technical Services.

  2. The Approved List of Bibliographic Sources and Reviewing Journals will be posted on the HCPSS website.

  3. Library media center collection resources not reviewed in the Approved List of Bibliographic Sources and Reviewing Journals may be selected and purchased upon favorable evaluation using the Selection Criteria for Media Center Resources form. A separate form is required for each item purchased. Such resources will be in agreement with established policies and selection criteria.

VI. Resource Reevaluation Committee

  1. The Resource Reevaluation Committees (RRC) reevaluates approved curriculum instructional resources and library media center collection resources for which requests for reevaluation are received.

    1. Members of the RRC will be appointed for a two-year period, with one-half of the committee to be replaced or reappointed each year.

    2. The RRC will comprise 11-21 members, including:

      1. An HCPSS employee appointed by the Superintendent/designee who will serve as the chairperson (chair) of the committee.

      2. Students from across the county (at least one).

      3. Curricular/program area supervisors assigned to the committee by the chair based on the resources to be reevaluated.

      4. An equal number of members representing the following stakeholder groups:

        1. Community members from across the county comprised of:

          1. Parents with students currently enrolled in HCPSS, must be the majority of the community representatives.

          2. Howard County residents.

        2. Current HCPSS school-based certificated employees representing elementary, middle, and high schools from various disciplines, including School Library Media.

    3. RRC members may only represent one group.

  2. Community members will be selected for the committee according to the following process:

    1. The chair will annually notify the general public of upcoming appointments to the committee, the functions of the committee, membership requirements, committee meeting dates, and the availability of application forms from March through April.

    2. The chair will oversee the selection of applicants to fill vacancies.

    3. Members will be selected via lottery for each stakeholder group to ensure balanced committee representation.

    4. All committee members will be informed of the selection results by June 1.

    5. Committee membership will be effective July 1 of the following school year.

    6. All committee members will be given a roster of the RRC.

  3. The RRC will:

    1. Conduct the following five annual meetings:

      1. Orientation meeting (1); and

        The committee chair will provide training for the committee members, including the purpose and scope of the committee, committee member requirements and expectations, the process and cycle for reevaluation, and the criteria for evaluating resources as outlined in this policy.

      2. Quarterly reevaluation meetings (4)

        Committee members review and discuss resources for which requests for reevaluation have been received and vote to determine a recommendation for the Superintendent to retain or remove the reviewed resources.

        1. During the reevaluation process, library media center resources remain in media center circulations and collections

        2. During the reevaluation process, curriculum instructional resources remain in use for instruction.

    2. Quarterly reevaluation meetings require a quorum including the chair, program area supervisor, at least three community members, and at least three HCPSS school-based certificated employees in attendance.

    3. The committee chair will provide committee members with a copy of the resource for reevaluation at least one week prior to the reevaluation meeting.

    4. Committee members who have read the entirety of the resource for which a request for reevaluation has been received and are in attendance at the quarterly reevaluation meeting may vote to retain or remove the reviewed resource.

    5. A majority vote to retain or remove a resource from committee members present at the reevaluation meeting will constitute the committee’s recommendation.

    6. The chair of the committee will submit reevaluation recommendations made by the committee to the Superintendent/designee.

    7. The Superintendent/designee will inform the requestor(s) of the reevaluation request of the Superintendent’s decision within 21 days of the reevaluation meeting.

VII. Request for Review of Supplemental Curriculum, Teacher-Selected, and Teacher-Created Instructional Resources

  1. Currently enrolled students and their parents may request to review supplemental curriculum, teacher-selected, and teacher-created instructional resources in use, in writing to the school principal. HCPSS employees may only request to review supplemental curriculum instructional resources in use.

  2. The principal will:

    1. Make available specific resources for review upon request,

    2. Review questioned resources against the criteria outlined in the HCPSS selection criteria and make every effort to resolve the concern at the school level.

    3. Notify the Superintendent’s designee if a supplemental curriculum instructional resource does not comply with the criteria outlined in the policy for action.

    4. Notify the HCPSS employee and the Community Superintendent if a teacher-selected or teacher-created instructional resource does not comply with the criteria outlined in the policy for action.

    5. Notify the requestor of the disposition of the review.

VIII. Request for Review and Reevaluation of Approved Curriculum Instructional Resources and Library Media Center Collection Resources

  1. Currently enrolled students, parents of currently enrolled students, and current HCPSS employees may request to review approved curriculum instructional resources and library media center collection resources used in their school of attendance or employment, using the following process.:

    1. Request for review of approved curriculum instructional resources should be directed to the school principal where the resource is available or in use.

    2. The principal will make available specific resources for review upon request and make every effort to resolve the concern at the school level.

    3. Following a review of the resources and a conference with the principal, the student, parent, or HCPSS employee may file a Request for Reevaluation of Instructional Resources In Use form with the principal of the school if an unsatisfactory solution was not reached at the school level.

    4. The principal will forward a copy of the completed form to the Superintendent/designee.

  2. The Superintendent/designee, upon notification that a satisfactory solution was not reached at the local school level, will refer the matter to the RRC.

  3. The Superintendent/designee will notify the requestor of the receipt of the request within 14 school days of receiving the request.

  4. The RRC will reevaluate the resource based on the request and the selection criteria aligned to the type and use of the resource and make a recommendation to the Superintendent/designee.

    1. The chair of the RRC will include the resources for reevaluation on the next scheduled RRC quarterly reevaluation meeting. Prior to that meeting:

      1. The RRC chair will notify the appropriate curricular/program area supervisor, RRC members, and other relevant personnel of the request and the quarterly reevaluation meeting date.

      2. The appropriate curricular/program area supervisor will obtain sample copies of the resources and forward them to the RRC chair.

      3. The RRC chair will distribute the sample resources to the RRC members at least one week prior to the scheduled quarterly reevaluation meeting.

        1. If the request for review is received fewer than five (5) business days prior to the next quarterly reevaluation meeting, the chair will defer the review of the resource to the subsequent meeting.

        2. If the needed number of copies of the resource for which a reevaluation request has been received are not able to be secured within 10 business days prior to the next scheduled quarterly reevaluation meeting, the chair will defer the review of the resource to the subsequent meeting.

    2. The RRC chair will facilitate the quarterly reevaluation meeting.

    3. The RRC chair will notify the Superintendent/designee in writing of the committee’s recommendation.

    4. The Superintendent/designee will notify the requestor of the reevaluation disposition in writing of the decision to remove or retain the resources.

      1. The Superintendent/designee will notify the requestor in writing of the disposition of the reevaluation within 21 days of the quarterly reevaluation meeting.

      2. Once the RRC reevaluation process for a resource has been completed, the resource will remain available for at least two years before a subsequent reevaluation process can be initiated.

  5. The resource reevaluation requestor(s) may direct further appeals to the Board.

  6. The Board will serve as the final level of appeal within the HCPSS using the following procedures:

    1. The requestor will submit the appeal form to the Board Administrator.

    2. The Board Administrator will notify the Superintendent/designee of the appeal request and provide a timeline for responding to the request.

    3. The appeal of the decision of the challenged resources will be a written appeal under Section 4-205, Education Article, Maryland Annotated Code.

    4. The Superintendent/designee will provide copies of the challenged resources for the Board’s review and submit information to the Board for consideration, including training of the RRC, meeting notes, and decision on the challenged resources.

    5. The consideration of the appeal will occur pursuant to the Board of Education Rules and Procedures for Appeals.

  7. Once Board disposition of the appeal has been given for reevaluated resources, no further reevaluation will be made for at least two years.

  8. The Superintendent will provide the Board with an annual report of the resources requested for reevaluation and the disposition of each resource.

X. Monitoring

Policy 8040 implementation procedures will be overseen by the Division of Academics.

XI. Definitions

Within the context of this policy, the following definition applies:

Resources Reevaluation Committee (RRC) – A countywide committee that reevaluates approved curriculum instructional and library media center collection resources for which requests for reevaluation have been received.

XII. History

ADOPTED: October 26, 1989

REVIEWED: February 24, 2022

MODIFIED:

REVISED:

  • June 13, 1991

  • December 12, 1996

  • July 28, 2003

  • April 6, 2006

  • January 11, 2018

  • June 8, 2023

EFFECTIVE: July 1, 2023

Policy History Key

  • Adopted-Original date the Board took action to approve a policy
  • Reviewed-The date the status of a policy was assessed by the Superintendent’s Standing Policy Group
  • Modified-The date the Board took action to alter a policy that based on the recommendation of the Superintendent/designee did not require a comprehensive examination
  • Revised-The date the Board took action on a that policy based on the recommendation of the Superintendent/designee needed a comprehensive examination
  • Effective-The date a policy is implemented throughout the HCPSS, typically July 1 following Board action.