COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

P.O. BOX 2120

RICHMOND, VIRGINIA 23218-2120

SUPTS. MEMO NO. 146

October 18, 2002

INFORMATIONAL

TO:	Division Superintendents
FROM:	Jo Lynne DeMary Superintendent of Public Instruction
SUBJECT:	Textbook Adoption and Instructional Materials for K-3 History and Social Science

As you are aware, Virginia is in the process of adopting textbooks and instructional materials for K-12 History and Social Science. In our directions to publishers, we explained that Virginias teachers expect instructional materials to be correlated with this states Standards of Learning.

After careful deliberation by a state review committee of teachers and by Department of Education staff members, we found that no textbook or instructional material for K-3 submitted by any publisher fully met the criteria established to correlate with the K-3 Virginia Standards of Learning. The department asked all publishers who submitted K-3 textbooks and instructional materials if they would be willing to provide a Virginia-specific supplement to enhance their materials and fully address our standards. The department is pleased to announce that both Harcourt School Publishers and Scott Foresman have agreed to provide this supplement. Accordingly, the department will extend the adoption timeframe to allow for development of the supplement. It is anticipated that both publishers will have prototypes available for Board of Education approval in early 2003. Contracts would be awarded on schedule and would be effective on July 1, 2003.

For more information, please contact Beverly Thurston (bthursto@pen.k12.va.us), coordinator for textbooks and instructional materials, office of middle instructional services, at (804) 225-2893.

JLD/BT/lcp