Eagle Mountain-Saginaw ISD is committed to providing exceptional educational resources to help engage students in a culture of excellence, instilling a passion for a lifetime of continuous achievement in every student.

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What are Instructional Materials?

Instructional materials may include textbooks, supplementary resources for classroom use, and any other instructional resources, including electronic resources, used for formal or informal teaching and learning purposes. The primary objectives of instructional materials are to implement, enrich, and support the District's educational program.

Library materials, which are considered instructional materials, may include printed and electronic library acquisitions and other ancillary or supplementary materials maintained in a campus library. In accordance with state and local guidelines, library collections should enrich and support the state and local curriculum. Collections should also provide materials of high interest to encourage student reading and learning for pleasure.

How are Instructional Materials selected?

Administrators, teachers, librarians, other District personnel, parents, and community members, as appropriate, may recommend instructional resources for selection.

The Board shall rely on District professional staff to select and acquire instructional resources that:

1. Enrich and support the curriculum consistent with the general educational goals of the state and District, the aims and objectives of individual schools and specific courses, and the District and campus improvement plans.
2. Are appropriate for the subject area and for the age, ability level, learning styles, interests, and social and emotional development of the students for whom they are selected.
3. Meet high standards for artistic quality, literary style, authenticity, educational significance, factual content, physical format, presentation, readability, and technical quality.
4. Present various sides of controversial issues so that students have an opportunity to develop, under guidance, skills in critical analysis and in making informed judgments in their daily lives. [See also EMB regarding instruction about controversial issues.]
5. Promote literacy.

Selection of resources is an ongoing process that includes the removal of resources no longer appropriate and the periodic replacement or repair of resources that still have educational value.

In addition to the criteria above, librarians and other professional staff shall ensure that library materials:

1. Develop a balanced collection presenting multiple viewpoints related to controversial issues to foster critical thinking skills and encourage discussion based on rational analysis [see EMB regarding instruction about controversial issues];
2. Represent many ethnic, religious, and cultural groups and their contributions to the national heritage and world community;
3. Provide a wide range of background information that will enable students to make intelligent decisions in their daily lives;
4. Demonstrate literary merit, quality, value, and significance;
5. Have received favorable professional library reviews from state and nationally recognized review publications;
6. Have received state or national awards or are included on recommended reading lists developed by library professionals and educators;
7. Cover topics, authors, series, or genres that fill gaps in the school library collection;
8. Include accurate and authentic factual content from authoritative sources;
9. Have a high degree of potential user appeal and interest;
10. Offer a global perspective that promotes equity of access, including print and nonprint materials such as electronic and multimedia, to meet the needs of individual learners;
11. Are requested or recommended by students and teachers;
12. Mirror selections found in neighboring districts or libraries in the region; and
13. Represent diverse viewpoints and cultures appropriate to each campus to ensure the collection embodies the unique background of its student population.

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The EMS ISD Instructional Materials Selection process and Reconsideration process are guided by the following EMS ISD Board Policy documents:

• EF Instructional Resources (Local)
• EFA Instructional Resources: Instructional Materials
• EFB Instructional Resources: Library Materials

Questions about Instructional Materials selection and reconsideration can be directed to the Director of Teaching & Learning. 

Eagle Mountain-Saginaw ISD is committed to providing exceptional educational resources to help engage students in a culture of excellence, instilling a passion for a lifetime of continuous achievement in every student.

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EMS ISD Instructional Materials Reconsideration Process 

The process, guided by EMS ISD Board Policy, includes:

1. An opportunity for a parent, community member, or staff member to informally address concerns with the campus.
2. An opportunity for a parent, community member, or staff member to file a Formal Reconsideration Request with the appropriate administrator.
3. A review of the instructional materials by the Formal Reconsideration Committee.
4. An opportunity for complainants to appeal the decision of the Formal Reconsideration Committee.

Individuals with concerns about instructional materials used in the school education program should contact the appropriate administrator to resolve the matter informally. If, after informally addressing concerns, the form to submit a Formal Reconsideration Request can be found here.

Guiding Principles for Response to Reconsideration Request

The following principles shall guide Eagle Mountain-Saginaw ISD in responding to challenges of instructional materials and resources:

1. A complainant may raise an objection to an instructional material used in a school’s education program, despite the fact that the professional staff selecting the resources were qualified to make the selection, followed the proper procedure, and adhered to the objectives for instructional materials set out in policy EFA(LEGAL).
2. A parent’s ability to exercise control over instruction extends only to his or her own (child)ren as set forth in Education Code Chapter 26. 
3. Access to challenged materials shall not be restricted during the reconsideration process, except the District may deny access to a child if requested by the child’s parent.

The major criterion for the final decision on challenged instructional materials is the appropriateness of the material for its intended educational use.  No challenged instructional material shall be removed solely because of the ideas expressed therein.

(From EMS Board Policy EFA[LOCAL])

 

Questions about Instructional Materials selection and reconsideration can be directed to the Director of Teaching & Learning.