Skip to content
California Department of Education News Release
Release: #05-122
October 3, 2005
Contact: Tina Jung
E-mail: communications@cde.ca.gov
Phone: 916-319-0818

State Schools Chief Invites Public Input on
New Textbooks for History-Social Science

SACRAMENTO — State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell announced today the instructional materials for kindergarten through eighth grade selected for adoption consideration by the State Board of Education in history-social science are now available for public review.

"We're asking the public to tell us what they think about the textbooks we are selecting for our students and to pass this on to the State Board of Education," O'Connell said. "Students need the best possible books about history and social science so they will become responsible citizens and learn the vital links between the past, present, and future. Once these textbooks and instructional materials are adopted by the Board, they will be used by all students in kindergarten through grade eight for the next six years."

The materials submitted for the history-social science adoption have been evaluated by members of the Instructional Materials Advisory Panels and Content Review Panels that include classroom teachers, other educators, and history experts. The materials under consideration have been on display since April 2005 at Learning Resources Display Centers (LRDCs) located throughout the state. The Curriculum Development and Supplemental Materials Commission today released the list of materials it would be recommending to the State Board of Education for adoption. The list of recommended materials and a list of the LRDCs are attached and are available online at: Learning Resource Display Centers - Curriculum Frameworks & Instructional Materials. The public may view these instructional materials and submit comments on forms available at the local LRDCs.

The State Board of Education adopts instructional materials for grades K-8 and is scheduled to take action on November 9-10, 2005. Comments must be received by October 31, 2005 in order for them to be considered by the Board. Please mail and/or fax comments to:

Suzanne Rios, Administrator
History-Social Science Adoption
Curriculum Frameworks and Instructional Resources Division
California Department of Education
1430 N Street, Suite 3207
Sacramento, CA  95814
Fax (916) 319-0172

People may also present their concerns at a public hearing of the Board on November 9, 2005, even if they may not have completed public comment forms. The public hearing would mark the conclusion of the review for the instructional materials submitted for the 2005 History-Social Science Adoption for Grades K-8.

For more information on the availability of instructional materials for review, please contact Suzanne Rios, Administrator, Instructional Resources Unit, at 916-319-0665, or the Curriculum Frameworks and Instructional Resources Division at 916-319-0881.

# # # #

Attachment A

List of Learning Resources Display Centers

Attachment B

California 2005 History-Social Science
Primary Instructional Materials Adoption,
Kindergarten Through Grade Eight
Programs Submitted For Consideration in the 2005 Adoption

Publisher

Program Title

Grade Levels

Curriculum Commission Recommendation

Ballard & Tighe

Explore America

5

Not Recommended

Ballard & Tighe

Explore the Ancient World

6

Not Recommended

Ballard & Tighe

Explore World History

7

Not Recommended

Decision Development Corporation

DDC Social Science Series

4-6

Not Recommended

Glencoe/McGraw-Hill

Glencoe Discovering Our Past

6-8

Recommended

Harcourt School Publishers

Reflections: California Series

K-6

Recommended

Holt, Rinehart and Winston

Holt California Social Studies: World History, Ancient Civilizations

6

Recommended

Holt, Rinehart and Winston

Holt California Social Studies: United States History, Medieval to Early Modern Times

7

Recommended

Holt, Rinehart and Winston

Holt California Social Studies: United States History, Independence to 1914

8

Recommended

Houghton Mifflin

Houghton Mifflin History-Social Science

K-6

Recommended

Macmillan/McGraw-Hill

California Vistas

K-6

Recommended

McDougal Littell

McDougal Littell California Middle School Social Studies Series

6-8

Recommended

Oxford University Press

Oxford History-Social Science Program for California

5, 7, 8

Recommended

Oxford University Press

Oxford History-Social Science Program for California

6

Not Recommended

Pearson Prentice Hall

Prentice Hall Social Studies

6-8

Recommended

Pearson Scott Foresman

Scott Foresman History-Social Science for California

K-5

Recommended

Teachers' Curriculum Institute

History Alive! California Middle Schools Program

6-8

Recommended

# # # #


Jack O'Connell — State Superintendent of Public Instruction
Communications Division, Room 5206, 916-319-0818, Fax 916-319-0100

Download Free Readers