ELA/ELD IM Follow-up Adoption FAQs

Introductory Information

1. What is a “follow-up adoption?”

   Follow-up adoptions are authorized by California Education Code (EC) Section 60227 .

   The California Code of Regulations, Title 5 (5 CCR), Section 9517.1 , details the process.

   5 CCR Section 9517.1, subsections (c) and (d) provide:

   (c) Instructional materials approved by the SBE in a follow-up adoption shall be added to the existing adoption list for that subject and remain on the list until the established expiration date for that list pursuant to Education Code section 60200.

   (d) Follow-up adoptions shall be based on the curriculum framework and evaluation criteria issued for the primary adoption. The following procedures for the adoption of instructional materials for the primary adoption, as set forth in [5 CCR] sections 9510, 9512, 9513, 9514, 9517, 9517.2, 9518, 9519, 9521, 9522, 9523, 9524 and 9525, are also applicable to follow-up adoptions.

2. When will the next primary ELA/ELD instructional materials adoption occur?

   A primary adoption for ELA/ELD instructional materials is not currently scheduled.

3. We did not participate in the 2015 ELA/ELD primary adoption; can we participate in this follow-up adoption?

   Yes. This process is open to new or updated programs and/or new grade levels.

4. We’re on the 2015 ELA/ELD adoption list; what does this follow-up adoption mean for remaining on the 2015 ELA/ELD adoption list?

   Any instructional materials adopted by the SBE as part of the 2026 follow-up adoption will be added to the existing list of SBE-adopted materials.

5. We’re on the 2015 ELA/ELD adoption list; can we—or should we—resubmit our program?

   No. All SBE-adopted programs will remain on the 2015 list. However, you may submit a revision of your 2015 SBE-adopted program.

6. If we submit a revision to our program on the 2015 ELA/ELD adoption list, will we still have to pay the participation fee?
   

   Yes; the participation fee is mandated by statute. (The fee is described below.)

7. We’re on the 2015 ELA/ELD adoption list, but we have an amended version of that program; can we submit this revision for the follow-up adoption and, if so, how will it affect the status of our original program?

   Yes, you may submit a new program, a revision, or additional grade levels to a currently adopted program. All materials adopted in the 2026 follow-up adoption will be added to the existing adoption list, per 5 CCR 9517.1(c). Existing programs will remain on the 2015 list.

8. We’re on the 2015 ELA/ELD adoption list for some grade levels; can we now participate to add grade levels to that 2015 SBE-adopted program?

   Yes. Note that materials submitted for the 2026 follow-up adoption will be evaluated independently of any previously approved materials.

9. Can a publisher/developer submit more than one program?

   Yes. There is no limit to the number of programs a publisher/developer may submit.

10. The CDE ELA/ELD web page description and Schedule of Significant Events for this follow-up adoption mention additional “guidance”; what will this guidance provide?

    As part of the 2025 Education Omnibus Budget Trailer Bill (Assembly Bill 121, Section 89 ) funding was provided for the development of guidance “to support the follow-up adoption and subsequent implementation of English Language Arts/English Language Development instructional materials” that “does all of the following:”
    
    

    1. (1) Evaluates and includes materials that focus on the teaching of specific skills and standards that are a subset of the entire English Language Arts/English Language Development Framework and clearly designate which standards they effectively address, enabling local educational agencies to adopt a set of materials that, in combination, address all of the state standards and components of the framework.
    2. (2) Is aligned to evidence-based means of teaching foundational reading skills, which shall include explicit and systematic instruction in print concepts, phonological awareness, phonics and word recognition, and fluency, attending to oral language development, vocabulary and background knowledge, and comprehension, including tiered supports for pupils with reading difficulties, English learners, and pupils with exceptional needs.
    3. (3) Conforms to all of the following:
       • (A) The English Language Arts/English Language Development Framework.
       • (B) Includes foundational skills, language development, content knowledge, meaning making, and effective expression.
       • (C) Incorporates media literacy content included in the English Language Arts/English Language Development Framework.
         

11. When will this additional guidance be available publicly?

    The SBE is scheduled to consider the guidance for approval at its November 5–6, 2025, meeting.

12. Do partial programs fall under this adoption process?

    Yes. Program types 4 and 5 are partial programs by definition; and for the 2026 ELA/ELD follow-up adoption, partial programs for program types 1, 2, and 3 may be considered. The guidance scheduled to be considered at the SBE’s November 2025 meeting is expected to further address parameters for partial program submissions.

Evaluation Criteria

1. Can “instructional resources,” “student resources,” “materials,” and “teacher resources” include both print and online/digital components? And can you confirm that publishers/developers are not expected to cover 100 percent of category 1 items in print materials only?

   Publisher and developer programs, including both teacher and student materials, may include print, digital, a combination of the two, or one format exclusively. State law defines instructional materials to include all formats. There is no requirement regarding alignment to the evaluation criteria via print materials only.

2. Is it permissible that some of our program content is located online in open educational resources (OERs) that we do not own or specifically license?

   The evaluation criteria in chapter 12 of the ELA/ELD Framework provides specific guidance regarding OERs.

3. Recent SBE instructional materials adoptions for other subject areas have included a category 1 requirement for content based upon the Environmental Principles and Concepts (EP&Cs). Is such content required for this ELA/ELD Follow-Up Adoption?

   No. There are no references to the EP&Cs in the evaluation criteria.

Process

1. What are the deadlines for participation in this adoption?

   Please see the SBE-adopted Schedule of Significant Events.

2. Is there any fee for participation?

   Yes. EC Section 60227 and 5 CCR Section 9517.1 require that state instructional materials adoptions be fully funded by publisher participation fees. The fee is $8,000 per grade level. The law and regulations do provide an opportunity for the SBE to consider a reduction in the fee for a designated small publisher. A small publisher is defined as an independently owned or operated publisher or manufacturer that is not dominant in its field of operation and that, together with its affiliates, has 100 or fewer employees and has average annual gross receipts of $10 million or less over the previous three years.

3. What are the requirements for display of submitted instructional materials during an adoption? What are the requirements for publishers/developers?

   Publishers/developers must post the student editions of their submitted programs on a website that is accessible to the public (5 CCR Section 9523). The publishers/developers shall send a URL to the CDE containing that link no later than the deadline for the distribution of instructional materials samples. The regulations state that the materials “posted on each publisher's website shall be identical to the hard copy version of the instructional materials submitted for adoption, except that copyrighted items that do not allow for posting online may be omitted and replaced by a description of the omitted item, and any online features that are absent from the hard copy version shall be identified.”
   
   In addition to the online display, publishers/developers must distribute hard copies/software copies or digital access keys for online materials to Learning Resource Display Centers (LRDCs) across the state (of which there are approximately 20). The CDE will provide a list of LRDCs as part of the sampling bulletin that will be distributed during the training of reviewers.

4. What exactly counts as “student materials” for the requirement that those materials be posted online for review?

   5 CCR Section 9523, states that publishers shall post “those instructional materials intended for student use” and provide the CDE with a URL to where those materials are available online. This requirement includes items such as student editions, consumable workbooks, and the like. An item that is primarily intended for the teacher or is not provided to the student as part of the normal course of instruction does not need to be posted. Similarly, answer keys and solution sets for student assessment materials do not need to be posted.

5. Can we have a password or other security feature on the student editions we post online?

   Publishers/developers may implement security features they deem necessary as long as they do not limit public access to the materials. If there is a password, there must be a process for members of the public to request that password and receive it in a timely manner.

6. How do we post our student materials online if they contain copyrighted images?

   Publishers/developers may either conceal or omit copyrighted images with a notation that the image is available in the print materials or include pages that have embedded watermarks. In addition, publishers/developers may note that materials are posted for review purposes only.

7. How long do our student materials need to be kept online?

   The materials must be kept online and accessible until the SBE takes action to adopt/not adopt instructional materials.

8. What funding is available to districts to purchase instructional materials?

   Districts may use Local Control Funding Formula funds or Proposition 20 lottery funds. For more information, please visit Funding for Instructional Materials web page.

Distribution of Samples

1. What materials do publishers/developers need to send by the materials sample due date, and to whom shall they send it?

   By the April–May 2026 training week, the CDE will email to each publisher and developer a program-specific delivery list in Microsoft Excel. To each person/entity on that delivery list (possibly up to 60 copies), the publisher/developer must send a complete copy of the program(s) identified. (Note that in cases where a publisher/developer plans to submit more than one program, different review panels may receive each program, but the CDE will advise publishers/developers of this fact in advance).

   Publishers/developers must send to each person/entity identified on the delivery list the following:

   • A complete copy of their program (identified by each component on the submission form). If the program is electronic in format, the publisher/developer has the option of sending online access instructions or the complete program pre-loaded on a device (iPad; Chromebook; laptop; etc.—which must be returned to the publisher/developer at the end of deliberations week).
     
     
   • One completed evaluation criteria map per program
     
     
   • Completed standards maps for each grade level of each program
     
     
   • The narrative program description (max six pages)
     
     
   • A complete inventory list
     
     

   The CDE will include the information above in a future bulletin to participating publishers/developers.

2. Do the student materials to be posted online by the materials delivery due date need to be in a printable format?

   No.

3. How many copies of samples must we provide?

   The CDE will advise publishers/developers of an approximate number of sample packages around the time of the reviewer training sessions, but publishers/developers should be prepared to provide up to 60 copies by the end of the process.

4. Do all materials (core and ancillary) need to be submitted by the materials delivery due date?

   Yes. All components of the complete program to be reviewed must be submitted by the specific due date. Any materials/content submitted after that date will not be reviewed nor considered as part of the program. This requirement is firm, and failure to provide all content has resulted in some programs failing review in past adoptions.

5. If our materials are incomplete at the deadline, may we submit them anyway and submit the complete materials when they are available?

   No. Publishers/developers will not be permitted to submit new content after submission deadline. The CDE will instruct reviewers to disregard any late submitted materials.

6. Will the materials publishers/developers send to the LRDCs stay at those locations for the life of the adoption?

   The CDE requests LRDCs display materials for two years following an SBE adoption. Following this two-year period, publishers/developers must collect any hardware associated with their program(s) if previously provided.

7. Will samples be required for every school/district or only at their request?

   The CDE will ask publishers/developers to deliver samples to SBE-approved reviewers, LRDCs, and select Instructional Quality Commission and SBE members. Publishers need not provide sample materials to schools.

8. Can we submit print materials in less than final form?

   Yes, within certain defined parameters. 5 CCR Section 9517 establishes the following parameters of acceptable “less-than-final” formats:
   

   • (j) Publishers shall submit all instructional materials in the same physical form that will be offered for purchase during the adoption period with the following exceptions:
     
     
     • (1) Audio recordings may be submitted in manuscript form.
       
       
     • (2) Artwork may appear in black and white that will ultimately appear in color in the instructional materials offered for purchase during the adoption period.
       
       
     • (3) Alternate formats as described in section 9528.
       
       
   • (k) Except as described in sections 9528 and 9529, publishers shall not change or modify instructional materials after the date specified in the Schedule of Significant Events for delivery of instructional materials to IMRs, CREs and LRDCs. Instructional materials changed or modified after this delivery date shall be disqualified from consideration in the adoption unless the changes or modifications are approved by the SBE.

9. When are final formats due?

   Final formats will be due 60 days following the CDE’s confirmation of the conclusion of the edits and corrections process (late winter 2027).