DAR File No. 32257

Education, Administration

R277-469

Instructional Materials Commission Operating Procedures

NOTICE OF PROPOSED RULE

DAR File No.: 32257
Filed: 12/30/2008, 01:15
Received by: NL

RULE ANALYSIS

Purpose of the rule or reason for the change:

This rule is amended to include a requirement that all publishers of textbooks and text materials purchased by traditional and charter public schools provide electronic files of instructional material to the National Instructional Materials Access Center (NIMAC) consistent with federal regulations.

Summary of the rule or change:

The amendments provide new and changed definitions and provide new requirements for instructional materials to be accessible and available to students with visual impairment.

State statutory or constitutional authorization for this rule:

Subsection 53A-1-401(3)

Anticipated cost or savings to:

the state budget:

There are no anticipated costs or savings to the state budget. Implementation of the new requirements will be administered by existing staff within existing budgets.

local governments:

There may be some costs to local government. Public schools will have access to national databases to download and convert files into accessible instructional materials for students with visual impairments. There may, however, be some costs to schools to provide materials consistent with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). The costs at this time are unknown. Costs will depend on the number of visually impaired students attending a school, the nature of students' impairment(s), and the availability and accessibility of materials students need.

small businesses and persons other than businesses:

There are no anticipated costs or savings to small businesses AND persons other than businesses. This amended rule applies specifically to public schools.

Compliance costs for affected persons:

There are no compliance costs for affected persons. This new requirements will require public schools to provide instructional materials for students with visual impairments.

Comments by the department head on the fiscal impact the rule may have on businesses:

I have reviewed this rule and I see no fiscal impact on businesses. Patti Harrington, State Superintendent of Public Instruction

The full text of this rule may be inspected, during regular business hours, at the Division of Administrative Rules, or at:

Education
Administration
250 E 500 S
SALT LAKE CITY UT 84111-3272

Direct questions regarding this rule to:

Carol Lear at the above address, by phone at 801-538-7835, by FAX at 801-538-7768, or by Internet E-mail at carol.lear@schools.utah.gov

Interested persons may present their views on this rule by submitting written comments to the address above no later than 5:00 p.m. on:

02/17/2009

This rule may become effective on:

02/24/2009

Authorized by:

Carol Lear, Director, School Law and Legislation

R277. Education, Administration.

R277-469. Instructional Materials Commission Operating Procedures.

R277-469-1. Definitions.

A. "Advanced placement materials" means materials used for the College Board Advanced Placement Program and classes. The program policies are determined by representatives of member institutions. Operational services are provided by the Educational Testing Service. The program provides practical descriptions of college-level courses to interested schools and student test results based on these courses to colleges of the student's choice. Participating colleges grant credit or appropriate placement, or both, to students whose test results meet standards prescribed by the college.

B. "Basic skills course" means a subject which requires mastery of specific functions to include reading, language arts, mathematics through geometry, science, in grades 4 through 12, and effectiveness of written expression.

C. "Board" means the Utah State Board of Education.

D. "Commission" means the Instructional Materials Commission.

E. "Curriculum alignment" means the assurance that the material taught in a course or grade level matches the standards, objectives and assessments set by the state or school district for specific courses or grade levels.

F. "Curriculum map" means a visual representation, a tool, for assisting developers to conceptualize shared visions and values which will drive the curriculum as a whole. Sometimes called a concept map, this tool clarifies a plan for knowledge construction; it shows the links and relationships between concepts.

G. "Instructional materials" means systematically arranged text materials, in harmony with the Core framework and required courses of study or U-PASS requirements or both, which may be used by students or teachers or both as principal sources of study and which cover any portion of the course. These materials:

(1) shall be designed for student use; and

(2) may be accompanied by or contain teaching guides and study helps;[ and]

(3) shall include all textbooks, workbooks and student materials and supplements necessary for a student to fully participate in coursework; and

([3]4) shall be high quality, research-based and proven to be effective in supporting student learning.

H. "Independent party" means an entity that is not the Board, not the superintendent of public instruction or USOE staff, or an employee or board member of a school district, or the instructional materials creator or publisher, or anyone with a financial interest in the instructional materials, however minimal.

I. "Integrated instructional program" means any combination of textbooks, workbooks, software, videos, transparencies, or similar resources used for classroom instruction of students.

J. "International Baccalaureate" means college level work, limited in subject areas, which balances humanities and sciences in an interdisciplinary, global academic program that is both philosophical and practical. This multi-cultural experience emphasizes analytical and conceptual skills and aesthetic understanding for advanced students.

K. "National Instructional Materials Access Center (NIMAC)" is a central national repository established at the American Printing House for the Blind (APH) to store and to maintain NIMAS file sets. It features an automated system for allowing publishers to deposit NIMAS-conformant files within the repository. Files are checked to confirm that they are valid NIMAS-conformant files and then cataloged in a web-based database. Those who have been authorized for access have user identifications and passwords. These authorized users may search the NIMAC database and directly download the file(s) they need to convert into accessible instructional materials for those students who are in elementary and secondary schools and have qualifying disabilities.

[K]L. "National Instructional Materials Accessibility Standard (NIMAS)" is a technical standard used by publishers to produce consistent and valid XML-based source files that may be used to develop multiple specialized formats, such as Braille or audio books, for students with print disabilities.

[L]M. "Not recommended materials" means instructional materials which have been reviewed by the Commission but not recommended.

[M]N. "Primary instructional material" means a comprehensive basal or Core textbook or integrated instructional program for which a publisher seeks a recommendation for Core subjects designated in R277-700-4, 5, and 6.

[N]O. "Primary instructional materials provider" means a publisher or author and self-publisher who sells or provides instructional materials for use in Utah public schools.

[O]P. "Public website" means a website designated by the USOE provided by the publisher of instructional materials, free-of-charge, to teachers and the general public, to exhibit alignment and mapping to the Core for Utah primary instructional materials.

[P]Q. "Recommended instructional materials (RIMs)" means the recommended instructional materials searchable database provided as a free service by the USOE for the posting of evaluations and alignments to the Core of instructional materials submitted by publishers and on the public website of the publisher, if applicable, for review by the Commission and approval of the Board.

[Q]R. "State Core Curriculum (Core)" means minimum academic standards provided through courses as established by the Board which shall be completed by all students K-12 as a requisite for graduation from Utah's secondary schools. The Core is provided in R277-700.

[R]S. "USOE" means the Utah State Office of Education.

[S]T. "Utah Performance Assessment System for Students (U-PASS)" means:

(1) systematic norm-referenced achievement testing of all students in grades 3, 5, 8, and 11 required by this part in all schools within each school district by means of tests designated by the Board;

(2) criterion-referenced achievement testing of students in all grade levels in basic skills courses, to include reading, language arts, mathematics through geometry, science, in grades 4 through 12, and effectiveness of written expression, as defined in Section 53A-1-602;

(3) a direct writing assessment in grades 6 and 9; and

(4) a tenth grade basic skills competency test as detailed in Section 53A-1-611.

 

R277-469-2. Authority and Purpose.

A. This rule is authorized under Utah Constitutional Article X, Section 3 which vests general control and supervision over public education in the Board, by Section 53A-14-101 which directs the Board to appoint an Instructional Materials Commission and directs the Commission to evaluate instructional materials for recommendation by the Board, by Section 53A-14-107 which directs the Board to make rules that establish the qualifications of the independent parties who may evaluate and map the alignment of the primary instructional materials and requirements for the detailed summary of the evaluation and its placement on a public website, and by S[ubs]ection 53A-1-401(3) which allows the Board to make rules in accordance with its responsibilities.

B. The purpose of this rule is to provide definitions, operating procedures and criteria for recommending instructional materials for use in Utah public schools. The rule also provides for mapping and alignment of primary instructional materials to the Core consistent with Utah law.

 

R277-469-3. Use of State Funds for Instructional Materials.

A. School districts may use funds:

(1) for primary instructional materials that have been mapped and aligned to the Core by an independent party; and

(2) for any supplemental or supportive instructional materials that support Core or U-PASS requirements.

(3) for instructional materials selected and approved by a school or school district consistent with the standards of this rule and:

(a) consistent with established local board procedures and timelines; and

(b) consistent with Section 53A-13-101(1)(c)(iii); or

(c) consistent with Section 53A-14-102(4).

B. Schools or school districts that use any funding source to purchase materials that have not been recommended or selected consistent with law, may have funds withheld to the extent of the actual costs of those materials pursuant to S[ubs]ection 53A-1-401(3).

C. Free instructional materials:

(1) that are used as primary instructional materials or that are part of primary integrated instructional programs shall be subject to the same independent party evaluation and Core mapping as basal or Core material; or

(2) if free materials are provided as part of a supplemental program, they may be used as student instructional materials only consistent with the law and this rule; and

(3) shall be reviewed and recommended by the Commission or by a school in a public meeting consistent with Section 53A-14-102(4), prior to their use.

D. Charter schools are exempt from Section 53A-14-107. Despite this exemption and consistent U.S.C. 300.172(c), hereby incorporated by reference, all public schools subject to a state education agency that contracts with NIMAC require publishers with whom the public schools under the control of the state education agency contract to prepare and, on or before delivery of the print instructional materials, provide to NIMAC electronic files containing the contents of the print instruction materials using the NIMAS or purchase instructional materials from the publisher that are produced in, or may be rendered in, specialized formats.

E. Notice to publishers

(1) All traditional and charter public schools shall be responsible for notifying all publishers with whom they contract for instructional materials beginning October 1, 2008 that all materials shall be provided consistent with R277-469-3D.

(2) Traditional and charter schools shall include a copy of R277-469, drawing publishers' attention to this provision of the rule, with the notice to publishers from whom the schools purchase materials.

(3) Schools shall provide publishers with timely notice of this requirement.

 

R277-469-10. Detailed Summary Requirements.

Independent parties that may align and map primary instructional materials shall provide to the publisher a detailed summary of the evaluation. The summary shall:

A. be provided on a public website required under Section 53A-14-107(3)(b) designated by the USOE;

B. submit the summary in the alignment template provided by the USOE;

C. submit the summary in a searchable, software database format designated by the USOE;

D. include detailed alignment information that includes at a minimum:

(1) the title of the material;

(2) the ISBN number;

(3) the publisher's name;

(4) the name/grade of the Core document used to align the material;

(5) the overall percentage of coverage of the Core;

(6) the overall percentage of coverage in ancillary resources of the material to the Core;

(7) the percentage of coverage of the Core in the material for each standard, objective and indicator in the Core with corresponding page numbers;

(8) percentage of coverage of the Core not covered in the material but covered in the ancillary resources for each standard;

(9) objective and indicator in the Core with corresponding page numbers; and

E. provide the detailed alignment information listed in R277-[477-]469-10[A]D(4) for the student text for all editions of the text that are used in Utah public schools;

F. provide the detailed alignment information listed in R277-464-10[A]D(4) for a teacher edition of text, if a teacher edition is used in Utah public schools;

G. provide a map of the materials detailing when the materials should be used in a 180 day school schedule including the standard, objective and indicator of the item to be taught with corresponding page numbers; the recommended use of the material, such as to introduce a concept, to gain information about a concept, to extend understanding of a concept, to apply a concept, or to assess a concept; and hyperlinks to other materials, websites, or lesson plans that correspond to the concept.

H. designate at the conclusion of the alignment document, the reviewer's evaluation of the material's alignment to the Core curriculum on a scale of 1-10, with 10 indicating the closest alignment to the Utah Core curriculum; and

I. provide an assurance, including a personal (electronic is adequate) signature that the work was completed personally and as required by the licensed and endorsed reviewer.

 

R277-469-11. Agreements and Procedures for Publishing Companies.

A. Publishing companies desiring to sell primary instructional materials to Utah school districts and schools shall:

(1) contract with an independent party who meets the requirements in R277-469-9 to align and map the primary instructional material and related ancillary materials to the appropriate Utah Core with the following provisions:

(a) the publisher provides a detailed summary of the Core alignment and mapping as described in R277-469-10 at no charge; and

(b) the publisher pays the costs associated with the requirements of Section 53A-14-107.

(2) The requirements under R277-469-9-A(1) shall only be performed by entities consistent with Section 53A-14-107(2).

B. Publishers seeking to sell recommended materials to Utah schools or school districts shall have adopted materials on deposit at an instructional materials depository in the business of selling instructional materials to schools or school districts in Utah.

C. Depository agreements may be made between publishers of materials and one or more depository.

D. The provisions of R277-469-11 shall not preclude publishers from selling instructional materials to schools or school districts in Utah directly or through means other than the designated depository.

E. Recommended materials with revisions:

(1) If a revised edition of recommended materials retains the original title and authorship, the publisher may request its substitution for the edition currently recommended providing that:

(a) the original contract price and contract date do not change and the original contract price applies for the substituted materials;

(b) the revised edition is compatible with the earlier edition, permitting use of either or both in the same classroom;

(c) a sample copy of the revised edition is provided to the USOE Instructional Materials Specialist for examination purposes;

(d) the publisher submits a revised electronic edition in NIMAS file format to the National Instructional Materials Access Center (NIMAC) if the USOE approves the substitution request; and

(e) a new curriculum alignment and map summary is provided.

(2) If S[ubs]ection R277-469-8E is not satisfied, a new edition shall be submitted for recommendation as new materials.

(3) The Commission shall make the final determination about the substitution of a new edition for a previously recommended edition with assistance from the state subject area specialist.

F. A publisher's contract price for materials recommended by the Commission shall apply for five years from the contract date.

 

KEY: instructional materials

Date of Enactment or Last Substantive Amendment: [August 7, 2008]2009

Notice of Continuation: March 3, 2008

Authorizing, and Implemented or Interpreted Law: Art X, Sec 3; 53A-14-101; 53A-14-107; 53A-1-401(3)