Morgan Hill
– Science textbooks are being replaced at every grade level,
from kindergarten to 12th grade, while science curriculum is also
being revamped at the secondary level, district officials
announced.
Board considers new books, course content
n By Marilyn Dubil staff writer
Morgan Hill – Science textbooks are being replaced at every grade level, from kindergarten to 12th grade, while science curriculum is also being revamped at the secondary level, district officials announced.
A shift in focus from construction to curriculum is something the Morgan Hill Unified School District Board of Education has been talking about for several years, particularly once Superintendent Alan Nishino was hired and construction on Sobrato High School was complete, and trustees turned their concentration on science during the June 12 board meeting.
School Board trustees were presented for discussion a virtual library of new science textbooks, plus revised curriculum outlines for grades 6 though 12
Assistant Superintendent Michael Johnson told trustees that the district had been focusing on revamping its math curriculum, and now is turning the focus on science.
From K-5, the textbooks are Macmillian/McGraw-Hill textbooks, while 6-8 grade textbooks under consideration are Glencoe/McGraw-Hill.
Johnson told trustees that a committee reviewed the textbooks and the curriculum with specific criteria in mind, including alignment with state content standards, alignment with the California Standards Test, use of a variety of instructional strategies including differentiated instructional opportunities, accessibility for all students and the quality of the supplemental materials.
At the high school level, trustees considered a variety of books from different publishers, depending on the subject, from biology to biotechnology, from physics to physiology.
Once the task force had selected certain textbooks from the list of state-approved books, the texts were made available for public preview this spring, and teachers from all grade levels piloted lessons and units from several different books. A rating form was developed using recommendations from the state science committee, and once the reviews were completed, the Elementary Steering Committee approved the task force’s recommendations for grades K-6, while the Secondary Steering Committee approved the recommendations for grades 7-12.
Morgan Hill Federation of Teachers President Donna Foster said Friday that she did not know what the teachers think about the proposed books specifically, but that they were not pleased with the process.
“I know they feel the process was narrowed, they have not been able to come together in large group meetings to discuss this, this is a part of our unfair labor practice complaint,” she said. “There was one steering committeee meeting this year, when they used to be held three to four times a year. The district contends that practice doesn’t exist.”
Foster said the teachers feel they’ve been denied the process, which makes it impossible to see how this fits into curriculum as a whole.
“They have had no opportunity to have an ongoing process to examine how that fits with totallity of curriculum,” she said. “Staff development time wasn’t used, there was no cohesive planning process.”
The revised curriculum was presented to board members in the form of course outlines, which included a description, goals for the course, a list of texts and supplemental materials, course objectives as directed by state standards, course outline and methods of instruction and a description of assessment methods.
Following the board’s discussion of the textbooks and the revised curriculum, they will be placed on the next board agenda June 26 for approval by the board.
Marilyn Dubil covers education and law enforcement for The Times. Reach her at (408) 779-4106 ext. 202 or at [email protected].
