Putnam County Schools preparing to adopt new social studies textbooks this year to align with updated state standards and a recurring six-year instructional cycle.
Secondary Curriculum Supervisor Bubba Winningham said the district will form a committee to evaluate materials from a list of state-approved vendors. Winningham said the selection process ensures the new materials match the specific standards released by the state. Winningham said the adoption of the new books could cost some $2 million.
“It’s not just books, that’s online, you know, that’s digital access as well, assessments, things like that,” Winningham said. “It’s kind of a package deal a lot of times. So yeah, you’ll get textbooks, but you’ll also get, you know, teachers, they get online access… but yeah, I mean, it’s expensive. Textbooks are expensive.”
Winningham said the district prioritizes high-quality instructional materials that are comprehensive, evidence-based and rigorous. Winningham said the committee looks for assessments that provide teachers with data to help make instructional decisions for their students.
“We have a committee of teachers who want input, who want their voices heard, which is the way we want it in that process,” Winningham said. “So we have a lot of content knowledge, you know, a lot of teachers with a lot of content knowledge on those committees.”
Winningham said the state operates on a rotation where curriculum companies must align their materials to new standards every six years. Winningham said while the historical content remains consistent, the new materials often focus on increasing student engagement and research opportunities.
“When the standards come out, a lot of times with high-quality instructional materials, you know, they look at the engaging piece too, ‘How can we make this more engaging for kids?’” Winningham said.
Winningham said the district often adopts different curriculums for different grade levels to ensure the materials are appropriate for elementary, middle and high school students. Winningham said the district followed this model during last year’s science adoption, choosing one curriculum for grades 3-5 and a different one for middle school.
“Sometimes what’s best for elementary school, what they feel like is best for elementary school may not be the best in middle school, or may not be the best in high school,” Winningham said. “So on that committee, we’ll have different teachers representing different grade levels.”