IDOE Academic Standards & Materials
Public Law 73-2011 altered state and local textbook adoption procedures. Under this law, Indiana no longer follows a strict six-year cycle for materials adoption. Other than the requirement to adopt a core-reading program in elementary schools, adoption of new materials is optional, and districts have discretion to continue to use current materials beyond the six-year cycle without needing a waiver from the state. With the exception of elementary reading, the State Board of Education no longer produces a list of approved textbooks from which districts must choose. Thus, local school districts determine their own materials review process, purchasing cycles, and criteria for selection of new materials (both print and digital).
In ZCS, we follow a six-year adoption cycle. Teachers review the most current Indiana Academic Standards before evaluating instructional materials. CIESC (Central Indiana Education Services Center) provides an Indiana Textbook Caravan each year where publishers provide their latest materials. All of these samples are available for review by our teachers, administrators, and parents. Parents can review the materials at our ZCS ESC (Educational Services Center) during the month of March between 8:00am – 3:00pm Monday- Friday.
Once all materials have been evaluated, recommendations are presented to the ZCS Board of Trustees for approval.