Okla. Stat. tit. 70, § 70-16-102

expert review teams.

A. The State Textbook Committee shall meet at the call of the

chair as often as necessary, with two (2) weeks' public notice, to

discharge its responsibilities. If necessary, not later than the

first day of December of each year the State Textbook Committee

shall meet to select textbooks for subjects taught in the public

schools of the state for grades prekindergarten through twelve,

which selections shall be for not more than six (6) years for every

textbook.

B. The Committee may suspend any currently pending selection

process of textbooks and may extend by at least two (2) years the

six-year adoption period of those textbooks currently on the state

adopted list, for the purpose of delaying for two (2) years the six-

year adoption cycle of subjects.

C. "Textbooks", as used in Sections 16-101 through 16-124 of

this title, means instructional materials that are designed for use

by pupils as a learning resource. Instructional materials may be

printed or nonprinted and may include textbooks, technology-based

and other educational materials.

D. "List of textbooks" or "the list", as used in Sections 16-

101 through 16-111 of this title, means the official textbook list

required by Section 6 of Article XIII of the Oklahoma Constitution.

The list shall include the textbooks and other instructional

materials selected by the State Textbook Committee for use in the

common schools of the state.

E. The State Department of Education, in coordination with the

State Textbook Committee, shall approve an application process to

assemble annually one or more review teams comprised of subject

matter experts for each subject area under review to assist the

Committee in reviewing textbooks and instructional materials. The

number of review teams shall be contingent on the number of subject

areas under review each year. Members of the review teams shall

Oklahoma Statutes - Title 70. Schools Page 690

have specific expertise in the subject areas being reviewed that

year. Review teams shall consist of no less than twelve members

each, but may be as large as is deemed necessary by the State

Textbook Committee and the State Department of Education. Subject

to the availability of funds within the State Department of

Education, members of the review teams shall receive from the

Department necessary traveling expenses while in the performance of

duties pursuant to the State Travel Reimbursement Act.

F. The Committee shall select textbooks or series of textbooks

for each subject, which, to the greatest extent possible, are

aligned with the subject matter standards adopted by the State Board

of Education pursuant to Section 11-103.6 of this title. The

Committee, in consultation with the State Department of Education,

shall adopt a rubric to be used by the review teams as a means of

evaluating textbooks submitted for review. The rubric shall contain

a three-tiered rating system in which the first tier shall be

labeled "Exemplifies Quality", the second tier shall be labeled

"Approaching Quality", and the third tier shall be labeled "Not

Representing Quality". The rubric shall also include, but not be

limited to, criteria for alignment to subject matter standards such

that all standards are present and treated with the appropriate

depth to support students in learning the skills and information

contained in the subject matter standards, as well as usability for

teacher planning, learning, assessment and differentiated

instruction. The Committee, in consultation with the review teams,

may include additional criteria specific to the subject area being

reviewed. The rubric shall require each criterion to be scored

individually with justification, and shall provide an overall

recommendation for the rating.

G. Review teams shall review all materials in accordance with

the rubric adopted in subsection F of this section and shall submit
e, in consultation with the review teams,

may include additional criteria specific to the subject area being

reviewed. The rubric shall require each criterion to be scored

individually with justification, and shall provide an overall

recommendation for the rating.

G. Review teams shall review all materials in accordance with

the rubric adopted in subsection F of this section and shall submit

the review and recommended rating to the Committee. The Committee

shall consider but not be required to accept the recommended rating

of the review teams. The Committee may request that the review

teams supply additional information to support their recommendations

or the Committee may provide its own justification utilizing the

adopted rubric.

H. The Committee, having verified that the review process has

been conducted in a scrupulous and fair manner, shall adopt a final

rating for each textbook prior to including it on the textbook list

required by Section 16-110 of this title. The completed rubric for

each evaluated textbook, including the review team's

recommendations, shall be made publicly available on the State

Textbook Committee website.

I. After a final textbook list is published, the State Textbook

Committee may determine that unusual or extraordinary circumstances

exist in a particular subject area during the period for which

Oklahoma Statutes - Title 70. Schools Page 691

textbooks have been selected for that subject area. Unusual or

extraordinary circumstances shall include but not be limited to

significant new techniques of teaching in a particular subject area

or significant new findings or discoveries in a particular subject

area. Upon a determination by three-fourths (3/4) of the members of

the State Textbook Committee that unusual or extraordinary

circumstances exist in a particular subject area, the Committee may

select one or more textbooks in that subject area for the remainder

of the adoption period.

J. The State Department of Education shall house the website of

the State Textbook Committee on its agency website.

K. Five or more district boards of education may petition the

State Board of Education to add a book or series of textbooks to the

approved list selected by the State Textbook Committee.

L. The State Board of Education shall promulgate rules to

implement the method and time frame for handling the petitions in

the most expeditious manner.