The Department of Education has opened up the review period for the textbooks used throughout the state with the Board of Education set to vote on the State Textbook Committee’s Social Studies and Arts Education, Grades K-12 recommendations at the November 13 board meeting.
The new Social Studies books must align with the latest standards, which were passed last December.
"To be truly prepared to participate in society as engaged, informed, and responsible citizens, students must have a rich education in civics, economics, geography, and history. This course of study incorporates essential knowledge in these disciplines while also communicating the story of liberty,” Eric Mackey, the State Superintendent of Education, wrote in a letter to teachers included in the 163-page document.
He continued, "Alabama teachers must focus on teaching social studies as a way of doing as well as knowing, emphasizing both disciplinary knowledge and disciplinary thinking in their instruction. The standards in the 2024 "Alabama Course of Study: Social Studies" are written to support innovative, creative, and impactful teaching that builds towards these goals."
Those new standards include studying the Holocaust in the fifth grade, World History in the ninth grade and U.S. History in the 11th grade.
Dan Puckett, chairman of the Holocaust Commission, said at the December meeting, "What you have in front of you now constitutes the strongest standards on the Holocaust in the nation."
RELATED: State Board of Education passes 'strongest standards on the Holocaust'
The Arts Education Course of Study was last updated in 2017. It says, "Implementation of the Alabama Course of Study: Arts Educationencourages attainment of the goal of arts literacy for all Alabama students. This course of study not only promotes connections across the arts, but also to content areas outside the arts. When Alabama students attain arts literacy, they graduate as productive citizens empowered with skills in communication, collaboration, creative reasoning, and critical thinking."
State Textbook Law, §16-36-61, Code of Alabama, 1975 says:
Based upon the recommendations of the State Textbook Committee, the State Board of Education shall adopt textbooks from which local boards of education may adopt for use in their systems. Local boards of education shall not adopt textbooks nor expend public funds for textbooks that have been rejected by the State Board of Education, except for the length of an existing local contract approved by the state superintendent. Members of any local board found doing so shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and fined not exceeding five hundred dollars ($500) and also may be imprisoned or sentenced to hard labor for a term not exceeding six months.
For those interested in reviewing the textbooks, the state has eight locations:
- Mervyn-Sterne Library, University of Alabama - Birmingham
- Library Troy University Dothan
- Library Wallace Community College in Hanceville
- M. Louis Salmon Library University of Alabama - Huntsville
- Houston Cole Library Jacksonville State University (Jacksonville)
- South Alabama Research & Inservice Center (Mobile)
- Library Coastal Alabama Community College (Thomasville)
- Publishers’ Warehouse (Alabaster)
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