Documents from 2016-17 Middle School Textbook Adoption

Contained here are the documents and communication relating to the LCUSD middle school textbook adoption process conducted during the 2016-17 school year. Documents are organized by category, then in chronological order:

LCUSD Official Documents:

LCUSD Official Communication to Parents:

  • Email: Review of Math Materials for 7/8 Textbook Adoption (Dec 08 & 12, 2016) – Email from LCHS 7/8 Principal Jarrett Gold and LCUSD Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum & Instruction Anaïs Wenn to LCUSD parents of grade 6 & 7 (sent 12/08/16) and then to LCUSD parents of grades K-5 (sent 12/12/16) announcing that LCHS 7/8 math teachers had been reviewing math materials for adoption for the past three years, and inviting parents to review the final four curricula under consideration at three parent review opportunities on 01/18/17, 01/25/17 and 02/01/17 from 4:00pm to 7:00pm in the IRC at La Cañada High School.
  • Email: Important Upcoming Dates (Jan 13, 2017) – Email from LCHS 7/8 Principal Gold to all LCHS 7/8 families reminding them of important upcoming dates, among them the math textbook review opportunities on 01/18/17, 01/25/17 and 02/01/17.
  • Email: 7-8 adoption and application for the committee (Jan 17, 2017) – Email from LCHS 7/8 Principal to all LCUSD K-7 parents announcing for the first time the identify of the four finalist textbooks under considering for adoption as the LCHS 7/8 math textbook and explaining that the teachers had rated Math In Focus highest of the four and would be “piloting” it for the next several weeks. In addition, Dr. Gold announced that two parent representatives (one each for incoming 7th and 8th grade in the 2017-18 school year) would be invited to attend the final meeting of the 7/8 math textbook adoption committee to witness the final vote of the committee. Prospective parents to the committee had to download an application and were instructed to send it in to Dr. Gold by Feb. 3, 2017 with selected parents to be announced on Feb. 10, 2017. Note that a group of nine LCUSD parents sent a joint letter of response to this email on Feb. 2, 2017, which is linked below.
  • Email: Math Adoption Committee Update (Feb. 3, 2017) – Email from LCHS 7/8 Principal Gold reminding parents that the deadline for submitting applications for parents to serve as spectators at the final 7/8 math textbook adoption committee was February 3rd, 2017.

From La Cañada Math Parents:

  • Letter from 9 La Canada Math Parents to LCHS 7/8 Principal Jarrett Gold (Feb 02, 2017) – An email to LCHS 7/8 Principal in response to his email of Jan 17, 2017 by nine LCUSD parents objecting to the offer to include two parent representatives at only the last meeting, and denied the power to vote. The gesture is seen as “largely symbolic and not meaningful.” Instead, the parents suggest parent representatives invited to the textbook adoption committee meeting be allowed to vote, suggest that parents and not the district select their own representatives, and recommend that parents be invited on to the textbook selection committees at inception as required by California educational code and California BOE instructional material piloting guidelines.