Provides guidelines for evaluation in textbook selection. (MD)

Using short-term pilot programs to evaluate textbooks can lead to unreliable results and interfere with effective education. Alternative methods for evaluating textbook-based programs include obtaining documented analyses of competitors' products from sales agents, visiting districts using programs being considered, and examining publishers' own…

School districts should identify those whom new textbooks will affect--including teachers, students, administrators, and support personnel--and determine the needs of each, then negotiate a legally binding service guarantee with the textbook publisher to ensure that services and materials will be provided to meet the determined needs. (PGD)

The "skills trace" is a textbook evaluation process by which an evaluator isolates one skill and reads every reference listed in the index of the teacher's manual. The evaluator then observes how that skill is introduced, taught, practiced, and tested throughout the grades. (Author/DCS)

Knowing what you need in a textbook is the first step in adopting one. This article gives tips on how to review the current research in a subject area before assessing needs. A list of four references is provided. (DCS)

Presents information on textbook design and marketing practices, and their consequences for textbook content; recommends that selection committees firmly define the role of the textbook in curriculum, and adapt published materials to their school system's unique requirements. (MCG)

Textbooks should be selected to meet the needs of students and teachers. Making "a deal" can, in the long run, lead to textbooks that are more expensive and of poorer quality. Five ways to improve textbook selection are suggested. Some publishers' comments are included. (MLF)