State Postpones Textbook Decision
The state Board of Education postponed a decision Friday on adopting new English textbooks that state school officials say will reverse a “dumbing-down” trend.
The board voted 6 to 5 to delay a decision until October on recommendations by an advisory curriculum development commission for language arts textbooks to be used by public schools in kindergarten through eighth grade.
Board members who asked for the delay said they wanted more information to answer questions raised in a four-hour hearing on the recommendations Thursday.
The commission and State Supt. of Public Instruction Bill Honig want rejection of reading books that use memorization, drill and practice to teach reading as a series of isolated skills.
Under state law, California school districts must choose their textbooks from the list approved by the state board. The board reviews textbooks in each major academic area every six years.
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