Virginia State Delegate David Englin has reportedly introduced a bill that will seek to overhaul the state's textbook adoption process. This follows a state review that found dozens of errors in Virginia social studies textbooks.
The proposed Virginia Textbook Accountability Act aims to set up a textbook review process to eliminate what Englin calls 'egregiously inaccurate information' in classrooms. According to reports in the Washington Post, the legislation is expected to shift the responsibility of vetting textbooks from panels that consist mostly of school teachers, to the publishers. Companies will now have to be certified with the Virginia Board of Education before their books are approved for use in public schools.
To obtain state certification under the proposed bill, publishers would be required to pledge, and soon after prove, that their books are reviewed by subject-area specialists.
Additionally, the legislation authorises the Board of Education and 'not publishers' to define what constitutes an established content expert. The legislation also calls on publishers to assume responsibility for correcting mistakes subsequently discovered by the board.
The Board of Education will publish a list of certified textbook publishers on its website. However, local school divisions will still be able to use books from publishers that are not certified.
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