Access to facilities and instructional materials
The importance of adequate instructional materials was highlighted by the Williams case (Eliezer Williams et al. v. State of California et al.). It calls for public schools to provide students with equal access to instructional materials, safe and decent school facilities, and qualified teachers. “The California content standards were designed to encourage the highest achievement of every
student . . . "1 "Districts must still insure that every students has standards-aligned instructional materials in the four core subjects (state-adopted in grades K-8 and locally adopted for grades 9-12).”2 California Education Code "(EC) Section 1240.3 states the following: '1240.3. (a) For the purposes of Section 1240, for the 2008-09 to 2014-15 fiscal years, inclusive, sufficient textbooks ore instructional materials include standards-aligned textbooks or instructional materials, or both' . . .”3 The California Department of Education (CDE) Web site contains considerable information about instructional materials. For more information, please refer to Instructional Materials FAQ on the CDE Web site.
In the Spotlight
Canyon Middle School, Castro Valley Unified School District, a 2007 Schools to Watch™-Taking Center Stage Model School
Canyon’s computer labs make use of an individual handheld response system to facilitate the interaction of all students—even those who lack confidence to participate in regular class discussions. In addition, mobile computer labs give all students access to the Internet for research projects and enrichment such as a stock market game, historical simulations, and English language arts sources.
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Strategies Common to Effective Middle Grades Programs
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Access to grade-level, standards-based instruction
Footnotes
1Content Standards, California Department of Education.
2Instructional Materials FAQ, Question 10, California Department of Education.
3Instructional Materials FAQ, Question 11, California Department of Education.
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