All instructional materials must be aligned with state academic standards. Instructional materials include items necessary to meet the intended outcomes of the course or subject for which they are designed.
There are two ways instructional materials as are adopted: using the state process or a district's (or consortium of school districts) own process. Chapter 1006 Part F, Florida Statutes, outlines a detailed method for adopting instructional materials purchased with state funds.
State Process. Each year, Florida adopts instructional materials for specific curriculum content areas. Selected content areas are identified for adoption on a rotating basis, usually for a period of five years. Prior to each adoption, the Department of Education publishes instructional materials specifications for the subjects to be adopted, outlining the courses for which materials are being sought, as well as the standards that those materials are expected to meet. The Commissioner of Education appoints a team of instructional material reviewers for each content area and is responsible for evaluating and recommending instructional materials using criteria developed by the department. The commissioner is responsible for formally adopting materials based on the reviewers' recommendations. Each school district superintendent can nominate one classroom teacher or district-level content supervisor to review two or three of the submissions recommended by the state reviewers.
Districts that use the state process must meet several requirements, such as
District Process. Section 1006.283, Florida Statutes, establishes a district school board instructional materials review process that gives districts, or a consortium of school districts, the flexibility to implement their own instructional materials review, approval, adoption, and purchase program. School districts or consortia that choose to implement their own process have discretion in several areas, some of which include
Regardless of which process is used, districts are responsible for all instructional materials content used in a classroom, including those available in a school library or on a reading list.
Section 1006.28, Florida Statutes, establishes several requirements specifically related to instructional materials in school library media centers, including those listed below.
Section 1006.283, Florida Statutes, requires school boards to establish a process to notify parents of their ability to access their children’s instructional. The notification must be displayed prominently on the school district’s website and provided annually in written format to all parents of enrolled students.
Section 1006.28(2)(e), Florida Statutes, requires school districts to make instructional materials available online for parents of students to review.
Section 1002.20, Florida Statutes, requires each school district to notify parents on the district’s website homepage of their right to access and review the instructional materials used to teach about reproductive health or any disease, including HIV/AIDS. They must notify student's parents in the same manner about their right and process to request an exemption from such education, and provide a link to access and review the instructional materials.
Instructional materials are funded through the Florida Education Finance Program (FEFP). The sources of these funds are general revenue and trust fund dollars, and are allocated to school districts based on a growth allocation calculation. If school districts have completed all instructional material purchases for the fiscal year, after March 1, they have the flexibility to use these funds to purchase electronic devices and technology equipment and infrastructure for student instruction.
The 2023 Legislature enacted Ch. 2023-105, Laws of Florida, which addresses several items related to instructional and library materials.
Changes to Scope of Instructional Materials. The legislation expanded the scope of instructional materials and classroom materials to include classroom libraries as well as school libraries.
Changes to Parental or Residential Objection to Materials. The legislation expanded the rules for objecting to instructional materials in schools, requiring districts to
In addition, if a parent disagrees with the determination made by the district school board regarding the use of specific material, they may request the Commissioner of Education appoint a special magistrate to make a recommend a resolution to the State Board of Education within 30 days of receipt of the request.
Academic and Fiscal Transparency, December 1, 2021
Other Reports
The Rise of Standards-Aligned Instructional Materials for U.S. K–12 Mathematics and English Language Arts Instruction: Findings from the 2021 American Instructional Resources Survey, RAND Corporation, October 2021
Policies and Procedures Specifications for the Florida Instructional Materials Adoption, Florida Department of Education, August 2020
Websites of Interest
Association of American Publishers
Center for Digital Education
CPALMS (Information on Florida's standards and course descriptions)
eSchool News
Florida Association of District Instructional Materials Administrators
Florida Department of Education, Bureau of Standards and Instructional Support
Florida Department of Education, Instructional Materials
Florida Electronic Library
Florida Instructional Materials Center for the Visually Impaired
National Center on Accessible Educational Material (AEMS)
National Instructional Materials Accessibility Standard (NIMAS)
State Educational Technology Directors Association Digital Instructional Materials Acquisition Policies for States (DMAPS)
State Educational Technology Directors Association Open Educational Resources
Performance Measures
Florida Department of Education, Instructional Materials, 850-245-0425
Website