Instructional Resources Selection

September to December (Months 1 - 4)

• Curriculum Directors coordinate with Instructional Resources & Support to request that a course be part of an upcoming review.

• These four months include the entire Gwinnett Education Management Systems (GEMS) process.

• Subjects are typically on an 8-year review rotation.

• Exceptions to the set rotation exist such as: new course offerings, standards changing at the state level, and expiration of currently adopted resources.

• Specific criteria utilized for the core instructional resources selection with a focus on support and alignment to the AKS. 

December & January (Months 4 & 5)

• Vendors are asked to provide potential resources that align to the Academic Knowledge & Skills (AKS) for the requested course.

• The Instructional Resources & Support office contacts vendors and solicits through an extensive, internal data base.

• Requests and needs are simultaneously solicited through the Georgia Procurement Registry.

• Potential resources may be sent directly to the Instructional Resources & Support office or provided as part of an annual Expo.       

February & March (Months 6 & 7) / April to July (Months 8-11)

• Curriculum Directors, teachers, and other stakeholders such as parents and community members are invited to review the proposed resources and provide feedback.

• The Curriculum Director, using data from the review process (Open Review, Teacher Review Committee, Instructional Resources Review Committee), selects one or more resource for pilot. 

• Some resources require additional levels of review such as CHEAC.

August to November (Months 12 - 15)

• Each potential resource is piloted by teachers and their students with representation from each of the 5 District Board areas. 

• All pilot resources are implemented in classrooms for a minimum of 4 weeks, but commonly implemented between 6 and 8 weeks.

• Preferably, two resources are piloted by the same group of teachers and students for each course during the first semester.  Exceptions can include post AP and specialty courses due to a lack of high-quality resources.  

• Throughout the entirety of the pilot data, feedback, and preferences are collected from teachers, students, and the public.  

December & January (Months 16 & 17)

• During the pilot

  • Teachers and students complete several detailed surveys.

  • All resources are made available in print & digital format for the public to provide feedback (public review open for a min. of 30 days in Oct.) 

• Pilot teachers are brought together for Consensus meetings in which they review all collected data, provide additional individual feedback, discuss their experience, and collectively agree upon the one resource that best meets the needs of students. 

February to July (Months 18 - 23)

• One core resource per course is recommended by the Superintendent for adoption by the Board of Education.

• Once resources are approved for adoption by the Board of Education, Instructional Resources & Support procures the resource and coordinates the distribution of print materials to all schools.

• Concurrent with coordination of print materials, the Instructional Resources & Support office works alongside IMT to establish availability and accessibility of digital components for adopted resources. 

August (Month 24)

• The Curriculum Department provides impacted teachers with professional development and training on the new resource.

• The newly adopted resource is implemented with teachers and students district-wide.