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Penfield board hears textbook recommendations for French, ELA and AP Biology courses
Summary
Curriculum directors and teachers presented proposed adoptions including a French reader La Magie de Manie, ELA texts such as The Autobiography of Malcolm X and A Little Devil in America, plus a new AP Biology textbook aligned to College Board standards.
Curriculum staff and teachers presented textbook recommendations for Penfield High School courses at the May 27 board meeting and explained how each text aligns with grade-level standards and course frameworks.
Director of Humanities Sheena Conway and ELA chair John Baxter recommended three English texts for high school classrooms, including The Autobiography of Malcolm X by Alex Haley for AP Language and Composition and grade-level ELA, Katherine Marsh’s The Lost Year for a specified grade classroom, and Hanif Abdurraqib’s A Little Devil in America for a senior elective on music as literature. Conway said the texts support next-generation ELA standards and offer cross-curricular connections.
Julie Wilkins, a French teacher, presented a French reader titled La Magie de Manie ("the magic of Manie"), describing it as a novice-high/intermediate-low reader that depicts students in a Maine classroom and includes characters with French Canadian and Senegalese backgrounds. Wilkins said it is intended to increase reading comprehension and support a planned exchange with students in Senegal.
Kim Gebhardt, director of STEAM, and AP Biology teacher Violet Wallerstein recommended replacing an older edition of Campbell’s Biology with a new AP-specific textbook published within the last 10 years and designed around College Board expectations. Wallerstein said the new text includes AP-style questions, experimental design instruction and embedded statistical practice to better prepare students for AP assessments.
Board members asked whether the texts include teacher and student resources. Gebhardt and Conway said the AP Biology adoption includes a teacher edition and digital platform; the French and ELA texts rely on teacher-developed resources and external teacher communities. Several board members expressed support for the selections and noted the value of exposing students to diverse perspectives.
There was no vote recorded on adoption at the meeting; presenters said the books were being presented for adoption consideration and to seek board support.
