Tennessee Textbook Commission spells out Schedule E bid requirements; sets March 10, 2024 deadline

Lee Houston, executive director of the Tennessee Textbook Commission, on a recorded Publishers Prebid Conference outlined the submission requirements and timetable for the state’s upcoming Schedule E textbook adoption cycle and set a firm bid deadline of March 10, 2024, at 10 a.m. Central.

The guidance matters because the commission requires submitted materials to align fully with Tennessee’s academic standards and because the rules govern what reviewers will receive and score, potentially affecting which instructional materials districts may purchase.

Houston said all materials submitted for bid "must and shall contain and will be aligned with 100% of the Tennessee academic standards." He reiterated that the commission established the 100% alignment requirement in 2021 and that it applies across subjects for the Schedule E cycle.

The commission’s directions for publishers include several specific items: provide a standards-alignment guide that reviewers can locate easily (either embedded in materials or as a printed guide); supply one review modality on the exhibit template’s first tab (for example, either a digital or printed student and teacher edition, if multiple modalities exist); list packages and optional supplemental materials on the template’s second tab; and supply a publisher video that summarizes program structure and how the materials address standards. Houston said the video should focus on content reviewers need to judge a program and "should be what the teacher needs in order to teach Tennessee students for 180 days." He added that reviewers will score submitted materials against rubrics approved by the commission.

Publishers must submit documents electronically via the commission portal (tennessee.textbooktn.gov), Houston said, but must also provide physical hard-copy books for reviewers and a hard copy of the bond. He stated the bid deadline plainly: "The deadline for the textbook commission to receive your bid documents is 03/10/2024 at 10AM central time. Any emails must be time stamped before 10AM central time on March 10. No exceptions will be made for missing step 1."

Houston closed by noting a jurisdictional clarification: "The Tennessee Textbook Commission is independent from the Tennessee Department of Education." He directed questions about the textbook adoption cycle to tennessee.textbooktn.gov and said other education-related questions should go to the Tennessee Department of Education.

The presentation was recorded and will be posted on the commission’s website, Houston said, and publishers were asked to submit all bid questions in writing through the portal so staff can respond in an auditable manner.