Supplementary Materials are defined as any book, fiction or nonfiction, that is used to supplement Tier One instruction that a student is assigned to read in its entirety. Supplementary materials must be approved by the Board of Education.

The following information outlines the Supplementary Materials approval process: 

• The district Approval Request for Supplementary Materials form must be completed by a district staff member.
• The request must describe the alignment between the recommended instructional resource and the Colorado Academic Standards and/or Common Core State Standards.
• The request must include a summary of the proposed instructional resource.
• The request must address any issues that might reasonably be considered controversial.
• A copy of the instructional resource must accompany the request, with potentially controversial areas marked/flagged with sticky notes for review.
• The form must specify the minimum grade level for which the instructional resource is being recommended.  The grade level at which the recommending teacher teaches is the lowest grade level that the instructional resource can be recommended for use. (e.g. The teacher teaches 7th grade, so the teacher can only recommend 7th grade as the lowest grade level for use of the instructional resource.)
• At least two (2) staff members must read the instructional resource and sign the request form.
• A building administrator must review and sign the completed Approval Request for Supplementary form.
• The completed district Approval Request for Supplementary Materials form is submitted to the Learning & Teaching Office at the ESC for processing.
• The Learning & Teaching Office reviews the form to verify that it is complete.
• The Learning & Teaching Office forwards the form and copies of the instructional resource to the District Supplementary Materials Approval Committee.
• The District Supplementary Materials Approval Committee may accept, reject, or revise the approval request.
• The Learning & Teaching Office presents to the Board of Education the instructional resources recommended for approval by the District Supplementary Materials Approval Committee.
• The Board of Education takes action on the approval request.  The Board may accept, reject, or revise the approval request.
• The Learning & Teaching Office communicates the decision of the Board to the contact person who submitted the approval form.  The Learning & Teaching Office also posts the approved instructional resource titles on the district Supplementary Materials list.

“Picture books” will no longer need to be Board approved. (Note:  A graphic novel is NOT a picture book.)   Instead, educators should continue to consider the following when making choices about what picture books to use with students:

• Educators are encouraged to consider the instructional purpose and connection to the standards.
• Educators are encouraged to consider developmental appropriateness.
• Educators are encouraged to consider cultural relevancy and representation of diverse populations.
• Educators are encouraged to use Common Sense Media to better understand perceptions and reviews of the book.

Books in a series– Generally, if one book in a series is approved, all books in the series are approved. However, books within a series can be submitted individually when there are questions about the appropriateness of the content, maturity level of the readers, and perceived controversy of the book.

Not Requiring Board of Education Approval

Supplementary instructional resources that are available for student use and that do not need to go through the approval process will include:

• periodicals (print and online),
• short stories,
• maps,
• videos, and 
• electronic/online resources (such as blogs, wikis, websites, apps, and programs).

Professional judgment outside of the approval process must be exercised for these resources.