How to Choose a Textbook
Trillium List FAQs
For Ontario educators only
Review the Trillium List for your curriculum area and grade and find textbook packages for your program. Consider:
- Are all of the resources suitable for your specific classroom?
- What qualities were the textbook packages evaluated for?
The following frequently asked questions section might provide answers.
Q. How are textbook packages approved for the Trillium List?
A. The textbook packages are submitted to Curriculum Services Canada (CSC) for evaluation. CSC recruits and trains subject experts and has them evaluate the textbook packages according to a set of criteria that have been agreed on by the Ontario Ministry of Education and CSC. CSC sends recommendations to the Ontario Ministry of Education, the authority on approval.
Q. Can I access the findings of the evaluators?
A. No. The evaluation tools used in the Trillium process examine textbook packages in a broad provincial context, not from a localized needs perspective. The reports created for the Ontario Ministry of Education do not rate or compare individual textbook packages.
Q. What criteria are the textbook packages evaluated for?
A. The textbook packages are evaluated for curriculum correlation, bias and inclusion, content, methodology, assessment and evaluation, and format. All resources must provide for at least 85% coverage of the curriculum expectations. All of the textbook packages listed are suitable for use in Ontario schools.
Q. Are all the textbook packages checked for issues of bias and inclusion?
A. As part of the evaluation process, all of the materials are examined to ensure that they meet the CSC criteria for being inclusive. This means that Ontario students can see themselves in the textbook material and images.
Q. Does this mean that any of the listed textbook packages will work in my classroom?
A. The Trillium List provides a listing of textbook packages that match the curriculum document indicated. These are considered to be core resources. Where more than one textbook package is listed for a subject, each teacher must select the textbook package that will meet the needs of the teacher, his or her classroom and students, teaching style, and the school culture.
Q. I know that there is more to my curriculum area than just the overall and specific expectations. There is also an approach and intent to my curriculum that is identified at the start of the curriculum document. Do all of the textbook packages listed for a grade or course deal with the underlying philosophy and intent of the course, i.e., the material found at the front of the curriculum policy document?
A. All of the textbook packages are evaluated for 85% curriculum match. They are also evaluated for how well they match the intent and philosophy of the curriculum. The textbook package is not recommended if it does not match the intent and philosophy or the curriculum expectations.
If the textbook package meets 85% of the curriculum, this implies that there may be cases where content may need to be supplemented to meet the particular curriculum emphasis my students need. How do I find out whether I need to supplement the textbook package and where this supplementary material is needed?
A. You need to check the textbook package as you evaluate it for a match to the specific curriculum areas to meet your classroom needs.
Q. As an organization that evaluates textbook resources, what advice or assistance can CSC offer to teachers who are selecting textbook packages for classroom use?
A. Your professional opinion, combined with information collected using a formal assessment tool, is the best guide to the selection of an appropriate textbook package for your classroom. CSC is pleased to provide an assessment tool that can be individualized to help you select textbook packages for your classroom. The online training contained in Keys to the Right Resource provides a means to assess a textbook package, to focus your efforts to key points.
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