West Virginia Department of Education



Instructional Materials Caravan

February is rapidly approaching, and that means it won’t be long before the start of West Virginia’s first Caravan. This has been a successful program in other adoption states, and I’m optimistic that the West Virginia Caravan will be equally successful. That said, please understand that this is a pilot year; therefore, adjustments may be necessary to ensure the success of future Caravans. We will value your suggestions for changes to improve future events.

Since this is a new venture, an overview of what to expect when you attend the Caravan may be helpful.

The Background

The primary benefit of being an adoption state is the equity factor. As an adoption state, even the county with the lowest enrollment and the lowest source of revenue has the purchasing power of the largest, wealthiest county. Through a State sponsored Caravan, each county will have an equal opportunity to view the materials approved as primary.

Who May Attend

All educators are invited to attend. County instructional materials coordinators and anyone who serves on county instructional materials review committees for world languages, dance, theatre, and driver education are encouraged to attend.

The Format

This year’s event will resemble that of an open house allowing educators to arrive at a time convenient for their school systems and accommodating various travel distances within each RESA. Each person in attendance will be asked to register and will be provided a list of companies in attendance and the content area(s) each represents. Teachers will rotate among the vendors where they will receive personalized presentations based on their needs and areas of expertise. Even though a formal schedule has not been established, each publisher will make presentations throughout the day.

Publishers will not be providing samples of their instructional materials at the Caravan. County personnel should continue to order their samples as they have always done and have the samples shipped to their location of choice. It would be almost impossible for publishers to transport the large number of samples that would be needed throughout the state.

Ethics guidelines will be followed. Those guidelines will be provided at each location, but they are also posted to the Instructional Materials Web site on the Code & Policies page under Adoption Process ( ).

Light refreshments will be available at each location.

Contact information:

Alma Simpson

Coordinator of Instructional Materials

304-558-5325 or awsimpso@access.k12.wv.us

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