Textbooks

Re “Unity on Textbooks Is Essential,” editorial, Oct. 6: The State Board of Education is limiting students by writing a prescription for what is the most important information for them to learn. It is one thing to make a list of recommended textbooks. It is another thing to begin expecting schools to conform to the list if they want the board to pay for them.

What if a school wants to use textbooks that are more challenging than the standard? If the students are capable of more than is expected of them in a certain district, the state should not limit them to state-approved textbooks. True, the schools can use other funds to pay for the textbooks they choose, but with such limited budgets it is doubtful that many schools will be able to do this.

Standardization has the long-term effect of lowering standards.

VANESSA VANDERVALK

Azusa