Criticizes the goals stated in the Mannheim Rating (of teaching texts for German as a foreign language) as being vaguely defined, and the criteria as being faultily formulated. Not considered are: text science, learning psychology, and psychology of motivation. Actual classroom teaching experience is insufficiently considered. (IFS/WGA)

Criticizes the Mannheim Ratings (of teaching texts for German as a foreign language) for judging texts for their intrinsic excellence alone, omitting considerations of acceptability to teachers and students. There is no clear statement of teaching goals. However, the ratings are considered valuable for the questions and problems they discuss.…

One of the collaborators on the Mannheim Rating (of teaching texts for German as a foreign language) answers criticisms (in particular, the assertion that the ratings are based on purely theoretical considerations) and criticism of the evaluation criteria. It is hoped that a new version will profit from the criticisms. (IFS/WGA)

This paper attempts to relate the needs of lecturers and students of developmental psychology in introductory courses, of teachers, parents and lay discussion groups, to recently published and widely available books. (Author/KM)

At some point in an educator's professional life, he may be asked to serve on an awards committee for current publications in his field. An educator's concern then is on how to do it without bias, and more importantly, how to do it when the texts may be very different from each other. One text may be theory-based; one may be a textbook; and…

One of a series dealing with current issues affecting language arts instruction, this paper brings into focus some of the issues surrounding textbooks in the schools so that informed decisions can be made regarding textbook selection and use. The major portion of the paper explores professional opinions regarding textbooks, noting the following:…

A three-part review process is proposed as an aid to textbook selection for college courses. After an introductory discussion of the importance of developing standards and criteria for selecting course texts, the three-phase process is presented. The initial phase involves the establishment of departmental criteria for textbooks, which may be…

To determine how the state department of education may increase its usefulness to local agencies in the process of evaluating and selecting educational products, representatives in each state of the Association of Chief State School Audio-Visual Officers and the coordinator for each state of activities under Title III of the National Defense…

Examines validity of claims made for the Mannheim Rating (of teaching texts for German as a foreign language), as well as its criteria for judging textbooks. The nonexistence of a comprehensive grammar of contemporary German makes it difficult to discuss grammar; therefore, some ratings are seen as too harsh. (IFS/WGA)

Examines the quality of basal readers and textbooks, discusses some of the forces affecting textbook quality and selection, and offers suggestions for coping with less-than-adequate reading materials. (FL)

Presents guidelines for use in examining the comprehensibility of a textbook, questions to ask about the book, and suggestions for using the guide questions. (FL)

Offers a worksheet for evaluating the readability of content area textbooks. (RL)

Recognizing that textbook adoption procedures and evaluation criteria vary from state to state or district to district, the authors present some general guidelines on screening and evaluation that should prove helpful to any elementary textbook adoption committee. (Author/SJL)

Through the use of a checklist and actual field tests with textbooks, one can gain important information about which textbook will be the most useful in the classroom. (JOW)