"I don't

think it is ever possible to have all books without errors, but the goal

is to have errors that are as insignificant as possible," said Sharon

Boyer, science coordinator for Fayette County schools. "We feel this

conference will help our educators make informed decisions as they search

for the materials that will best fit their needs."

The first day

of the conference will feature general sessions on such topics as the

National Standard in Science, inquiry education and how to select the

best textbooks or instructional materials. On the last day, 23 textbook

publishers and vendors will provide more than 60 concurrent sessions to

introduce curriculum directors and teachers to their materials.

Educators will

get a look at both traditional and nontraditional textbooks as well as

everything in between, said Boyer. Nontraditional material includes books

funded through the National Science Foundation, which are research based

and field tested for accuracy.

Fayette County

School System will begin making plans for its textbook adoption process

beginning in May with the first meeting of the Science Textbook Adoption

Committee. Follow-up meetings with the committee will be in July and August.

Review of proposed textbooks will begin after the 2001-2002 school year

gets underway, according to Boyer.

The Georgia

Science Supervisors Association selected Fayette as the site for the textbook

conference due to its central location and meeting facilities.

"The association

organized this conference as a service to school systems throughout the

state. It is an honor for us to be chosen to host the event," said

Boyer.

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