Ask the MOI Specialist: Exploring the Curriculum Materials Process

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Meet Paige Richardson!


Q: Tell us about your role in AACPS.

A; My official title with AACPS is Instructional Technology Tech Support, but I deal directly with the MOI (Materials of Instruction) process and everything behind the scenes. 


Q: Can you give us a behind-the-scenes look at what happens when coordinators find a textbook, website, software, product, etc. they want to use? What's the process?

A: If a Coordinator would like to utilize a material for instruction, they must first check the Taimms (Textbook and Instructional Materials) catalog to see if it has already been approved or not. Once they have done that and determined it hasn't gone through the process, they must go to the Brightspace course and complete the request form. Once it has been determined that it can move forward, they must enter a request for evaluation in Taimms. If it is a digital material, AACPS requires technology documents to be completed before being brought to the committee for review. 


Q:Can teachers check to see if resources and websites they may want to use are already approved? How?

A: Yes, teachers and all staff are encouraged to check if resources are already approved before submitting a new request. We have a direct button to the Taimms catalog (in the Review and Evaluation folder in Classlink) that links to our catalog to search for all reviewed resources.


Q: What is the difference between Paid and Free resources? What gets brought to the committee for review?

A: Paid or resources with Personal Identifiable Information(PII) are resources that require logging in, entering first name, email, age, address, etc., and must be brought to a district committee for review.

Free resources are those that require no logging in, and no entering any personal information. These types of resources need three people to review it for content and then an administrator to approve them. They do not need to be brought to a district committee review.


Q: Can you briefly explain CIPA, COPPA, and COMAR? These are important when you and the committee are reviewing materials to be sure they are safe and accessible.

A: CIPA is the Children’s Internet Protection Act which protects children's access to obscene content online.

-COPPA is the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act which imposes requirements on website creators directed to children under 13 when collecting personal information.

-COMAR is the Code of Maryland Regulations which is the compilation of all regulations issued by the state. This includes accessibility requirements for online applications(VPAT), MD Bill 7-910.


Q: Who can submit a resource for review and how do they do it? 

A: Any employee who uses instructional resources can submit resources for review in Taimms. The process does take some time so be sure to do it in advance.


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