Running head: ASSESSMENT OF HOLT McDOUGALS BIOLOGY 1

Assessment of Holt McDougals Virginia High School Biology Textbook:

A Consideration of Biologys Strengths and Weaknesses

Augustus Snyder

James Madison University

 ASSESSMENT OF HOLT McDOUGALS BIOLOGY 2

Introduction

The primary purpose of this textbook assessment was not necessarily to meaningfully

consider its usefulness and relevancy in a high school biology classroom, though this was a

significant part of the assignment. Rather, the assessment endeavor was chiefly of personal interest

for developing a skill set which would result in successful textbook selection. Regarding the

selection of this specific textbook, unforeseen circumstances with my cooperating teachers

schedule affected the availability of a textbook for review from my middle school practicum

placement. As a result, textbooks available for checkout from JMUs Educational Technology and

Media Center (ETMC) were surveyed instead. Furthermore, as a future biology teacher at the high

school level, assessing a textbook intended for the high school curriculum seemed most beneficial

to me. Lastly, this textbook is one of the most current editions that is supposedly designed to meet

the curriculum standards of Virginia. Since I am likely to teach in this state, I may in fact find

myself in a situation where I need to evaluate the suitability of this or similar texts for my

classroom.

It is anticipated that this text would be used for the tenth grade as that is when Virginia

students are required to take a course in biology. However, this text is advertised as being suitable

for grades 9-12 and could potentially be suitable for Advanced Placement (AP) biology as well. The

text covers nine units, centering on the following topics: introducing biology, cells, genetics,

evolution, ecology, classification and diversity, plants, animals, and human biology. Spanning

nearly 100 pages, it is quite lengthy and likely to be either extraneous for the scope of a tenth-grade

classroom, or very well illustrated. That said, extraneous detail may also increase the texts

usefulness as a supplement to good instruction for a variety of classrooms and lessons. The cost of

this text book new is $104.75 for the student edition, and $145.50 for the teacher edition. Of quick
 ASSESSMENT OF HOLT McDOUGALS BIOLOGY 3

and interesting note in the texts breakdown of units and provision of supplemental materials for

students are:

Unit Focus descriptions (1 An online corollary to the

sentence) for each unit
1 Quick Lab for each of the 34
chapters in text
3 additional labs available online
per chapter
1 page devoted to developing data
analysis skills per chapter
Biozine (biology magazine)
articles for each unit, highlighting
technology and careers in biology
magazine that is continually
updated with biology news and
articles
Online virtual labs for most
chapters
Online animations of critical
process for each chapter
Online interactive reviews for
concepts and vocabulary

Readability

Results

Using the Fry readability formula as described by Alvermann, Phelps, and Grillis (2010), the

readability of Biology was assessed by hand. In this method, two major assumptions are relied

upon: (a) longer sentences are more difficult to read than shorter ones, on average, and (b) longer

words are more likely to be harder to understand. Biology scored approximately within the ninth-

grade level with an average of 7.33 sentences and 156.33 syllables per 100-word passages. This is a

realistic level for the texts actual complexity; complex words like synthesis and figurative language

phrases like shedding new light are used, but sentences are relatively short (Figure 1).

Relevance

Controversies around readability formulas and Lexile scores abound. Critics argue that

reading level is not a precise metric, yet the excessive reliance on these formulas make matching

texts to students appear overly simple (Alvermann et al., 2010).

 ASSESSMENT OF HOLT McDOUGALS BIOLOGY 4

Figure 1. Sample readability passage chosen from Biology text, p. 632. Passages
were selected using a random number generator for page number; the first passage
with coherent sentence structure on the page was then selected for readability
analysis.

The assumptions of the test may also be flawed in that some short sentences can be difficult

to read and some word length or syllable count may be unrelated to word difficulty. Without

important connecting words, the flow and meaning of sentences can be disrupted, causing difficulty

in comprehension. Beers and Probst make the valid point that rigor is about relevance and not a

texts Lexile score (2016). In addition, readability is a quantitative measure that only considers a

very narrow aspect of a text, leaving other important factors such as qualitative and reader-task

considerations untouched (NGA & CCSSO, 2010). In other words, consideration of the texts

content, structure, and writing style, as well as its intended use and differences between students

like motivation or prior knowledgeare all important factors for good text assessment. When used

in conjunction with such a multifactorial consideration, however, readability scores can still be

useful for text assessments (Alvermann et al., 2010).

 ASSESSMENT OF HOLT McDOUGALS BIOLOGY 5

Content1

The texts content is certainly complementary to its intended curriculum. It seeks to help

build foundational understanding of the core principles in biology and science as a whole while

offering enough new and exciting information to maintain interest while not detracting from core

concepts. In particular, this text addresses the essentials of the discipline like photosynthesis and

respiration, the central dogma (i.e. DNA transcription, translation & protein synthesis), cell

division, Mendelian genetics, and more in sufficient depth and breadththere doesnt appear to be

an imbalance here. In addition, however, it has a very interesting chapter on Frontiers in

Biotechnology, and a few subsections on topics such as Marine ecosystems, and Animal

Cognition which go beyond the basics. Though complex, the concepts introduced are described

well and in relatable ways; for example, the arrangement of phospholipids in the cell membrane are

likened to the layers of a sandwich. For every subsection of the 34 chapters in Biologyaveraging

about five or six per chapterseveral key vocabulary words are introduced and defined in various

ways, including visuals and figures when appropriate (Figure 2). While this is extensive, the words

are very specific terms that students need to know for the discipline. The words are highlighted

with their first use, and the glossarys definitions are also worded slightly differently, allowing for

more assistance.

1
For all of the following qualitative considerations, the textbook evaluation instrument provided in chapter five of the
text by Alvermann et al. (2010) was used, supplemented occasionally by the text assessment questions offered by
Kesidou and Roseman specifically for science texts (2002).
 ASSESSMENT OF HOLT McDOUGALS BIOLOGY 6

Figure 2. Example of "visual vocab" definition from Biology, p. 77 in section 3.3 on

the cell membrane. The occasional visual definitions add greater assistance with new
and difficult terms.

Format

Most of the graphics and visual aids in the text are quite helpful to making sense of the

content without sacrificing too much detail. In Figure 3, the texts visual for the processes of

meiosis 1 and 2 is shown as a great example of this, as many texts try unsuccessfully to over-

simplify this process.

Figure 3. Visual breakdown of meiosis 1 and 2 in Biology, p. 164.

 ASSESSMENT OF HOLT McDOUGALS BIOLOGY 7

Biology gives the visual the space it needs with detailed descriptions of each phase. Visuals in

Biology are also generally attractive to the eye and not overly distracting, and many SEM images

are used instead of cartoons which help students form accurate understandings (Figure 4).

Figure 4. SEM images of red blood cells in various solutions with descriptions of
processes and key-term labels, p. 82.

In other cases, content is unnecessarily interrupted by pages that are dedicated entirely to

advertising the texts online supplements when a simple list of items offered as an appendix would

have been much more suitable (Figure 5).

Figure 5. Images of distracting advertisements for online supplemental resources. These are
common, recurring images throughout the book but serve little purpose. A comprehensive list with
minimal visuals as an appendix would be better.
 ASSESSMENT OF HOLT McDOUGALS BIOLOGY 8

Another strength in this area is that the chapters of the text are well organized, being broken

down into sections and subsections with good headings, marginal notes that connect to previous

content, and excellent chapter summaries. The text chapters lack introductions, but start out with

thought-provoking images and good essential questions, like Why are there so many variations

among people? and How can this plant digest a frog? These are useful for hooking readers and

not tedious to sort through. Furthermore, the glossary, index, and appendixes are useful in this text,

and the glossary even offers bilingual definitions (English and Spanish).

Utility

The chapter reviews and assessment questions at the end of the chapters are well designed

and incorporate many levels of Blooms taxonomy, but they are still unlikely to be utilized by most

students on their own. They are more useful for the inspiration of good questions and assessment

tasks for teachers; the standards-based assessment offered at the end of the chapters seem

particularly useful in this respect (Figure 6).

Figure 6. Sample standards-based assessment questions offered at the

end of the chapters. Each chapter has six questions asked in this format.

More interesting are the Quick Labs which are present in every chapter, with activities

ranging from full-blown experiments designed by students to simple tasks of observation (Figure 7).
 ASSESSMENT OF HOLT McDOUGALS BIOLOGY 9

These seem very useful for both teachers and students as many could be completed either at school

or home.

Figure 7. Example of a Quick Lab activity in which students design their own
experiment to test the effects of various beverages on yeast fermentation rates.

Perhaps even more exciting are the Biozine articles for each unit (Figure 8). It is easy to imagine

how these could be utilized to foster engaged reading about science in the classroom setting,

something which has been woefully absent in many high schools. These articles introduce

interesting findings from current biological research and technology, and serve to inform students

about possible careers in the field.

Figure 8. Example of a unit article on the subject of stem cell

research, p. 152.
 ASSESSMENT OF HOLT McDOUGALS BIOLOGY 10

The fact that both the chapter labs and unit articles are expanded upon with the online

resources is quite beneficial, and I also see the supplemental animations being useful to augment

lessons. There is a teachers edition of this text, and although it is beyond the scope of this review, it

would likely be useful. Nowhere in the text did I encounter any suggestions of further reading.

Style

In all of the passages I read for this assignment, I never found any glaring issues with the

grammar or syntax; it is all coherent. The sentences also did not seem overly choppy, which I was

somewhat worried about when I saw the ninth-grade readability score. Important transition and

connecting words were not omitted excessively, and neither flow nor meaning suffered. At times,

the passages came across as somewhat lackluster, however, which is unfortunate with such

potentially captivating subject matter.

Strengths Weaknesses
Comprehensive content, good Expensive cost one class of 20
vocabulary assistance students with a text for each one
Excellent supplemental materials would be over $2,000
(i.e. Quick Labs and Biozine Distracting and unnecessary
articles) components at times e.g. Go
Well organized format, useful online pages
glossary No suggestions for further reading
Great images and figures encountered
Good questions and assessment Somewhat lackluster writing style
materials
 Running head: ASSESSMENT OF HOLT McDOUGALS BIOLOGY 11

Conclusion

Overall, I would recommend this textbook for classroom use. Its supplemental materials

and excellent images alone stand out, and what issues the text does have can be mitigated with

proper teacher actions. For example, one might be able to mitigate the cost and make good use of

the textbook with the teacher edition and only a few student editions, having textbook work be in

groups where students share or work together. Furthermore, teachers should be very intentional

about selected passages for students so as to avoid unnecessary distractions and ensure content

relevancy. Though disappointing, the writing style can be mitigated through teacher actions and

efforts to bring energy and liveliness to the classroom; a great example is acting out process with

students. To amplify the strengths of this text, continued and differentiated vocabulary assistance is

a must. Teachers should also take advantage of the opportunities provided with the supplemental

materials for improving lectures and adding more engaging activities. One example which comes to

mind would be using the Biozine articles, like the one on stem cell research, to bring reading into

the science classroom and foster discussions on topics that are typically overlooked such as

bioethics. Such activities would also benefit immensely from a variety of before, during, and after

reading routines like those weve discussed in class. However, if this text is to be used, it should not

be the primary instructional guide; rather, it should be used as an augmentation to inquiry-based

lesson planning.
 ASSESSMENT OF HOLT McDOUGALS BIOLOGY 12

References

Alvermann, D. E., Phelps, S. F., & Gillis, V. R. (2010). Content area reading and literacy:

Succeeding in todays diverse classrooms (6th ed.). New York: Allyn & Bacon.

Beers, G. K., & Probst, R. E. (2016). Reading nonfiction: notice & note stances, signposts, and

strategies. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

Kesidou, S., & Roseman, J. E. (2002). How Well Do Middle School Science Programs Measure

Up? Findings from Project 2061s Curriculum Review. Journal of Research in Science

Teaching, 39(6), 522549. https://doi.org/10.1002/tea.10035

National Governors Association Center for Best Practices (NGA) & Council of Chief State School

Officers (CCSSO). (2010). Common Core State Standards for English language arts and

literacy in history/social studies, science, and technical subjects, Appendix A. Washington

D.C.Retrieved from http://www.corestandards.org/ELA-Literacy/

Nowicki, S. (2013). Biology. Orlando, Florida: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.