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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><strong><span style="font-family: &quot;Arial&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 10pt;">The Association of American Publishers (AAP) does not oppose “open educational resources” (OER).  However, we are concerned that the current OER movement is morphing into a form of government publishing.</span></strong><span style="font-family: &quot;Arial&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 10pt;"> In other words, our concerns lies with the idea of having the government compete with the U.S. publishing industry either as a publisher or as the funder of publishing activities.</span></p>
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<p class="MsoBodyText" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Arial&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 10pt;"><strong>In addition, OER materials are not sustainable over time nor does it meet the needs of all learners. </strong></span></p>
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<p class="MsoBodyText" style="text-indent: -0.25in; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10pt; font-weight: normal; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7pt &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">         </span></span></span><span style="font-family: &quot;Arial&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 10pt; font-weight: normal;">OER materials frequently lack standards alignment, engaging content, a research base, evidence of effectiveness, teacher supports, and scope and sequence for curriculum. However, publisher/OER collaborations could potentially lead to viable product options because of the expert skills and services publishers bring to product development.</span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><strong><span style="font-family: &quot;Arial&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 10pt;">Publisher-developed instructional materials have many benefits that cannot be found in OER:</span></strong></p>
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<p class="MsoListParagraph" style="text-indent: -0.25in; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">·</span><span style="font: 7pt &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">         </span></span></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><em>Quality &amp; Effectiveness</em>. Publisher-developed comprehensive learning systems are designed to enable teachers and faculty to teach, assess, diagnose and prescribe solutions for <em>all kinds of learners</em>.  Publishers invest significant resources to develop the systems so that they have the necessary instructional content, structure, scope, sequence and standards alignment.</span></span></p>
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<p class="MsoBodyText" style="text-indent: -0.25in; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10pt; font-weight: normal; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7pt &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">         </span></span></span><em><span style="font-family: &quot;Arial&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 10pt; font-weight: normal;">Teacher Supports</span></em><span style="font-family: &quot;Arial&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 10pt; font-weight: normal;">. Publisher-developed learning systems include extensive resources to support the work of teachers. They are core resources that help the teacher deliver the program to all kinds of learners. For example: </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: -0.25in; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1in; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo3; tab-stops: list 1.0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Courier New';"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">o<span style="font: 7pt &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">    </span></span></span><span style="font-family: &quot;Arial&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 10pt;">Teachers’ edition, lesson plans, subject-area background material with embedded professional development, planning tools, and pacing charts.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: -0.25in; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1in; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo3; tab-stops: list 1.0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Courier New';"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">o<span style="font: 7pt &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">    </span></span></span><span style="font-family: &quot;Arial&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 10pt;">Teacher productivity tools such as practice and enrichment workbooks, study guides, hands-on activities, test bank, primary source readings, preview materials with practice quizzes and tests, and lab manuals (depending on the course)</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: -0.25in; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1in; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo3; tab-stops: list 1.0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Courier New';"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">o<span style="font: 7pt &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">    </span></span></span><span style="font-family: &quot;Arial&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 10pt;">Professional development for the teacher.</span></p>
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<p class="MsoBodyText" style="text-indent: -0.25in; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10pt; font-weight: normal; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7pt &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">         </span></span></span><em><span style="font-family: &quot;Arial&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 10pt; font-weight: normal;">Technology</span></em><span style="font-family: &quot;Arial&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 10pt; font-weight: normal;">. Publishers are at the forefront of bringing technology into the classroom – and in making sure quality content remains the top priority. Technology and digital content play increasingly central roles in publisher-developed instructional systems, including dedicated websites to support student textbooks, electronic lesson plans correlated to rigorous academic standards, and links to digital support materials.</span></p>
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<p class="MsoListParagraph" style="text-indent: -0.25in; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">·</span><span style="font: 7pt &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">         </span></span></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><em>Cost efficiency</em>. Publishers are offering new learning tools and technologies that are proven to advance student success and lower the cost per pupil for instruction.</span></span></p>
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<p class="MsoListParagraph" style="text-indent: -0.25in; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">·</span><span style="font: 7pt &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">         </span></span></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><em>Partnerships</em>.  Publishers work in partnership with schools, school districts, and post-secondary institutions nationwide to provide a <em><span style="font-family: &quot;Arial&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;">continuum of learning resources</span></em> to help students learn, parents to connect, teachers to instruct and administrators to plan and evaluate.</span></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><strong><span style="font-family: &quot;Arial&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;; color: #1f497d; font-size: 10pt;">Jay A. Diskey</span></strong><span style="color: #1f497d;"></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Arial&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;; color: #1f497d; font-size: 10pt;">Executive Director, School Division</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Arial&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;; color: #1f497d; font-size: 10pt;">Association of American Publishers</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><em><span style="font-family: &quot;Arial&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;; color: #1f497d; font-size: 10pt;">455 Massachusetts Avenue, NW, Suite 700</span></em></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><em><span style="font-family: &quot;Arial&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;; color: #1f497d; font-size: 10pt;">Washington, DC.  20001</span></em></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Arial&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;; color: #1f497d; font-size: 10pt;">P: 202/220-4549</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Arial&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;; color: #1f497d; font-size: 10pt;">F: 202/347-3690 </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><a href="mailto:jdiskey@publishers.org"><span style="font-family: &quot;Arial&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 10pt;">jdiskey@publishers.org</span></a><span style="font-family: &quot;Arial&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;; color: #1f497d; font-size: 10pt;"></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><a href="http://www.publishers.org/school"><span style="font-family: &quot;Arial&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 10pt;">www.publishers.org/school</span></a><span style="font-family: &quot;Arial&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;; color: #1f497d; font-size: 10pt;"></span></p>
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