District curriculum staff and teachers presented a 16-month review of STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) and communication/media-arts (CMA) curriculum to the Deerfield SD 109 Board of Education on May 15.

A Teaching and Learning staff member summarized the district’s approach: “In district 109, we cultivate a community of learners who are innovative, collaborative and equipped for a world of emerging technologies,” and said the review’s goal was to keep curriculum iterative so it stays current with emerging technologies.

Presenters said the review followed the district’s six-year curriculum cycle and involved eight educators across the district. The team reported a needs assessment that included student surveys showing high interest in STEM/CMA. Teachers described instructional domains and grade-level designs: elementary STEAM uses media arts, engineering and design, and computer science and robotics; middle-school STEM emphasizes architecture, computer science, and engineering and design; middle-school CMA includes content creation, digital communication and graphic design.

Teachers described classroom structures and pilot programs. Elementary classes use a station rotation covering nine projects (three-week projects), and middle-school instruction uses a design-thinking model with 10-day partner projects. The team piloted LEGO Education products (Coding Express, LEGO Spike, Spike Prime) and reported that LEGO pilots support differentiation and progressive coding development.

Technology updates discussed several planned purchases and upgrades: iPads for K–5 STEAM labs; additional PCs and split classroom displays for middle schools to support dual workstations; updated 3-D printers; and platform tools such as Marty robots, MakeWonder, and Codable for grades K–2. Middle-school innovations mentioned included Thunkable (app design), Oculus virtual reality units and a flight simulator.

The board asked teachers how success would be recognized. A presenter said success shows up as student work that becomes “life skills” — for example, sixth-graders who built a nonprofit project, designed a logo, built an architecture project or app, and produced a podcast to explain it.

A recorded message from a former student was played; the student said the program “prepared me for high school” and credited CMA with giving the skills to pursue film and TV electives.

Presenters emphasized balance between hands-on building and device-based work and described how digital citizenship is taught and reinforced, particularly when students receive devices in early grades. The session was informational; no board action was taken on the curriculum itself at this meeting.

The presentation and follow-up discussion included classroom-level details, pilot results and a list of technology platforms that the district plans to maintain or expand.