Board approves personal finance course and high-school OpenSciEd science; delays K-8 science adoption for further piloting

The school board approved two curriculum actions: a recommended personal finance scope and sequence for grades 9-12 and a high-school science adoption. At the same time the committee recommended postponing K-8 science adoption to allow further piloting.

Dr. Sarah Crane and the curriculum team told the board the personal finance recommendation combines selected elements from three instructional providers (Knowledge Matters, NextGen Personal Finance and EverFi) into a unified semester sequence for students. The team said the three-part approach was chosen because no single commercial program satisfied all course outcomes; there is no additional subscription cost to the district for the recommended materials.

For high-school science the board approved OpenSciEd following several months of teacher piloting. Kate Fisher, science department chair and a high-school teacher, described pilot feedback: teachers reported higher student engagement, improved student ability to explain phenomena, and deeper three-dimensional learning aligned with the Next Generation Science Standards. Fisher said pilot participants valued the curriculum's emphasis on students as sense-makers; staff recommended professional development and collaborative planning time as part of implementation.

Staff proposed a different approach for elementary and middle school science. The adoption committee recommended postponing a K-8 selection to allow more robust piloting, avoid overloading teachers who are also implementing a recently adopted math program, and gather additional classroom evidence (including student interviews and cross-school pilots) before choosing a single elementary provider. The board approved a waiver application to the state to delay the K-8 adoption and accepted the high-school adoption and the personal finance adoption.