Kingsport board adopts McGraw Hill K–5 science materials, delays final purchase for high‑school biology

The Kingsport City Schools Board of Education on April 8 unanimously approved the Instructional Materials Committee's recommendation to adopt McGraw Hill science instructional materials for kindergarten through fifth grade, and to accept a recommended resource for grades six through eight that is openly available to the district. The board also heard that high school biology materials are still under review and that the district expects to return with a purchasing recommendation after additional vendor demonstrations.

Instructional staff member Dr. Cinnamon, who led the presentation, said the committee built its recommendation from a yearlong, vertical review that began in November and involved teachers across grade bands. "We really use that vision to guide the creation of a review rubric," Dr. Cinnamon told the board, describing a process meant to align materials to the district's instructional vision and Tennessee standards.

The committee identified three broad goals that shaped its review: student-centered, inquiry-based instruction that emphasizes scientific thinking and phenomena; teacher supports that reduce the need for extensive curation; and an instructional culture that connects learning to real-world problems. The K'5 recommendation calls for bundled print and digital materials integrated with the district's learning management system.

For grades six through eight, the committee recommended an open, standards-aligned resource the district already has been using and for which Tennessee alignment work and professional learning are in place. For high school biology (Biology I, Biology II and honors), Dr. Cinnamon said teachers are leaning toward a digital option but have outstanding questions about assessment item quality and the student interactivity components of the vendor's platform. "We still feel as though we're leaning towards adoption, but, to make the full decision, we need a little more time to decide," Dr. Cinnamon said.

Board members asked procedural questions about adoption versus purchase. Dr. Cinnamon told the board there is a state regulation that allows a district to adopt materials without immediately purchasing them, and noted that in many cases a purchase would require additional local approvals depending on cost. "There are two components, obviously, to the process. One is coming to you for approval of what we're recommending, and then there's certainly the second part of that is what we're actually going to purchase," Dr. Cinnamon said.

The board's recommended action was "to approve adoption of the list of science instructional materials recommended by the Kingsport City Schools Instructional Materials Committee." A board member moved the recommendation and another seconded; the board president announced the vote was unanimous.

Board discussion highlighted the scope of teacher involvement in the review. A board member thanked the 44 teachers and staff who participated and said the vertical conversations between kindergarten and high school teachers were particularly valuable.

Next steps: the district will continue vendor follow-up for the high school biology resource and return to the board with details for any required purchases and procurement approvals. The Instructional Materials Committee will provide additional demonstrations and documentation about assessment item types and the platform's interactivity before a final purchasing decision.

Votes at a glance: Approval of the Instructional Materials Committee recommendations (K'5 McGraw Hill; 6'8 open resource; biology: recommended but purchase pending) — outcome: approved (unanimous). Individual board vote tallies and mover/second names were not recorded in the public transcript.