Berwyn South SD 100 highlights science curriculum gains, expands hands-on programs

School District 100 officials on Tuesday described steady gains on state science assessments and outlined a multi-pronged plan to expand hands-on science instruction across elementary and middle schools.

Board President Irene Jimenez convened the public meeting at Heritage Middle School, where district curriculum leaders summarized assessment results, classroom schedules and enrichment programs that leaders said are intended to support literacy-rich, phenomena-based science instruction.

District director of learning management and assessment Lindsay Cindy said the district’s Illinois Science Assessment results show growth since 2021 and noted that the district is “making more gains than the state,” while acknowledging the district remains slightly below the state average overall. Cindy said the assessment is summative only for fifth and eighth grades and that changes to the test scale and item structure since 2021 make long-term comparison difficult.

Theresa Delphia, assistant director of curriculum and instruction, described steps taken this year to make Mystery Science a more systematically paced resource in…