Teachers select Mystery Science and OpenSciEd in multi-level science adoption; high school selects mixed publishers
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Summary
After a year-long review, Los Alamos Public Schools teachers recommended Mystery Science for K–5, OpenSciEd for grades 6–8 and a mix of publishers for high-school physics, chemistry and biology; the board heard that pilots, teacher consensus and student feedback guided selections and that teacher training has begun.
Los Alamos Public Schools presented the results of a K–12 science instructional-materials review, with teacher-led teams recommending Mystery Science (Discovery Education) for K–5, OpenSciEd for grades 6–8, and a mix of publishers for high-school courses, the board heard.
Dr. Sharon Poe, who led the district review, said the work is governed by the New Mexico definition of high-quality instructional materials (HQIM), which emphasizes content-rich, standards-aligned, accessible and culturally relevant resources. Classroom teachers led campus teams and participated in pilots and scoring to reach consensus.
For K–5, teachers recommended continuing and formalizing use of Mystery Science. Middle school teachers from all sites piloted materials and chose OpenSciEd by unanimous vote after deep dives and shared scoring tools; the district emphasized that sixth-grade teachers from five elementary sites participated in piloting and review to ensure continuity.
High school selections vary by course. Presenters said McGraw Hill materials will support freshman/conceptual physics and honors physics (with an “actively learn” digital component), Inspire Chemistry (McGraw Hill) will serve chemistry courses, and Cengage/National Geographic materials were chosen for biology and related electives. Teachers said pilots, including student work samples and trial units, informed those choices.
Teacher leaders Adrienne Hedrick (middle-school eighth-grade science) and Deb Grothest (high-school department chair) described multi-site piloting, teacher consensus and student feedback as central to the process. Hedrick said the middle-school group tested both TWIG and OpenSciEd units in classrooms, scored them with a common rubric and unanimously selected OpenSciEd after piloting.
The board was told training on the newly adopted materials has begun: publisher-led professional development sessions for high-school personnel occurred in late May, and teams will use the summer to continue planning. Dr. Poe told the board that next year the district will begin a K–12 math-materials review.
Board members praised the teacher-led process and the inclusion of sixth-grade teachers in middle-school decisions; they noted pilot testing and student voice were important factors in reaching consensus.