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Board hears science instructional-materials review; staff recommends New Visions, formal adoption set for May 27
Summary
District staff outlined the multi-year review and pilot process that led a high-school science team to recommend New Visions (open-source) as the core high-school science instructional materials; the board will be asked to adopt the recommendation at its May 27 meeting and was invited to review materials beforehand.
District curriculum staff presented the review cycle and pilot results supporting a recommendation to adopt New Visions as the district’s high-school core science instructional materials, and asked the board to review materials before a formal adoption vote scheduled for May 27.
Kelly Flagler and Executive Director Todd Smith described a multi-year program-review process aligned to board policy 8,340 and the New York State science standards. Smith said the district’s high-school vertical team used an evidence-based rubric, piloted multiple resources (including New Visions and Cognity), and selected New Visions for its New York State alignment, teacher guides, lab investigations and its open-source, adaptable format.
"The team of teachers selected New Visions as their core resource moving forward," Smith said, adding that the materials are open source and free, which allows local adaptation to student needs.
Staff outlined next steps: the vertical team for biology and earth science will continue training over the summer, develop district curriculum documents and assessments, and hold implementation training next year ahead of new regents-aligned exams. Kelly Flagler invited board members to review the full materials at the district office during scheduled office hours; staff said they would make themselves available by appointment and would request formal adoption at the May 27 board meeting.
Board members asked substantive questions. Mark requested supporting evidence for inquiry-based approaches and asked staff to provide research (What Works Clearinghouse or similar) that the district used when evaluating curricula. Mary expressed concern about depth of instruction and emphasized the need for explicit teaching and skill development; staff responded that the adopted materials and the district’s professional learning-community cycle are intended to support both explicit instruction and inquiry-based learning.
Audra (the district’s science director) and other curriculum staff will continue work over the summer to prepare curriculum guidance and assessments prior to implementation. The board did not vote on adoption at this meeting; staff characterized the item as an action they will bring to the May 27 meeting for formal adoption.
