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Carlisle presenters outline shift to PASTEELs/NGSS biology curriculum, board to vote in two weeks
Summary
Science supervisors and teachers described a countywide shift from a 10-unit biology sequence to five "three-dimensional" STEELs-aligned units using OpenSciEd, emphasizing hands-on investigations, universal design for learning and higher-order Keystone assessments. The board is scheduled to vote on adoption in two weeks.
The Carlisle Area School Districteducation committee heard a presentation on proposed revisions to the high school biology curriculum on April 3, with science department staff saying the changes will align classroom work with PennsylvaniaSTEELs (the stateadopted NGSS framework) and OpenSciEd instructional materials.
Presenters said the district will reduce its current 10-unit biology sequence to five units that embed a three-dimensional framework of disciplinary core ideas, cross-cutting concepts and science-and-engineering practices. Mrs. Sam Moyer, the district science lead, and Mrs. Norcross, a biology teacher, said the five units are: ecosystem interactions and dynamics; ecosystems: matter and energy; inheritance and variation of traits; natural selection and evolution of populations; and common ancestry and speciation.
The presenters highlighted that the revised curriculum emphasizes student-led sense-making and application rather than…
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