College Station ISD reports mixed early gains, wide campus variation in first year of new K–12 science materials

Amanda Gibson, College Station ISD curriculum coordinator, gave the board a year‑one implementation update on the district’s new K–12 science instructional materials at the March 18 workshop.

Gibson said teachers used the new materials as the primary resource this year while aligning instruction to the revised Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS). “With our usage being so strong this year, I am confident that we have sufficient data to make meaningful and targeted adjustments to our resource usage next school year,” she told trustees.

Why it matters: The district purchased new instructional materials to address major shifts in the state’s science TEKS. How well campuses implement the materials affects short‑term growth measures such as NWEA MAP RIT scores and, later, STAAR results when standards are tested at the new grade levels.

Key findings Gibson presented include fall‑to‑winter MAP growth and achievement comparisons. Highlights from the mid‑year MAP snapshot she shared: second grade average growth increased to 9 RIT points this winter (up from 6 the prior winter); eighth grade moved from an average of 2 points to 6; and 10th‑grade biology returned from a negative rate of growth last winter to a positive 8 RIT points this winter. Gibson also reported that fourth grade showed a decline in achievement percentiles from fall to winter.

Gibson cautioned that some variability likely reflects pacing differences and the timing of units across campuses. She said elementary teachers received concentrated professional development on the new instructional routines only last year and this is the first full year they have “gone all in” on the new frameworks; secondary teachers began making similar instructional shifts earlier, beginning in 2019.

Gibson contrasted instructional‑area results on the MAP subscales (life, earth and physical sciences). She said green‑coded units on her slide were units taught prior to the mid‑year MAP, while yellow‑coded units were still in progress at mid‑year. “Our yellow boxes mostly show that improvement,” she said, adding that initial negative numbers in some green boxes likely reflect teachers learning new routines early in the year.

To illustrate classroom changes, Gibson showed student work samples from multiple campuses: kindergarten and first grade consensus models at Creekview, a fifth‑grade investigation of sedimentary rock at Pecan Trail anchored by Antelope Canyon formations, a sixth‑grade Newton’s third law task using a video of an aquatic hoverboard, seventh‑grade dissolution observations and eighth‑grade demonstrations of conservation of mass. She said teachers repeatedly noted increases in student writing, model use, independence and the quality of class discussions.

Gibson summarized survey feedback collected Feb. 17 from teachers districtwide. Common themes were improved writing and modeling, stronger student discourse, greater student independence, and improved collaboration and problem solving in elementary teams. She also reported several teacher comments by name (with permission), including Emily McLaren (Spring Creek) and Robin Haas (Riverbend), which Gibson used to illustrate classroom impacts.

Trustees questioned the sources of variation across campuses and whether shifted TEKS placement across grades could be affecting MAP and STAAR results. Gibson noted two points: (1) mid‑year MAP provides only an early data point, and more data are needed to confirm trends; and (2) STAAR this year assesses the standards that remained in the assessed grade this year — standards that moved between grades will not be tested until future administrations under STAAR’s temporary blueprints.

Next steps Gibson identified include refining resource use, strengthening assessment development, deepening professional learning on student discourse and expanding instruction in the engineering design process in Year 2 and Year 3. She recommended keeping the current materials as the foundation of Tier‑1 instruction while making targeted adjustments based on usage and classroom evidence.

Gibson closed by asking trustees for questions; board members praised the science team and instructional coaches for districtwide collaboration and PLC work that is supporting implementation.

Ending: Trustees received the report with no formal action requested at the workshop. District staff said they will continue to monitor MAP and future STAAR results, refine curriculum documents and return with recommended adjustments as additional data become available.