District updates board on year-one implementation of OpenSciEd and Amplify science curricula

Janine Hauser, the district curriculum facilitator for science, and classroom teachers told the board the district is in the first year of implementing OpenSciEd at middle grades and Amplify at the high school.

Janine Hauser said the adoption reflects an instructional shift toward three-dimensional science learning and student-centered, experiential approaches. She said teachers received multi-day trainings and have used PLC time and paid summer planning to prepare units.

Tiffany Roberson (seventh-grade science) described OpenSciEd’s storyline-driven units and said students are ‘‘doing science’’ by interpreting data, asking questions and engaging in partner work. Roberson said the approach reduces emphasis on memorized facts and instead focuses on inquiry skills, but acknowledged the method can surface misconceptions that teachers must identify and address.

Shanna Howard (high school biology) described the Amplify materials and said teachers appreciate the prepared resources and variety of student-facing activities (simulations, card sorts and seminars). Howard said the district is creating supplemental assessments to align with its grading-for-learning practices because Amplify’s primary summative assessments do not provide enough multiple evidence points for some grade configurations.

Areas staff said they will continue to refine include targeted differentiation for students with IEPs and limited English proficiency, additional mini-lessons to address recurring misconceptions, and adding more hands-on experiments once pacing decisions are settled.

Next steps: high school will phase in chemistry next year and physics the following year, with professional learning and paid planning scheduled for spring and summer; AP biology, AP chemistry and human anatomy and physiology are under review.