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Board approves Nucleus coding and robotics curriculum, buys Sphero robots for 7–8 STEAM
Summary
The board approved a Nucleus online curriculum and purchased Sphero Bolt robots for the district's 7–8 STEAM course at a combined cost of about $9,200, enabling a year-long robotics and coding pathway in middle school.
The La Canada Unified School District Board of Education on Aug. 13 approved a district subscription to Nucleus online coding and robotics curriculum and the purchase of Sphero Bolt robots for the district's 7–8 STEAM course.
Assistant Superintendent Jim Cardinal told the board the Nucleus curriculum is organized into three units — an introduction to robotics and block coding, advanced block coding and game design, and an introduction to JavaScript — and is designed to create a curricular spine for the district's 7–8 STEAM class. Teacher Ryan Miceli, the new visual-arts and STEAM teacher, will have access to the full set of Nucleus materials for his classes.
Cardinal said the combined purchase cost is roughly $9,200: about $5,000 for the curriculum license and about $4,200 to buy 15–16 Sphero Bolt robots so students can work in pairs. The board moved a first-read item to action at the request of a virtual board member and voted to approve the purchase and curriculum license during the meeting.
Board members asked about scheduling and confirmed the STEAM class is a standalone, year-long course. District staff said the teacher will align the robotics work to the district high-school computer science pathway, which includes courses up to AP Computer Science.
The board approved the purchase by verbal roll-call vote. Staff said they would return with implementation updates and examples of student work once instruction is underway.
