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Board approves elementary science resources and new secondary curriculum
Summary
After presentations from teacher committees, the board approved Discovery Education resources for elementary grades and LabAids (middle) and McGraw Hill (high) secondary materials; the six-year elementary investment was cited at $115,110 and the purchases will use state curricular materials funds.
The Middlebury Community Schools board voted unanimously at its March 17 meeting to purchase elementary science resources and adopt new secondary science curricula following committee-led reviews.
Elementary teachers recommended Discovery Education tools: Mystery Science for kindergarten through second grade and Science Techbook for grades 3–5. Presenters said the committee of K–5 teachers evaluated two vendors, piloted the platforms, and recommended a six-year purchase totaling $115,110 to provide digital resources, video, inquiry-based lessons and translation tools for multilingual learners.
For secondary schools, presenters summarized committee reviews that led to recommending LabAids for middle school (noted for standards alignment and hands-on lab components) and McGraw Hill’s Inspire Science for high school courses. Presenters stressed alignment to the NextGen/Indiana-referenced standards, inquiry-driven and lab-based learning in middle grades, and a mix of textbooks, simulations and reusable lab equipment to limit long-term consumable costs.
Dr. Snyder and presenters said purchases would be made using state-allocated funds designated for curricular materials. After brief questions from board members about green-rating alignment and state approval lists, Board Member Greg moved the motion to approve the elementary resources and secondary curriculum as presented; the board approved it 5–0.
The materials are intended to support hands-on, inquiry-based instruction and to provide language-translation support for newcomers; presenters said many physical lab items are reusable beyond the six-year purchase window.
