Paradise Valley board unanimously adopts Imagine Learning Twig for K–8 science

The Paradise Valley Unified School District governing board on April 16 approved a recommended science curriculum package that uses Imagine Learning Twig for kindergarten through eighth grade and a combination of open educational resources and traditional publishers for high school courses. Curriculum specialists told the board the committee’s recommendation is based on months of teacher, parent and administrator review.

“Twig has earned an ESSA Tier 3 Promising Evidence rating through a review by Johns Hopkins University,” Krista Perez, elementary STEAM and science curriculum specialist, told the board, citing the research base the committee relied on. Robin Hayward, secondary STEAM and science curriculum specialist, said the materials prioritize hands‑on investigations, teacher guidance, and supports for multilingual learners and students with special needs. “The committee recommends Imagine Learning Twig for kindergarten through eighth grade,” Hayward said.

Why it mattered: Board members pressing for implementation detail received a multi‑part plan. District staff said summer training and dedicated half‑day sessions in August will introduce teachers to the materials and routines; on‑going coaching, classroom visits, and common unit assessments will monitor adoption and learning outcomes. Staff emphasized that most Twig investigations are hands‑on and that digital activities represent a minority of days in elementary classrooms.

During a lengthy question‑and‑answer session, board members asked whether pre‑implementation trainings would be mandatory and about screen time. Hayward said trainings have historically been optional but the district will offer repeated sessions and paid timesheet work when teachers are asked to do additional curriculum development. On screen time, staff said most elementary lessons involve teacher‑led work; only about 20% of Twig investigations are digital, and typical daily screen time in elementary lessons would be low.

The board moved the item and approved the adoption unanimously. The district plans summer professional learning, downloadable teacher and student materials (to support offline access), and a monitoring schedule that uses existing formative and summative assessments to track whether the adoption increases science achievement.

The board’s approval begins the vendor procurement and teacher training steps; staff said next steps include summer training sessions and development of guaranteed and viable curriculum documents to guide pacing and instruction.