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North Andover reviews first-read plan to adopt OpenSciEd and Project Lead The Way for high-school science
Summary
District curriculum staff presented a first-read proposal to adopt OpenSciEd for biology, chemistry and physics and Project Lead The Way (PLTW) for biomedical sciences at North Andover High School; the committee heard implementation, training and assessment questions and will vote on adoption at the June 4 meeting.
District curriculum leaders presented a first-read proposal on May 21, 2026, asking the North Andover School Committee to consider adopting OpenSciEd for biology, chemistry and physics and Project Lead The Way (PLTW) for biomedical sciences as the district's high-quality instructional materials for high school science.
Cara Larkombe, who led the presentation, described OpenSciEd's storyline-based, investigative approach and said the materials align to Massachusetts standards with state-produced supplements. She asked the committee: "I respectfully request that you could consider adopting Open Science Biology, Chemistry, and physics and Project Lead the Way Biomedical Sciences as our HQIM for North Anover Highlands High School science courses?" (speaker: Cara Larkombe).
Larkombe and other presenters summarized pilot work: college-prep biology classrooms piloted OpenSciEd units this year and a physics pilot teacher reported greater student engagement. The committee heard that OpenSciEd covers biology, chemistry and physics, creating departmental coherence, and that PLTW would provide hands-on biomedical coursework and a future capstone pathway. The presenters said the district has received a $75,000 grant from the 1-8 foundation to purchase PLTW materials and support teacher training.
Committee members asked about standards alignment, pacing, assessment and AP-course fit. Larkombe acknowledged assessment is a focus: OpenSciEd emphasizes performance tasks and performance-based assessment rather than exclusively multiple-choice quizzes; the district is planning supports and a phased rollout with teacher training this summer. Committee members pressed how honors and college-prep pacing would be handled and whether AP courses would be affected; presenters said AP classes would likely remain separate and not be replaced by OpenSciEd in AP sections at this time.
Superintendent Pam Lathrop told the committee this counts as the first-read presentation; members were invited to submit written questions by June 2 so staff could respond before the committee's June 4 vote.
If adopted, the district said it would pilot selected units, train teachers over the summer, and phase in materials with attention to scheduling and staffing implications. The committee did not vote on the adoption at the meeting; members asked follow-up questions about supports for multilingual learners and students with disabilities and about consumable material costs, which the administration said it would clarify.
