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U-46 board hears plan for NGSS-aligned high-school science curriculum with multi-year licenses and custom lab kits
Summary
District leaders proposed a major high-school science curriculum package June 1 that extends NGSS-aligned, phenomenon-based instruction into AP, honors and elective courses; the plan includes multi-year licenses, phased rollout with early adopters, professional learning and vendor-developed lab kits.
At the June 1 School District U-46 board meeting, the Office of K–12 Science presented a multi-course high-school science curriculum proposal designed to extend the district’s K–8 NGSS-aligned approach into AP, honors and elective science classes.
Celia Banks and Deborah McMullen said the package covers AP and honors biology and chemistry (multi-year licenses), AP physics (including physics C), and non-AP electives such as integrated physical science, earth and space science and environmental science. The district recommended a mixture of purchased AP/honors resources and district-developed storylines for electives, coupled with professional learning, coaching and implementation support from partners including the National Science Teachers Association.
Banks said the adoption emphasizes phenomenon-based learning: students “learn science by doing science” through investigations, modeling and evidence-based reasoning, rather than by relying on single textbook sources. The proposal includes custom instructional kits developed with a vendor to ensure hands-on experiments arrive ready to use and produce reliable student data; presenters said kit maintenance and sourcing are part of the vendor agreement.
The district read cost lines for multiple proposals (multi-year license costs and implementation supports) and asked for authorization to execute related documents. Board members asked practical questions about teacher planning materials, AP updates from College Board, and the content of custom kits; presenters said teachers will receive Google-based curriculum documents, and that vendors will source and guarantee kit materials for repeatable use.
No separate roll-call vote on the science package was recorded in the meeting minutes; the item was presented as a recommendation and planned for phased implementation with early adopters and assessment of student outcome data before full rollout.
