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Ottumwa board approves new science curriculum; K–5 to pilot Mystery Science
Summary
The Ottumwa Community School District board approved staff’s recommended science curriculum after a presentation by two district science teachers. The package names Mystery Science for K–5, Savvas for grades 6–8 and Pearson Campbell for high-school biology, with teacher professional development and a K–5 pilot before full implementation in 2027–28.
The Ottumwa Community School District board on Monday approved a recommended set of new science materials after district teachers outlined a multi-stage review process and piloting plan.
Kim Brisby and Heather Swanstrom, both members of the curriculum review committee, told the board they began the process by identifying essential standards for each grade band, using EdReports to pre-vet options and convening vendor demonstrations before making recommendations. "We started by reading...the new art and science of teaching science," Brisby said, describing the committee’s framework for choosing materials.
The district will recommend Mystery Science for K–5. Brisby said Mystery Science emphasizes phenomena-based, hands-on learning and includes kits for experiments; the district plans to assemble many of those kit materials locally this summer to reduce costs. For grades 6–8 the district recommended Savvas (a single platform for middle grades), and for high-school biology it recommended the Pearson Campbell textbook series. Swanstrom said secondary courses often require course-specific materials and that staff chose resources they judged to align with their essential standards.
Administration told the board the K–5 materials will be piloted next school year with broader professional development for teachers over the summer and into the year. Staff also said the expectation for elementary classrooms is to provide roughly 30 minutes of science and social studies instruction every other day.
A board member asked about online time; presenters clarified that the K–5 product is primarily a teacher-facing online platform with printable student resources, not required student screen time. On kits, Brisby said many of the items are inexpensive supplies (rubber bands, index cards) and the district believes assembling kits locally will reduce costs compared with buying vendor-supplied sets.
After brief discussion the board made a motion to adopt the recommended science curriculum. The motion carried on a voice/hand-raise vote with no recorded dissent.
The district will use summer professional learning communities (PLCs) to prepare initial units and will phase in full use of the adopted materials in the 2027–28 school year following the elementary pilot.
