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High School Science Adoption

HIGH SCHOOL SCIENCE ADOPTION

The High School Science Committee has been tasked with reviewing and coming to consensus on comprehensive curriculum that could be implemented by classroom teachers in grades nine through twelve.  This includes core courses like Biology, Chemistry, and Physics and some electives.  It does not include AP, College in the High School, or Project Lead The Way (CTE) courses. Once consensus is reached by the committee, there will be a public review of the adoption committee's recommendation, the recommendation will be brought to the Instructional Advisory Committee (IAC), and then the Peninsula School District School Board will take action on the recommendation. 

Upon adoption of a comprehensive curriculum, the multi-year work of implementation will commence.  

STATE STANDARDS

ADOPTION RECOMMENDATIONS 2023

  • A science textbook with a blue ball on the cover that says Inspire Physical Science.

    After a robust pilot and data review process, the Chemistry/Physics pilot team reached consensus on the recommendation of the Inspire Physical Science curriculum by McGraw Hill. The recommendation was approved by the Instructional Advisory Committee during their meeting January 17, 2023 and will be presented to the School Board as a first reading during the January 26, 2023 meeting. 

    Pending School Board approval, Inspire Physical Science will be implemented in the fall of the 2023-2024 school year. 

    Click here to see sample text and additional resources. 

    Inspire Science Grades 9-12 Overview Video

  • A textbook titled "Inspire Physics" with a cover image of a mountain range and a night sky.

    After a robust pilot and data review process, the Physics pilot team reached consensus on the recommendation of the Inspire Physics curriculum by McGraw Hill. The recommendation was approved by the Instructional Advisory Committee during their meeting January 17, 2023 and will be presented to the School Board as a first reading during the January 26, 2023 meeting. 

    Pending School Board approval, Inspire Physics will be implemented in the fall of the 2023-2024 school year. 

    Click here to see sample text and additional resources.

    Inspire Science Grades 9-12 Overview Video

  • A chemistry textbook titled "Experience Chemistry" with a colorful cover.

    After a robust pilot and data review process, the Chemistry pilot team reached consensus on the recommendation of the Experience Chemistry by Savvas. The recommendation will be presented to the Instructional Advisory Committee during their meeting February 14, 2023 and will be presented to the School Board as a first reading during the February 16, 2023 meeting. 

    Pending School Board approval, Experience Chemistry will be implemented in the fall of the 2023-2024 school year. 

    Click here to see sample text and a demo lab.

TIMELINE & ACTIVITIES

  • Building leadership and department heads have met regularly during the 2020-21 school year to plan the vision and process for the review of available curricula.

  • A team of teachers participated in an asynchronous digital review of a large number of curricula to narrow the choices.  The curriculum was reviewed for support of 3-dimensional instruction of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), specifically the use of phenomenon to guide instruction.  We also looked for a logical sequence of topics and concepts, support for student thinking, and support and use of 3-dimensional assessments that align with our state science assessments.  

  • For each content area, 3-5 curricula will be chosen for a deeper analysis.  Curricula will be evaluated on the following criteria:

    • Alignment to NGSS
    • Support for high-quality instruction and assessment
    • Support for student growth in critical thinking
    • Equity, diversity and inclusion

     

    As a result of this analysis, 2 curricula will be chosen in each content area to be piloted in Fall 2021.

  • This Fall, Biology, Chemistry, and Physics courses are participating in a curriculum pilot that includes 2 curricula per course.  Teachers test out instructional materials and strategies and collect data on their effectiveness and standards alignment.  The data collected will be used to inform the committee's final decision.

    Biology
    Inquiry Hub Biology - UC: Boulder and Northwestern University
    Patterns: Biology - Portland Metro STEM Partnership

    Chemistry
    Experience Chemistry - Savvas
    Active Chemistry - Activate Learning

    Physics
    Experience Physics - Savvas
    Active Physics - Activate Learning

    After a robust pilot and data review process, the Biology pilot team reached consensus on the recommendation of the Inquiry Hub (iHub) Biology curriculum. The recommendation will be presented to the Instructional Advisory Committee during their meeting on April 5, 2022 and be presented to the School Board as a first reading during the April 28, 2022 business meeting. 

    Click here to review the iHub Biology materials. 

    After a robust pilot and data review process, the Chemistry and Physics pilot teams have reached consensus that further review of curriculum options is needed. Both teams are meeting in the Spring of 2022 to continue the process. Phase 2 of the pilot is anticipated in the Fall of 2022.  

  • High School Biology Recommendation - Inquiry Hub (iHub) Biology, University of Colorado Boulder 

    Click Here to view iHub Biology

     

    Community Review & Feedback Sessions

    Option 1 - via Zoom Option 2 - via Zoom
    Thursday, April 21, 2022 @ 5:30 Wednesday, May 4, 2022 @ 5:00

  • High School Biology Recommendation - iHub Biology
    School Board First Reading - April 28, 2022
    School Board Second Reading - May 26, 2022

  • Biology 

    After a robust pilot and data review process, the Biology pilot team reached consensus on the recommendation of the Inquiry Hub (iHub) Biology curriculum. The recommendation was presented to the Instructional Advisory Committee during their meeting on April 5, 2022 and presented to the School Board as a first reading during the April 28, 2022 business meeting. The School Board approved iHub as the Biology curriculum during the May 26, 2022 meeting. 

    Implementation if the iHub Biology curriculum started in the fall of the 2022-2023 school year. 

  • Based on teacher and student feedback during Pilot Phase 1, the adoption teams from Chemistry/Physics, Physics, & Honors Chemistry decided to investigate additional curriculum resources. During semester 1, the fall of 2022, teachers tested out instructional materials and strategies and collected data on their effectiveness and standards alignment.  The data collected was used to inform the committee's final decision.

    Chemistry/Physics
    Inspire Physical Science - McGraw Hill (Pilot Team Recommendation)
    Integrated High School Chemistry & Physics - NCESD (OER)

    Physics
    Inspire Physics - McGraw Hill (Pilot Team Recommendation)

    Honors Chemistry
    iHub Chemistry 
    Inspire Chemistry - McGraw Hill
    *At the culmination of Pilot Phase 2, the Chemistry adoption team recommended Experience Chemistry based on data from Pilot Phase 1. 

  • Community Preview

    Join us as we provide an opportunity to preview the recommended curriculum for the following courses: 
    Chemistry/Physics
    Physics
    Honors Chemistry

    Tuesday, January 31, 2023
    5:30 PM via Zoom     (link will be added soon)

    *If you would like more information and are unable to attend the Community Preview, please contact Ashley Ortenzo, ortenzo@psd401.net. 

  • Chemistry/Physics Recommendation - Inspire Physical Science
    School Board First Reading - January 26, 2023
    School Board Second Reading - February 16, 2023

    Physics Recommendation - Inspire Physics
    School Board First Reading - January 26, 2023
    School Board Second Reading - February 16, 2023

    Honors Chemistry Recommendation - Experience Chemistry
    School Board First Reading - February 16, 2023
    School Board Second Reading - March 23 , 2023