High School Science Adoption

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

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

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.

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

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