Eugene School District 4J

The district is in the midst of adopting new secondary science curricula for middle and high school students. The instructional materials will provide an enriching and joyful hands-on learning experience in the classroom, while also aligning with current learning strategies and recently updated state standards. (See video below)

Following a comprehensive analysis, a review team made up of 4J secondary science teachers and other district staff has selected two curricula at each school level to test out in more than 20 classrooms: Stile and Twig for grades 6-8, and OpenSciEd (Carolina) and Savvas for grades 9-12. This piloting began last month and will wrap before spring break. A recommendation for one curriculum for each school level will go to the spring board for a final decision this spring. Once adopted, the district will schedule training for staff on the new curricula and begin rolling out in classrooms this coming fall.

The district sent home with students in classrooms piloting the curricula a letter with additional information about the selected instructional materials. 4J will send a survey at the end of the unit of study being piloted at each grade level so parents and guardians can provide comments based on their student’s experience with it.

It’s been a decade since 4J adopted new instructional materials for science education in middle and high schools. The aim of the curriculum adoption is to increase students’ academic achievement, align with the latest educational standards at the state and national levels, and provide more equitable access to scientific disciplines – and help today’s middle and high school students with a passion for science to become tomorrow’s astronomers, geologists and physicists.

Video Presentation