McGuffey School District committee recommends new 6–12 science resources ahead of Pennsylvania standards change
May 16, 2024 | McGuffey SD, School Districts, Pennsylvania
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The McGuffey School District committee on May 16 recommended that the board adopt a new set of 6–12 science instructional resources to align classroom practice with Pennsylvania’s incoming STEEL standards.
District presenters said the new STEEL standards emphasize phenomenon‑based learning—asking students to observe an event, develop explanatory models and iteratively test them—rather than traditional lecture. The science department head told the board the shift requires materials that foreground demonstrations and digital phenomenon resources so students can construct and refine models in class: “they don't want students given information; they want them to experience something … and then be able to develop their own ideas about what made that occur,” the presenter said.
After a yearlong review that included every middle‑ and high‑school science teacher and sample demonstrations from multiple vendors, the committee’s science team recommended the Savis core product (Savis Education Publishing, formerly part of Pearson) as the most robust option for a unified progression from grade 6 through 12, with separate AP‑level resources for advanced courses. The team said Savis’s combination of modular print materials and digital phenomenon content best supports the district’s plan to align terminology and instructional moves across secondary grades.
Business administrator Ashley McIl told the board the district received final quotes from the finalist publishers and expects the six‑year district adoption (student digital licenses) to total roughly $170,000. Consumable lab materials such as beakers and chemicals would be paid from individual building science budgets, administrators said. District staff committed to making sample access available on the district website for community review; a hard copy of the recommended AP Biology text will also be available at the high school.
Supervisors said the curriculum rewrite for grades 6–12 will be presented for board approval at the next regular meeting, and the administration recommended the board consider formal adoption then. The committee emphasized that elementary alignment will follow: elementary teachers were given sample materials and district leaders said the elementary review will occur next year to determine whether K–5 resources should match the secondary progression.
What happens next: The board is expected to consider a formal adoption vote at next month’s meeting after the curriculum team presents the final resource and supporting curriculum documents.
District presenters said the new STEEL standards emphasize phenomenon‑based learning—asking students to observe an event, develop explanatory models and iteratively test them—rather than traditional lecture. The science department head told the board the shift requires materials that foreground demonstrations and digital phenomenon resources so students can construct and refine models in class: “they don't want students given information; they want them to experience something … and then be able to develop their own ideas about what made that occur,” the presenter said.
After a yearlong review that included every middle‑ and high‑school science teacher and sample demonstrations from multiple vendors, the committee’s science team recommended the Savis core product (Savis Education Publishing, formerly part of Pearson) as the most robust option for a unified progression from grade 6 through 12, with separate AP‑level resources for advanced courses. The team said Savis’s combination of modular print materials and digital phenomenon content best supports the district’s plan to align terminology and instructional moves across secondary grades.
Business administrator Ashley McIl told the board the district received final quotes from the finalist publishers and expects the six‑year district adoption (student digital licenses) to total roughly $170,000. Consumable lab materials such as beakers and chemicals would be paid from individual building science budgets, administrators said. District staff committed to making sample access available on the district website for community review; a hard copy of the recommended AP Biology text will also be available at the high school.
Supervisors said the curriculum rewrite for grades 6–12 will be presented for board approval at the next regular meeting, and the administration recommended the board consider formal adoption then. The committee emphasized that elementary alignment will follow: elementary teachers were given sample materials and district leaders said the elementary review will occur next year to determine whether K–5 resources should match the secondary progression.
What happens next: The board is expected to consider a formal adoption vote at next month’s meeting after the curriculum team presents the final resource and supporting curriculum documents.
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