OpenSciEd Elementary Developers Consortium: Supporting Meaningful Three-Dimensional Science and Literacy for K-5 Classrooms

Northwestern University (NU), Michigan State University (MSU), The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin), BSCS Science Learning (BSCS), Horizon Research, Inc. (HRI), and Carolina Biological will collaborate on an OpenSciEd Elementary Developers Consortium that will develop, field test, revise, and publicly release six years of science curriculum (K-5) and professional learning materials. The OpenScied Elementary Developers Consortium (DC) directly builds on the prior work of these organizations with significant experience in developing, implementing, and evaluating open-access elementary science curriculum designed for the Next Generation Science Standards. The core strands of work include Curriculum Development, Professional Learning, and Evaluation, all of which collaborate with and are informed by the Culturally and Linguistically Sustaining Teaching and Learning strand. The Foundational work of the project includes developing a Scope and Sequence (S&S) that addresses all K-5 NGSS performance expectations in approximately four units per year grades K through 5 to guide development; an instructional approach meeting the OpenSciEd Design Specifications suitable for grades K-5 teachers, students, and school constraints and addressing alignment with students’ literacy and mathematics learning; and an evaluation plan that tests the program across all grades in the nine OpenSciEd partner states. Following the foundational work, the core work of the DC consists of the development of the Grades K-5 program. The DC will develop field test versions of three-dimensional NGSS storyline units that reflect the S&S, addressing NGSS performance expectations and literacy and math alignment; design and conduct professional learning for Field Test teachers; conduct the Field Test collecting data from students, teachers, administrators, recruit external reviews of unit materials; and draw on the field test and reviews to develop revised versions of each unit and its related professional learning. The DC will release production-ready versions of the units and professional learning materials through OpenSciEd.