001Good evening. My name is Tara Fogle, assistant chief officer of K12 curriculum and leadership. And this evening, I outline our science textbook recommendations for core NGSS courses at Greenwich High School. In 2015, Connecticut adopted the NGSS, Next Generation Science Standards, which required a significant shift in science teaching and learning. In response, GPS began the process in 2016 of unpacking standards and developing curriculum for core academic science courses. The work focused on building a homegrown curriculum grounded in three-dimensional learning to align with the new expectations of NGSS. From 2022 to 2024, the science department monitored student project progress and conducted an internal audit of the core NGSS curriculum. Each year we updated both internal and external curriculum documents. This process allowed the department to review alignment, refine resources, and ensure that courses continued to meet the
002needs of students while maintaining consistency across the program. Over that time, we focused on increased horizontal and vertical alignment, hands-on assured experiences, and professional learning on making learning visible. GPS also made investments in verier probes and pocket labs for greater use of data collection and analysis tools. We identified that our textbooks were outdated to best support learning in three dimensions. During the 2526 school year, the GPS science department renewed textbooks for supplemental use in astronomy, marine biology, and environmental science. Honors Biology has been moved to the 2627 review cycle for implementation in the 2728 school year based on their release and publication date of our new addition of biology concepts and connections. The department also engaged in the selection of supplementary materials for onle biology on level chemistry on level physics honors chemistry and honors
003physics. This process included stakeholder input to ensure that selected resources support curricular goals, student access, and instructional needs. The committee members consisted of the following stakeholders. The committee began its work on February 3rd with introductions, reviewing priorities, and an overview of the process. This meeting established the purpose of the committee's work and outlined criteria and timeline for reviewing materials. February 17th, the committee engaged on a discussion with the review rubric as well as heard a presentation from SAVIS. On February 24th, the committee reviewed Biozone and CK12. On March 3rd, the committee reviewed open stacks, followed by McGraill. On March 10th, meetings allowed the committee to examine the range of supplementary materials and compare how well each supported the district's curriculum, differentiation needs, and alignment to 3D learning. March 17th, the committee reconvened for discussion, reflection,
004and comparison. During that time, an additional physic resource was presented to the committee. March 24th, the committee finalized its recommendation based on the review process and stakeholder discussions. On April 12th, an internal review of Sengage Physics was also conducted to further inform the recommendation process specifically for honors physics. We will reconvene the committee to discuss this resource for honest physic and bring another recommendation to the board for that course on May 14th. As previously stated, the committee explored four options for each subject. Savis, McGraill, CK12, Biozone, and open stacks. For honors physics, we explored one additional books through the publisher Sengage. The committee makes the following recommendations across the six courses. It is important to know off the bat that all recommendations will be made available in both digital platforms as well as a physical
005printed textbook resource. For onle biology, the committee recommends SAVIS' experience biology as a supplemental resource. Again, as previously noted, for honors biology, the committee will continue with a renewal of the current text which will be made available in the 2728 school year based on publication date. For on level chemistry, the committee will stick with Stavis' experience chemistry. For honors chem chemistry, the committee recommends open stacks. And for onle physics, again, the committee recommends Stavis' experience physics. The committee will continue to review a final resource for honors physics and a recommendation will be discussed further on May 14th. for on level biology, chemistry, and physics. The committee was across the board in recommending the SAVIS experience program as a supplementary supplementary resource. The program offers differentiated instructional materials that support multilingual learners and promotes student thinking
006throughout the learning process. In addition, it provides teachers with a wide range of tools to better address the diverse needs of students, including extension activities, support for English language learners, and students receiving special education services. There are opportunities for both automatic and targeted practice when students require additional support. The program's text can be adjusted to different reading levels, both up and down, and its resources are designed to help students build understanding of challenging content. More importantly, student learning is grounded in the science and engineering practices and crosscutting concepts, while performance tasks and assessment items reflect the expectations of three-dimensional learning, like those on the grade 11 NGSS test. These resources align well with the GPS curriculum, strengthen the current assessment system, and the digital tools embedded allow teachers and administrators to monitor student pro performance
007in real time. For honors chemistry, the committee recommends open stacks as a supplementary resource. This recommendation will help create a clearer distinction between onle chemistry and honors chemistry. The Greenwich Public Schools honors chemistry curriculum incorporates pre-AP standards and places a higher stronger emphasis on mathematical reasoning and computation throughout the year. OpenStack supports this level of rigor by providing students more detailed content explanations and clearer guidance for solving mathematical problems making it a strong complement to the existing honors curriculum. We hope that the board will take time to review the feedback from staff and students for SAVIS and open stacks. In conclusion, after thoughtful and the thorough review by the committee, we are recommending SAVIS experience series for onle biology, chemistry, and physics courses and open stacks for honors chemistry. We look forward to coming back
008to the board on May 14th to talk more about honors physics. And we want to let you know that copies of all materials are available for board member review in the GHS science office. From now until our board vote on May 28th, science program administrator Sean Hoy is available for questions.