Curriculum Archives

Spanish and English Versions of Science Techbook for Texas by Discovery Education Now Available for Use In K-8 and Biology Classrooms Statewide

Discovery Education, the worldwide edtech leader, today announced that the Spanish and English versions of Science Techbook for Texas by Discovery Education for K-8 and Biology students is now available for use in classrooms statewide. This dynamic core instructional curriculum was created from the ground up expressly for Texas educators and students. Science Techbook for Texas has been found to be 100% aligned to the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills and the English Language Proficiency Standards at every grade level by the relevant state review panels and has earned a 100% score from the Texas Resource Review for its K-5 and Biology editions.

Science Techbook for Texas empowers Texas school systems to easily integrate an innovative, updateable, digital-print-kit blended curriculum into instruction to create unique, student-centered learning experiences. Included in this comprehensive core curriculum are engaging digital resources, print student and teacher editions, hands-on activity kits, and virtual investigations. In addition, an embedded professional learning component within Science Techbook for Texas helps teachers quickly and easily integrate this resource into classroom instruction, ensuring school leaders see maximum return on their technology investment.

The Science Techbook for Texas curriculum includes ready-to-use, phenomena-driven lessons that motivate students with powerful technology tools—such as toggle-on authentic Spanish translation—that personalize the student experience, and time-saving teacher tools that streamline preparation and grading. Available in both print and digital formats, Science Techbook for Texas provides a seamless classroom experience complete with immersive, interactive ways to explore scientific phenomena, including hands-on engineering activities, labs, and STEM connections. …Read More

9 ways collaborative learning benefits teachers and students

Editor’s note: This story on collaborative learning originally appeared on CoSN’s blog and is reposted here with permission.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has been around for many years, but the introduction of ChatGPT in November 2022 has generated many discussions of how this technology can impact education – both how students learn and how educators teach.

While new and emerging technologies can feel like a hurdle at times, there is also much that can be gained by incorporating them into our curriculum. And those benefits are even greater when educators and students learn together, especially as we navigate new tech enablers like AI apps and tools. …Read More

American Student Assistance Announces Strategic Alliance with Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship

BOSTON – American Student Assistance ® (ASA), a national nonprofit changing the way kids learn about careers and navigate a path to postsecondary education and career success, today announced that the organization has entered into a 10-year, $25 million affiliation agreement with the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE), the nation’s leading entrepreneurship education organization.

Through this strategic alliance, NFTE and ASA will expand access to high-quality entrepreneurship education programs, services, and opportunities for middle and high schoolers from rural, marginalized, and economically disadvantaged communities—both in-person and digitally—through school district partnerships, curriculum development and collaborative programming, and business plan competitions.

The agreement between ASA and NFTE consists of an immediate $5 million unrestricted grant and annual matching grants of up to $2 million for the next 10 years. ASA’s support will help NFTE move from a school-by-school approach to a more systemwide strategy to work with states and school districts to more effectively and efficiently expand the number of schools, teachers, and students that the organization works with each school year. NFTE currently serves 50,000+ students annually across 30 U.S. states. ASA’s support will allow NFTE to expand its position as one of the nation’s largest entrepreneurship education nonprofits.…Read More

Poptential™ by Certell Revolutionizes Social Studies Education with Integration of American Principles and Launch of Engauge™ Teacher Dashboard

INDIANAPOLIS — Certell, the creator behind the Poptential™ family of free social studies course packages, announced a significant update to its digital curriculum and platform designed to help students better understand the principles that have shaped American history while giving teachers tools to better manage their classroom and improve learning.

Poptential course packages have been updated to incorporate “American Principles” designed to foster a greater understanding of American civic life and sharpen critical thinking skills among students. Additionally, Certell introduced a powerful new dashboard for teachers called Engauge™, which helps instructors understand student engagement with Poptential e-books in real time.

The integration of American Principles into Poptential social studies courses is a significant milestone. These principles are fundamental ideas that have shaped U.S. history, culture, and identity, serving as the bedrock of American civic life. The goal is to ensure that students not only grasp these principles but also understand why they were deemed essential by the nation’s founders.…Read More

Is generative AI a beacon for more accessible education?

Key points:

Many educators look forward to the opportunity afforded by AI, but few feel ready to use it
Other educators wonder if they have proper district support for AI use
See related article: 5 positive ways students can use AI
For more news on AI in education, visit eSN’s Digital Learning page

A resounding 90 percent of educators in a recent survey said they believe that AI has the potential to make education more accessible.

Teachers are recognizing that when implemented ethically and with thoughtful consideration, AI can help students with special needs, learning disabilities, and language barriers, for example, and experience more effective, personalized learning methods, according to the 2023 Educator AI Report: Perceptions, Practices, and Potential from digital curriculum solution provider Imagine Learning.…Read More

How we reached student success with assessment proficiency

Key points:

Assessment creation can be uncomfortable, but it is also one of the most important steps in accelerating student learning
Teachers are the only professionals who can most effectively build these assessments for their students
See related article: 4 engaging assessment ideas for middle and high school
For more news on assessment, visit eSN’s Innovative Teaching page

Teachers use a variety of methods to assess mastery of a topic. We use observations, quick formative assessments, longer summative assessments, and long-term benchmark assessments. The problem is that these assessments come in a variety of ways, depending on where you teach.

Many districts utilize pre-built assessments from curricular resource companies. Others build assessments based on curricular resources and change every 4-6 years with their new resource adoption cycles. Some will create assessments based on their state-approved learning standards and work to adapt the curricular resources to their true “curriculum” and assessments.…Read More

Unlocking middle school potential: Exploring career education and soft skills

This episode of Innovations in Education, hosted by Kevin Hogan, is sponsored by McGraw Hill.

In this special edition of Innovations in Education, Content Director Kevin Hogan speaks with McGraw Hill’s Patrick Keeney about various aspects of career and technical education (CTE), including its expansion beyond traditional vocational or trade-focused subjects, the importance of soft skills, and the curriculum and teaching methods used in CTE courses for middle school students.

Patrick emphasizes the value of helping students explore different career paths and develop essential skills early in their education. The conversation also highlights the evolving nature of CTE in middle schools and its potential to provide students with a more comprehensive and purposeful educational experience.…Read More

Committee for Children Joins Forces with Aperture Education to Integrate Assessments and Curriculum to Build Social-Emotional Skills

Charlotte N.C. – Aperture Education, a Riverside Insights company and the leading provider of social-emotional skills assessment and intervention solutions, and Committee for Children, the leading provider of social-emotional curriculum programs in the U.S., announced today that they will partner to offer four co-developed assessments to support schools in demonstrating the impact of evidence-based social and emotional programs.

Built from the Aperture DESSA suite, these assessments complement Committee for Children’s Second Step^® programs, which are research-based social-emotional learning (SEL) curricula developed to nurture SEL in children’s daily lives, both in and outside of the classroom. By having integrated assessment and curriculum tools, educators can gain valuable insights from reliable, real-time data about instructional effectiveness and the impact of SEL curriculum on students.

“As schools introduce social-emotional learning into their curriculum, it’s imperative to show how these investments translate into improved outcomes for their students. Years of evidence show how Second Step improves critical life skills and mental wellbeing,” said Riverside Insights CEO Vivek Kartha. “We are proud to collaborate with the Committee for Children and contribute to improving student outcomes by aligning our gold standard DESSA assessments with their world-class curriculum.”…Read More

eSN Hero Awards Finalists: 11 inspiring educators

This is Part 2 of a two-part feature highlighting the eSN K-12 Hero Awards finalists. Part 1, spotlighting 10 more finalists, can be found here.

The eSchool News K-12 Hero Awards recognize the dedicated efforts of education professionals across K-12 departments, including IT, curriculum, instruction and administration.

The program received an influx of inspiring nominations that highlight the innovation and selflessness of educators in schools and districts across the nation.…Read More

Behind this week’s launch of TeacherIn

Big news this week from ClassIn, a leader in blended, hybrid, and remote learning solutions, who announced what they describe as a first-of-its-kind platform—bringing curriculum and content discovery, management, editing, and distribution into its planning and instructional platform. Since TeacherIn’s beta went live at the beginning of the year, it has gained over 110,000 users globally, and more than 25,000 courses have been created.

The platform’s new content discovery marketplace will also manage and distribute licenses and offer copyright protection for publishers by using in-house developed audio-visual encoders to prevent infringement. I had the chance to chat with Ted Mo Chen, Vice President of globalization at ClassIn, before the announcement about the particulars. Click below to listen and scroll down for more details about the service from the company along with a few other takeaways from the conversation: