New Mexico adopted the NM STEM Ready! Science Standards in July 2018. High school curriculum materials aligned to the recommended Discipline Specific course map are hard to find. OpenSciEd is a project to develop free, high quality, NGSS-aligned curriculum materials for high school science. New Mexico is currently a partner state in the project to develop full year courses in Biology, Chemistry, and Physics with the Earth and Space science standards integrated fully into the courses.
During the project, field test teachers are field testing these instructional materials, participating in professional learning (PL) to learn how to use the materials to support equitable learning in science and submitting feedback on the materials, based on the voices of New Mexico students/experienced teachers, making them ready for public release.
The Math and Science Bureau (MSB) will support the field test teachers in order to assess the impact of the OpenSciEd materials and professional learning on science teaching and learning.
Project Goals:
- Student Learning Goal: Improve science learning for all high school students in the state of New Mexico
- Teacher Learning Goal: Build teacher leadership and content/pedagogy expertise for implementing the NM STEM Ready! Science Standards
- Teacher Practice Goal: Implement quality three-dimensional instruction aligned to the NM STEM Ready! Science Standards.
District Benefits:
- Ongoing PL for your field test teacher(s), conducted by nationally-trained, NM OpenSciEd facilitators during the school year (approximately 9–10 days)
- Receive field test materials (i.e unit kits, printed materials) that will belong to the school at no cost
- Supports middle school coherence if utilizing the OpenSciEd Middle School high-quality units
Field Test Teacher Benefits:
- Ongoing PL for field test teacher(s), conducted by nationally-trained, NM OpenSciEd facilitators during the school year (approximately 9–10 days)
- Field test high quality units aligned to the NM STEM Ready! Science Standards
- Receive field test materials at no cost
- Network with science teachers in New Mexico and nationally
- National recognition in the final teacher materials
- There will be an opportunity for any Field Test Teacher to participate in co-revision on the units.
- This would entail about 5 days of a workshop and 2-3 days of writing work.
- Teachers would be compensated for this work by OpenSciEd.
- This participation should prioritize educators from specific non-dominant groups and communities: Black, Latinx, Native American, female and gender nonbinary, queer, disabled, and emerging multilingual students and their communities.
Student Benefits:
- Experience meaningful and engaging three-dimensional science teaching aligned to the NM STEM Ready! science standards.
- Have the opportunity to provide feedback to the developers.
Below you will find links to specific information for district/school administrators, field test teachers and state facilitators.