OpenSciEd brings together multiple partners, including Massachusetts as one of 10 partner states, a consortium of curriculum developers, and many other science education leaders and experts, to create a complete set of robust, research-based, open-source, K–12 science instructional materials while addressing demand for science instructional materials designed for the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) and the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks.
In 2020, Massachusetts agreed to participate as a partner state in the development of materials for three full-year High School courses. Teachers in 5 Massachusetts districts field tested and provided feedback on units in Biology, Chemistry, and Physics. The field test concludes at the end of the 2022-2023 school year.
The OpenSciEd High School units are being publicly released in phases, with the full curriculum due to be released by summer of 2024. Additional supplemental materials are being developed by DESE in order to ensure full alignment with the Massachusetts K–12 STE Frameworks. To receive Massachusetts-specific updates on the OpenSciEd high school course, please fill out this interest form: OpenSciEd HS in MA.
The units are being publicly released at the OpenSciEd High School website, with the full curriculum due to be released by summer of 2024. Additional supplemental materials are being developed by DESE in order to ensure full alignment with the Massachusetts K–12 STE Frameworks. To receive Massachusetts-specific updates on the OpenSciEd high school course, please fill out this interest form: OpenSciEd HS in MA.
The High School Science HQIM Leadership Academy will be open to districts who commit to implementing BSCS Biology or any OpenSciEd high school course in the 24-25 or 25-26 school year. Individual district teams can apply, or districts can collaborate and apply as a joint team. The purpose of the Academy will be to provide professional learning to leaders around HS science HQIM, support leaders in developing an in-district (or collaborative with other local districts) implementation and professional learning plan, and to work with a network of other new implementers to strategize and problem-solve together.
There may be an opportunity for a small amount of funding, intended to support either teacher PL stipends (for districts that may need to pay for PL time beyond contractual hours) or to offset the cost of classroom materials. We hope to offer an information session sometime in the next couple of months, and I will reach out to you with info on that when it is scheduled.
To learn more and apply, please view the application page: HS STE HQIM Leadership Academy Application.
Email Casandra.gonzalez@mass.gov with questions.
The Massachusetts OpenSciEd Elementary (K–5) field test began in school year 2023-2024 and will run through the end of school year 2024-2025. The instructional materials and professional learning are designed to support teachers in engaging students in scientific thinking that moves learning about science (memorizing facts) to figuring things out through phenomena-driven instruction that is collaborative and relevant to students lives. The instructional materials are aligned with the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks/Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) and will include ELA/literacy and math integrations. The first publicly available units will be available in school year 2024-2025 for district to use. Visit the OpenSciEd website for more information about the curriculum.
The field test is no longer enrolling new districts or educators at this time. Email Nicole Scola with any questions.
Since 2018, Massachusetts has supported and contributed to the development of these open-source middle school science instructional materials through collaboration on a scope and sequence, design specifications, and instructional model of the instructional materials. Massachusetts districts and middle school science teachers have field tested the materials and provided feedback to improve them. The OpenSciEd Field Test in Massachusetts Report summarizes feedback on the OpenSciEd instructional materials provided by middle school Massachusetts teacher participants through two focus groups and one survey.
All of the OpenSciEd middle school units are available at OpenSciEd Middle School Science. The middle school course has received "all green" ratings on EdReports, an independent marker of quality. You may view the full report on EdReports. Resources for implementation and adoption in Massachusetts are available below.
High quality instructional materials require substantial pedagogical shifts in the classroom. We highly recommend using a certified OpenSciEd PD provider to support your implementation. You can find a list of certified providers that work with teachers in Massachusetts at Teacher Professional Development Provider - OpenSciEd.
Due to variations between the 2016 MA STE Framework and the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), the Center for Instructional Support has developed instructional guidance to support teachers in addressing all of the MA grade-level standards. The following resources are available for teachers in Massachusetts:
Massachusetts suggested Scope and Sequence/Alignment of units — Updated May 2022
Remote Learning Guides
Massachusetts unit specific instructional guidance
To view grant opportunities offered in the past, please visit the archived grant offerings page. Search for "OpenSciEd" to see relevant offerings.
Last Updated: March 11, 2024
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