BACK OFFICE BUSINESS: Oregon District Expands Partnership with Discovery Education

Oregon’s Reynolds School District (RSD) today announced the expansion of its multiyear partnership with Discovery Education provider of  standards-aligned digital curriculum resources and professional learning for K-12 classrooms.  In this collaboration’s latest phase, RSD’s high school science teachers will use Discovery Education’s  Science Techbook and professional development to create  digital lessons in a 1:1 environment.

The Reynolds High School just launched a new 1:1 initiative that is putting new Chromebooks into the hands of each student.  In addition, the district is shifting to a new inquiry-based approach to Science instruction designed to meet the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS).

To support RSD’s efforts to meet the NGSS, the school system selected Discovery Education’s Science Techbook for student use in high school science classrooms.  The Science Techbook series offers a rich digital curriculum that includes video, audio, text, interactives with hands-on activities, and virtual labs. Additional student features include Spanish/English text-to-speech and leveled reading tools and note-taking and highlighting capabilities.  The Science Techbook series also includes STEM resources including STEM Project Starters that encourage students to connect math, technology, and engineering to their understanding of science concepts to produce creative solutions to real world problems. In addition, the STEM In Action resources help students connect their work to STEM careers, which promotes a clearer understanding of how skills used in school can be applied to jobs “in the real world.”

Discovery Education will provide district educators professional development opportunities for participants to learn best practices for integrating technology and digital content into teaching and learning in ways.

NECSD’s educators will also receive support from the Discovery Education Community. A global community of education professionals, the Discovery Education Community connects members across school systems and around the world through social media, virtual conferences, and in-person events, fostering valuable networking, idea sharing, and inspiration.