Sterling Public Schools addressing science curriculum needs

STERLING – Sterling Public Schools will receive a report on science curriculum pilot programs when the board of education meets on Wednesday at the high school library, the meeting agenda says.

The board’s open session starts at 7 p.m.

Firming up the science curriculum for all grades is the first stated goal of the education committee, which met on Jan. 18. The committee wants to have the science curriculum for grades 6 through 12 updated for the 2022-23 school year and for grades K through 5 for the 2023-24 school year.

At the Jan. 18 committee meeting, minutes showed that Matthew Birdsley, director of curriculum and instruction, recommended that the panel adopt the Inspire Physical Science program from publisher McGraw Hill for high school use. Inspire was tested during the first semester and meets the stated goal of the committee.

If eventually approved by the board, Inspire would be used from 2022 to 2027. The purchase would be funded through an ESSER III COVID-19 relief grant, officially known as Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief.

The high school began a pilot program on biology coursework and Challand Middle school is conducting a science pilot this semester, Birdsley said.

The work on selecting the next K-5 science curriculum would begin this semester.

Benchmark data

Birdsley gave an update on reading and math data from the Star Education evaluation.

Student groups whose scores met or exceeded the benchmark, which is the 50th percentile and up, were as follows:

K-2 early literacy, 51.8%; K-2 elementary reading, 33.6%; K-5 iReady math, 29%; and K-12 math, 45.6%.

STEM electives

The committee recommended that a STEM class — science, technology, engineering and mathematics — be an elective for Challand sixth-grade students in the 2022-23 school year.

STEM as an elective for eighth-graders was already approved.

Should the board approved the STEM electives for both grade levels, the district will hire a certified teacher for the class, Birdsley said.

Math tutoring

The high school began an after-school math tutoring program at the start of the semester. The program is looking at the feasibility of establishing a Zoom link for students who are quarantined. Challand Middle School will begin a math tutoring program soon.

The committee intends to expand tutoring for other subjects and grade levels in fall 2022. The tutoring program offered math first because it was the subject with the highest failure rate in grades 6-12.

Internship programs

The committee’s other stated goal is to determine if an internship program for school credit merits adoption for Sterling High School students on track for graduation. Birdsley and high school principal Jason Austin planning to make a presentation to the committee in March.