EdCircuit Staff 
Charlotte, NC (Tuesday, May 21, 2024)โIndianaโsย Seymour Community Schools (SCS)ย today announced a new multiyear partnership with global edtech leaderย Discovery Education. Through this collaboration, teachers and students in SCS K-6 classrooms nowย have access to two powerful digital products built for Indiana educators and aligned to state standards. Together, these resources create student-centered learning experiences that ignite curiosity about the natural world and drive deeper engagement in science instruction.ย
Seymour Community Schools is a public school district located within Jackson County in Seymour, Indiana. Founded in 1864, SCS has a culturally diverse student population of over 5,000 and employs over 680 faculty and staff. The districtโs high school boasts the worldโs largest high school gymnasium, seating 8,228. Seymour offers a wide array of both college preparatory courses and technical career courses that foster innovative, pragmatic, student-centered educational experiences for all learners.ย
To strengthen K-6 educatorsโ ability to create student-centered learning experiences in the sciences, the district sought a new suite of high-quality curriculum aligned to Indiana state standards that was flexible, simple to integrate into instruction, and supportive of the districtโs goals for academic progress. Following a thorough review of viable solutions, the district selected Discovery Educationโsย Science Techbook for Indianaย andย Mystery Scienceย for classroom use.ย ย
Accessible through Discovery Educationโs award-winning digital platform,ย Discovery Educationย Experience, Science Techbook for Indianaย empowers Indiana 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, embedded accessibility tools help more students connect to content than ever before, and a suite of time-optimizing resources provide Indiana teachers with more opportunities to focus on teaching.ย
The Science Techbook for Indiana curriculum includes ready-to-use, phenomena-driven lessons that motivate students with powerful technology toolsโsuch as toggle-on authentic Spanish translationโthat personalize the student experience, and labor-saving teacher tools that streamline preparation and grading. Available in both print and digital formats, Science Techbook for Indianaย provides a seamless classroom experience complete with immersive, interactive ways to explore scientific phenomena, including hands-on engineering activities, labs, and STEM connections.ย ย
Through its digital, print, and blended options, Science Techbook for Indiana delivers a wide range of high-quality resources that support students as they discover how science is practiced in the real world, while focusing on deeper understanding and the application of grade-appropriate science content. Recently,ย Discovery Educationโsย Science Techbookย was certifiedย as meeting the rigorous, evidence-based ESSA Tier III standards as set forth in the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA).ย
Mystery Scienceย provides K-5 educators simple-to-use, open-and-go, hands-on lessons that inspire students to love science. Each lesson begins by posing a question commonly asked by young students. Students then explore these questions through interactive videos featuring real-world visuals fostering a sense of wonder and actively supporting student engagement in the accompanying discussion prompts. Mystery Science simplifies prep for teachers, making the integration of this resource into classroom instruction simple. Plus, all K-5 science lessons are available in Spanish, with accompanying videos featuring authentic Spanish narration and Spanish text-on-screen (for discussion questions, vocabulary words, and step-by-step instructions). Editable, ready-to-use worksheets and assessments are also available in both English and Spanish.โฏย
โAt the Seymour Community Schools, we make creating student-centered learning experiences a priority,โ said Julie Kelly, Principal of Emerson Elementary School and the districtโs Science Adoption Coordinator. โThe resources we selected from Discovery Education help us create the classroom environment we believe leads to improved achievement, and we look forward to integrating these products into instruction.โย
SCS educators using Discovery Education solutions will receive dedicated professional development from Discovery Educationโs team of professional learning experts. These learning opportunities for teachers help schools recognize the full return on their edtech investment. Through Discovery Educationโs interactive professional development sessions, participants will learn best practices for integrating their new digital resources into instruction. Effective professional learning increases student engagement and supports the continued academic development of all students.โฏย
In addition, all SCS educators will now also enjoy access to theย Discovery Educator Network. A global community of education professionals, the Discovery Educator Network connects members across school systems and around the world through social media, virtual conferences, and in-person events, fostering valuable idea sharing and inspiration.ย ย
โThe Seymour Community Schools are taking science instruction in an exciting direction, and we are proud to be supporting their efforts,โ said Kyle Talavera, Discovery Educationโs Manager of Educational Partnerships. โWe look forward to working alongside the districtโs talented team on their efforts to create a student-centered culture where all students can succeed.โย
For more information about Discovery Educationโsย award-winningย digital resources and professional learning solutions visitย www.discoveryeducation.comย and stay connected with Discovery Education on social media throughย X (formerly Twitter),ย LinkedIn,ย Instagram,ย TikTok, andย Facebook.ย ย
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