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OpenSciEd Elementary Field Test: Opportunity

School Districts are invited to identify teams of teachers to field test the new set of science instructional materials (grades K–5). Led by a group of state education agencies, school districts, classroom educators, and science curriculum developers will collaborate to create research-based, open-source science instructional materials that align to the New Jersey Student Learning Standards for Science (NJSLS–S). The long-term vision is to ensure every science teacher can access and download free standards-aligned instructional materials and supporting professional learning materials. The New Jersey Department of Education (NJDOE) will provide each participating school district with a total of up to $9,000 to offset the cost of substitute teachers and to provide stipends for teacher participation.

OpenSciEd is a project of the National Center for Civic Innovation that brings together science education leaders from partner states, expert curriculum developers, national education leaders and classroom teachers to develop, release, and support a complete set of robust, research-based, openly licensed K-12 science instructional materials and associated professional learning resources. The NJDOE has been a member of the OpenSciEd State Steering Committee since 2018.

The elementary program is funded by the Carnegie Corporation of New York (CCNY), the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, and the Walton Family Foundation.

Each six-person team needs to be comprised of one teacher from each grade (K-5) who can commit to attend all professional learning experiences, field test two units each year, and provide data and feedback on the units. The field testing will be conducted for two years. Detailed descriptions of participation benefits and commitments of each partner in the field testing are on the appendix attached to the bottom of this memo.

The teams will be selected based on the following criteria:

• Region of the state the school is located; North, Central or South
• Urban, suburban, or rural school
• Demonstrated commitment to science education as evidenced by the time allocated to science education per week and the quality and duration of science professional learning that the educators have participated since 2014

Applications will be accepted until May 1, 2023. The application form is available online. 

Contact Information

Thank you for considering this opportunity to participate in the OpenSciEd elementary field test. For more information or if you have questions, please contact Michael Heinz at Michael.Heinz@doe.nj.gov.