Arizona’s Cave Creek Unified School District’s New Partnership with Discovery Education Empowers Educators to Cultivate Transformative Learning Environments

-Discovery Education’s Science and Social Studies Digital Curriculums and Job-Embedded Professional Learning Support Educators’ Efforts to Help Students Reach their Full Potential-

Silver Spring, MD (February 28, 2019)– Arizona’s Cave Creek Unified School District’s (CCUSD) new partnership with Discovery Education,  the leading provider of digital curriculum resources, digital content, and professional learning for K-12 classrooms, is empowering educators to create transformative Science and Social Studies learning environments in district Elementary and Middle School classrooms. This effort is powered by a unique combination of Discovery Education’s dynamic digital curriculum and job-embedded professional learning that helps students reach their fullest potential.

CCUSD’s staff of 275 teachers are deeply committed to delivering to each student personalized attention that ignites their natural curiosity and aids their development into high-achieving learners. Anchored by their belief that the key to improving academic achievement and accelerating student development is deeper student engagement, CCUSD partnered with Discovery Education to create science and social studies learning environments that mirror students’ interactions with technology outside the classroom.  This initiative kicked-off at the beginning of the 2018-2019 school year, when Discovery Education’s award-winning Science and Social Studies Techbooks were introduced into district classrooms and integrated into teaching and learning.

Discovery Education’s Techbooks are currently used by approximately 5.6 million students across all 50 states and Canada. An immersive digital curriculum, Discovery Education’s Techbooks are aligned to rigorous standards and updated regularly at no cost. Each Techbook provides educators detailed lesson plans, embedded formative assessments, hands-on activities, digital simulations, and robust teacher supports that deeply engage students in learning.

Discovery Education’s Science Techbook, which is being used by CCUSD elementary and middle school educators, utilizes an inquiry-based format built on the Engage, Explore, Explain, Elaborate, Evaluate (5E) model.  The digital assets included in the Science Techbook include rich, standards-aligned content such as video, audio, text, interactives with hands-on activities, and virtual labs that help educators differentiate instruction and provide a rich and engaging learning experience for students. Additional student features include bilingual text-to-speech and leveled reading tools, as well as note-taking and highlighting capabilities.  The Science Techbooks series also includes many valuable STEM/STEAM resources.

Discovery Education’s Social Studies Techbook, which is now used in all 6-8th grade social studies classrooms, uses an inquiry-based instructional approach that emphasizes informational text literacy, analytical writing, and problem-solving skills that students will apply in the classroom and beyond. Each subject area includes primary source documents and activities, digital investigations, multimedia reference library, interactive maps, and more.

“Every day the incredible team here at Cave Creek Unified School District comes to work and inspires excellence in every student through transformative classrooms that engage each learner,”said CCUSD’s Nancy Pratt, Director of Instructional Technology. “Through our new partnership with Discovery Education and our personalized learning initiative, we are building engaging classrooms with real world content and experiences. We look forward to continuing to build on this great partnership with Discovery Education.”

To ensure CCUSD teachers are optimizing their new Techbooks, Discovery Education’s expert professional development team is supporting the school system’s educators as they evolve their instruction to align with the district’s academic goals. Through these robust professional learning opportunities, CCUSD’s educators are learning to maximize their new digital content to improve student achievement.

In addition, CCUSD’s educators are supported by the Discovery Education Community as they transform students’ learning experiences with dynamic digital media. 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.

“Discovery Education is proud to work side-by-side with the Cave Creek Unified School District’s team as they accelerate their efforts to create real-world learning environments,” said Phillip Mikula, Discovery Education’s Director of Education Partnerships. “Director of Instructional Technology Nancy Pratt and Assistant Superintendent Dr. Jana Miller have created a tremendous strategy for integrating digital content and educational technologies into Social Studies and Science lessons that are empowering teachers to create immersive learning experiences that will engage and educate the district’s young learners.”

For more information about Discovery Education’s digital curriculum and professional learning services, visit www.discoveryeducation.com, and stay connected with Discovery Education on social media through Facebook, follow us on Twitter at @DiscoveryEd, or find us on Instagram and Pinterest.

About Discovery Education:
As the global leader in standards-based digital curriculum resources, digital content, and professional development for K-12 classrooms worldwide, Discovery Education is transforming teaching and learning with award-winning digital textbooks, multimedia content and the largest professional learning community of its kind. Serving more than 5 million educators and 51 million students, Discovery Education’s services are available in approximately half of U.S. classrooms and primary schools in the UK, and more than 90 countries around the globe. Inspired by the global media company Discovery, Inc., Discovery Education partners with districts, states, and like-minded organizations to captivate students, empower teachers, and transform classrooms with customized solutions that increase academic achievement. Explore the future of education at DiscoveryEducation.com.

Contacts

Discovery Education
Stephen Wakefield, Discovery Education
SWakefield@discovery.com
(240) 883-6864