Illinois’ Beach Park Community Consolidated Schools Initiates New Partnership with Discovery Education Supporting Science and Social Studies Instruction

SILVER SPRING, MD (Tuesday, October 20, 2020) – Illinois’ Beach Park Community Consolidated School District #3 (BPD3) today initiated a new, multi-year partnership with Discovery Education supporting K-5 science and 6-8 school social studies instruction. Through this new collaboration, BPD3 educators and students receive access to dynamic digital resources that keep students connected to their natural curiosity about the fields of science and social studies at home, in school, or wherever learning is taking place. Discovery Education is the global leader in standards-aligned digital curriculum resources, engaging content, and professional learning for K-12 classrooms.

Through this new collaboration, Discovery Education empowers BPD3 educators serving in the district’s elementary and middle schools with unique science and social studies curriculum solutions and a robust capacity building model. Dr. Craig Doster, Superintendent of Beach Park School District #3 states, “Discovery Education will strongly assist our 21^st Century Learning goal and help to accomplish Beach Park School District #3’s five-year strategic plan.”

Following a careful review of possible solutions, the district selected Discovery Education’s digital resources to support science instruction and keep students connected to curiosity in all elementary and middle schools. Among the resources selected by the school system are the following award-winning Discovery Education services:

Discovery Education Science Techbooks. Discovery Education Science Techbooks—which are currently used in classrooms across the United States and Canada—are a comprehensive, research-backed science solution for grades K-12 that combine digital-first teaching and learning resources to deliver impactful, blended instruction in person or at a distance.The all-new Discovery Education Science Techbook for middle school offers a phenomena-driven curriculum that puts middle school students at the center of three-dimensional storylines to investigate the mysteries of the universe. Units are designed to continually spark curiosity, prompt questions, and offer students opportunities to engage in engineering practices to make sense of the science around them. The program consists of 16 modular units, allowing schools and teachers to choose the order in which to complete the units based on their preferred pathway.

Science Techbook for middle school can be used in either Spanish or English. Optional print Student and Teacher’s Editions and interactive Hands-On Activity kits for use in grades K-8 are also available.

Discovery Education Experience. Experience—Discovery Education’s flexible K-12 learning platform—connects educators to a vast collection of compelling high-quality, standards-aligned content, ready-to-use digital lessons, and professional learning resources. Together, these resources give educators everything they need to facilitate instruction in any learning environment and create lasting educational impact.

Discovery Education’s team continues adding, contextualizing, and organizing exciting new content and timely resources to Experience each month in response to current events and the ever-evolving needs of educators. These resources, sourced from trusted partners, are aligned to state and national standards, and help educators bring the outside world into teaching and learning every day.

Finally, Experience is designed to work within school systems’ existing infrastructure and workflows. Through expanded partnerships with Microsoft Teams, Google Classroom, Schoology, Canvas, and now Clever, integrating Experience into existing IT architecture is easier than ever.

Discovery Education Professional Learning. With Discovery Education’s Professional Learning, educators will learn how to use their new digital resources. In addition, participating teachers will explore best practices for integrating technology and digital content into science instruction and discover new ways to increase student engagement and improve academic achievement.

In addition, students and teachers in BPD3’s middle school are also receiving access to Discovery Education’s Social Studies Techbook. Featuring standards-aligned, core-curricular resources that use an inquiry-based approach to enhance literacy and critical thinking skills, the Social Studies Techbook aids teachers and students as they approach inquiry through the 5Es: Engage, Explore, Explain, Extend, and Evaluate framework. From stories of ancient cultures to current events, this comprehensive digital textbook takes concepts off the pages and brings lessons to life. Like their peers using Science Techbook, middle school educators using Social Studies Techbook will receive professional learning designed to help them meaningfully integrate their new digital resources into instruction.

“We are delighted to launch this new partnership with Discovery Education and bring these dynamic resources to the students and teachers of our district,” said Denise Wilcox, Beach Park Community Consolidated School District #3’s Director of Curriculum. “Education has changed tremendously since the rise of COVID-19, and school districts nationwide are looking for resources that will keep students connected to learning wherever instruction is taking place. We are pleased to be working alongside Discovery Education, as their resources not only provide the flexibility to support instruction anywhere, but also seek to help satisfy the natural curiosity inside every learner.”

BPD3’s new partnership with Discovery Education also provides district educators access to 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.

“The team at Discovery Education is thrilled to work directly with Beach Park Community Consolidated School District’s talented administrators and staff on our joint mission to prepare students for success beyond graduation,” said Discovery Education National Partnerships Coordinator Sandy Carruthers. “With these award-winning science and social studies resources and dedicated professional learning, district students and teachers have a new set of tools to support their journey toward academic excellence.

For more information about Discovery Education’s digital resources and professional learning services, visit www.discoveryeducation.com, and stay connected with Discovery Education on social media through Twitter and LinkedIn.

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About Discovery Education
Discovery Education is the global leader in standards-aligned digital curriculum resources, engaging content, and professional learning for K-12 classrooms. Through its award-winning digital textbooks, multimedia resources, and the largest professional learning network of its kind, Discovery Education is transforming teaching and learning, creating immersive STEM experiences, and improving academic achievement around the globe. Discovery Education currently serves approximately 4.5 million educators and 45 million students worldwide, and its resources are accessed in over 140 countries and territories. Inspired by the global media company Discovery, Inc., Discovery Education partners with districts, states, and like-minded organizations to empower teachers with customized solutions that support the success of all learners. Explore the future of education at www.discoveryeducation.com.

Contacts
Stephen Wakefield
Discovery Education
Email: swakefield@discoveryed.com
Phone: 202-316-6615