SILVER SPRING, MD (Wednesday, May 5, 2021)—Virginia’s Chesapeake Public Schools (CPS) today announced a new partnership with Discovery Education designed to inspire, engage and empower the district’s 16,300 K-5 students and improve academic achievement. Through this new collaboration, educators and students in 28 CPS elementary schools will receive access to a suite of Discovery Education’s award-winning digital learning resources. With these resources, district educators are empowered to promote educational excellence by engaging all students in engaging and meaningful learning experience at home, in the classroom, or wherever instruction is taking place. Discovery Education is the global leader in standards-aligned digital curriculum resources, engaging content, and professional learning for K-12 classrooms.
CPS’ strategic plan, Empower 2025 has set the school system on an exciting new path to even higher academic excellence. Broadening the curriculum to enhance rigorous, relevant, and innovative learning opportunities and integrating research-based teaching practices into instruction are key goals of Empower 2025, and the adoption of Discovery Education’s digital resources directly supports those goals. Among the specific Discovery Education resources coming to CPS elementary classrooms is the Virginia Discovery Education Science Experience, which includes:
The Discovery Education platform.
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 the platform 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, the Discovery Education platform is designed to work within school systems’ existing infrastructure and workflows. Through expanded partnerships with Microsoft Teams, Google Classroom, Schoology, Canvas, and Clever, integrating the platform into existing IT architecture is easier than ever. CPS educators and students districtwide will have access to this resource.
Discovery Education Science Techbooks.
The Discovery Education Science Techbook series—which is currently used in classrooms across the United States and Canada—is a comprehensive, research-backed science solution for grades K-12. Delivered through Discovery Education’s K-12 platform, the Science Techbook series drives engagement with exclusive phenomena and interactive content. Virtual and hands-on investigations, STEM activities and a variety of instructional supports enhance the delivery of impactful, blended instruction, in person or at a distance.
Available with the Science Techbooks are coordinated digital and print teacher guides offering unit, concept, and lesson overviews, standards connections, and differentiation activities to inform instructional planning and guide three-dimensional learning. Teacher editions also provide flexible pacing options, embedded teacher notes, and Pathways for Learning to address diverse learners. Print student editions and interactive worktexts are available for every grade level and integrate seamlessly with the digital and hands-on assets of this comprehensive program. The Virginia edition of the Discovery Education Science Textbook was approved for statewide use by the Virginia State Board of Education in September of 2020.
CPS teachers and students in grades K-5 will also receive access to Discovery Education Coding. With Discovery Education Coding, elementary and middle school students are inspired to learn important coding concepts as they develop computational thinking skills through decomposition, logical reasoning, and problem solving. Based in part on the award-winning Discovery Education Coding service used by teachers across the United Kingdom, the U.S. version of Coding features a wide array of coding resources that help students take coding from concept to reality.
With this suite of dynamic digital resources, school leaders believe they now have engaging digital resources that will help district teachers create exemplary teaching and learning experiences for all students, in all disciplines.
“Empower 2025 has charted an exciting new path for the district,” said Dr. Jared Cotton, Chesapeake Public Schools Superintendent. “Our new collaboration with Discovery Education puts in place the high-quality digital resources our educators and students need to help us realize the lofty goals we’ve set, and we look forward to beginning to integrate this content into everyday classroom activities.”
To help the district recognize the full return on their edtech investment, Discovery Education will provide CPS educators dedicated professional learning. Through these interactive professional development sessions, participants will learn best practices for integrating their new digital resources into instruction. Effective professional development will maximize the power of these resources, increase student engagement in learning, and support students’ continued academic development.
The district’s partnership with Discovery Education also provides all district teachers 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.
“We are thrilled to begin this exciting new partnership with the Chesapeake City Schools,” said Kelly Hoce, Discovery Education’s Senior Director of Education Partnerships. “Dr. Cotton and his incredible team are leading public education in Virginia in a new direction benefiting all students, and Discovery Education is honored to be supporting this work.”
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.
Contact
Stephen Wakefield
Discovery Education
Phone: 202-316-6615
Email: swakefield@discoveryed.com