Charlotte, NC (Wednesday, July 9, 2025)—Florida’s Volusia County Schools (VCS) has announced the adoption of the Science Techbook for Florida for use in the district’s K-8 classrooms. Built from the ground up for Florida classrooms by Discovery Education, the creators of essential PreK-12 learning solutions used in classrooms around the world, the Science Techbook for Florida is approved for classroom use by the Florida Department of Education and is aligned to the Florida State Standards for Science. VCS is among the first districts in the state to formally adopt the Science Techbook for Florida for classroom use.
Located on Florida’s east coast, VCS’s team of more than 8,100 administrators, teachers, and support staff serve over 60,000 students in nearly 70 schools across the county’s 16 municipalities. United by their mission to ignite a passion for learning in all students so that they may become productive citizens, VCS seeks to engage all students in high levels of learning every day.
In support of that goal and to meet the objectives of the district’s Strategic Plan 2024-2027, district leadership sought a new core instructional resource for K-8 science. Specifically, district curriculum leaders sought a resource that would provide every student a challenging and consistent instructional experience, that was approved by the Florida Department of Education for classroom use and aligned to state standards, and was both simple to use and easy to fit into the district’s existing technology architecture. Following a careful review of potential resources, VCS selected the Science Techbook for Florida for use in grades K-8.
Science Techbook for Florida empowers Florida school systems to easily integrate an innovative 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 Florida teachers with more opportunities to focus on teaching.
The Science Techbook for Florida curriculum includes ready-to-use, phenomena-driven lessons that motivate students with powerful technology tools—such as toggle-on authentic Spanish translation—that personalize the student experience, and labor-saving teacher tools that streamline preparation and grading. Available in both print and digital formats, Science Techbook for Florida provides a seamless classroom experience complete with immersive, interactive ways to explore scientific phenomena, including hands-on engineering activities, labs, and STEM connections.
Through its digital, print, and blended options, Science Techbook for Florida 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, Discovery Education’s Science Techbook was certified as meeting the rigorous, evidence-based ESSA Tier III standards as set forth in the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA).
“A solid science education is essential for students of all backgrounds, talents, interests, and abilities,” said Jennifer Taylor, Volusia County Schools’ K-12 Science Coordinator. “Our district’s strategic plan commits to ensuring all students receive high levels of learning every day. By using the 5E instructional model to explore real-world phenomena, students learn to observe, ask questions, gather evidence, and construct meaning from the world around them. These new digital resources from Discovery Education will help bring science to life—engaging curiosity, deepening understanding, and building the critical thinking skills students need to navigate and make sense of the events they encounter every day.”
Multiple studies show that regular use of Science Techbook in the classroom has many positive academic results for educators and students across a variety of districts and populations in the United States. For example, in an independent study with Arizona’s Sahuarita Unified School District, a third party evaluated Discovery Education’s impact and found that use of Science Techbook resulted in increased science, math, and reading proficiency in grades 3-8. In the second study, a correlation was found between frequency and depth of use of Science Techbook and student achievement in science in grades 6 and 7. This research and more can be found here.
Educators using the new Discovery Education solutions will receive dedicated professional development from Discovery Education’s team of professional learning experts. These learning opportunities for teachers help schools recognize the full return on their edtech investment. Through Discovery Education’s 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.
In addition, all educators using Discovery Education’s digital resources have access to the 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.
“Discovery Education is proud to kick off this new partnership with the Volusia County Schools,” said Daniel Gammage, Discovery Education’s Director of Educational Partnerships. “The district’s administrators and teachers have collaborated to create an exciting new vision for science education across the district, and we are proud to support their innovative efforts.”
For more information about Discovery Education’s award-winning digital resources and professional learning solutions, visit www.discoveryeducation.com, and stay connected with Discovery Education on social media through LinkedIn, Instagram, and Facebook.
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About Discovery Education
Discovery Education is the worldwide edtech leader whose state-of-the-art, PreK-12, digital solutions support learning wherever it takes place. Through award-winning multimedia content, instructional supports, innovative classroom tools, and strategic alliances, Discovery Education helps educators deliver powerful learning experiences that engage all students and support higher academic achievement on a global scale. Discovery Education serves approximately 4.5 million educators and 45 million students worldwide, and its resources are accessed in over 100 countries and territories. Through partnerships with districts, states, and trusted organizations, Discovery Education empowers teachers with essential edtech solutions that inspire curiosity, build confidence, and accelerate learning. Explore the future of education at www.discoveryeducation.com.
Contact
Stephen Wakefield
Discovery Education
Phone: 202-316-6615
Email: swakefield@discoveryed.com