New grade school science, social studies curricula on tap for ‘23-24

    Elementary students at Chase County Schools will be learning out of new textbooks in social studies and science classes next year.
    CCS board of education members voted 8-0 to spend $81,620.79 for the new curricula for the 2023-24 school year and beyond.
    The K-5 science curriculum is coming from two companies, according to April Lambert, CCS curriculum coordinator who presented information at the board’s April 11 meeting.
    Houghton Mifflin Harcourt will supply the K-4 materials for $46,390.01, while Savvas will supply them for 5th grade at $6,427.30.
    K-4 students will also see a new social studies curriculum starting this fall.
    Savvas will provide the bulk of the new social studies materials for $27,121.48, with Gibbs Smith Education supplying the Nebraska history materials for 4th grade for $1,681.68.
    Total for the social studies curricula is $28,803.48.
    Lambert said all CCS teachers hadn’t had books in the past and these new texts will be up to the new science and social studies standards.
    Only fourth grade science had textbooks in the past, she said, but nothing below that (K-3).
    “Teachers were just pulling resources off online,” she said.
    Lambert said she was asked, regarding the new science books, how heredity was taught.
    “In the third grade, it presents the male parent and the female parent, so it doesn’t dive into anything political or controversial in that regard,” she said.
    In social studies, K-3 students have a separate textbook set, while 4th grade will use the updated Nebraska Adventures edition for state history, she said.
    This and previous years, 4th grade used the older Nebraska Adventures materials, Lambert said, but like the science curriculum, there were no texts or materials in the lower grades.
    “So in K-3, teachers just created their own,” she said.
    It’s a 7-year adoption, she noted, so CCS will get consumable texts each year.
    Josh Fries, who serves on the board’s curriculum committee, said these are the curriculum materials the teachers wanted after meeting about them since September.
    “This is also going to get the standards the state is wanting,” Fries said.
Professional development
    Later in the meeting, Lambert also addressed professional development for CCS teaching staff.
    “We are setting well now on our curriculum development. Should we look at the development of our teachers?” she asked.
    She and Principals Christopher Barr and Becky Odens have been meeting on staff development, Lambert said, and came up with a proposal for 2023-24.
    From surveys taken among the teachers, she said 77% want more strategies on helping and engaging struggling kids, she said.
    Barr said 88% of the 7-12 teachers want to develop better questions to help engage their students.
    With results from the surveys, Lambert presented a schedule using three different training programs that would be utilized among K-12 staff throughout the coming year.
    Cost would be $60,940.
    Board member Carrie Terryberry asked how teachers will respond to having their personal development days filled next year with this training.
    Principal Odens said she thinks teachers will appreciate knowing the training schedule, but said they will not have as much time to work in their classrooms as they have on some personal development days in the past.
    No action was taken, but it’s expected to be discussed again, and possibly acted on, at the May 9 meeting.
Other business
    In other business:
    The board approved the December 2023 graduation of current junior Adeline Christensen. Barr said she’s met all the requirements to do so. Christensen plans to take general ed courses through Mid-Plains then transfer to UNK, with the eventual goal of becoming an attorney.
    No action was taken, but the board discussed the city of Imperial’s plans to add a new solar-powered flashing beacon at the 9th and Broadway intersection. It will flash only when the button is pushed.
    Several board members would like to see the lights flash before and after school like it had in the past, and Dan Reeves also prefers an option for it to stop traffic completely with a red light activated with a button push.
    In his report, Activities Director Troy Hauxwell said CCS finished 10th in Class C for the NSAA and Nebraska State College System Multi-Activity Student Award.
    The award measures the number of 9-12 students who participate in at least three NSAA activities during the year.
    Out of its 162 students in 9-12, CCS has 83 in three or more activities for 52.2%.