Leonardtown, MD — The room erupted in applause after the decision was made. The St. Mary’s County Board of Education approved at its June 7 meeting the $1.5 million purchase of new science textbooks for all grade levels. The current textbooks are described as having “information that is not appropriate anymore,” according to Jason Hayes (shown at left), supervisor of instruction for science. The school system hasn’t had a textbook purchase since the late 1990s.

The purchase of the textbooks was made possible by a one-time $2.9 million grant from the Commissioners of St. Mary’s County. That money will also be used for technology upgrades. The monies come from a reserve account that had been set aside to brace the county from any effect on Patuxent Naval Air Station of a future Base Realignment and Closure Commission (BRAC). There is still more than $3 million in the reserve account.

The school system has recognized for quite some time the need for the textbook upgrades. But lack of money was not the only reason for the delay in the purchases. Board member Cathy Allen noted that the state is going through changes by science standards and the school board wanted to make sure that the new textbooks were consistent with those standards, which will be fully implemented in the 2017-18 school year.

The current Maryland State Science Standards will be supplanted by the Maryland Integrated Science Assessment. The new standards represent a shift away from rote memorization of facts and terminology. That will be replaced by a science education that “involves more facts and terminology learned as needed while developing explanations and designing solutions supported by evidence-based arguments and reasoning,” according to an earlier presentation by Hayes to the board.

The new science standards are based on what is called “Three-Dimensional Learning” that includes:

1. Asking questions and defining problems
2. Developing and using models
3. Planning and carrying out investigations
4. Analyzing and interpreting data
5. Using mathematics and computational thinking
6. Constructing explanations and designing solutions
7. Engaging in argument from evidence
8. Obtaining, evaluating and communicating information

The textbooks approved for purchase reflect the new approach to science education. The textbooks were chosen after a pilot testing of each textbook under consideration and scoring and feedback from teachers as to content instructional practices, resources, embedded assessments and parent/guardian connections.

The textbooks chosen are:

Elementary Schools: Exploring Science by National Geographic/Cengage Learning (2015)

Middle Schools: Science Fusion by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (2017)

High Schools:
• Biology by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (2017)
• Physics by McGraw Hill (2016)
• Earth Science by McGraw Hill (2016)
• World of Chemistry by Cengage (2013, 3rd Edition)
• AP Biology: Biology in Focus by Pearson (2017, 2nd Edition)
• AP Environmental Science: Living in the Environment by National Geographic/Cengage Learning (2015, 18th Edition).

Hayes said the reviewers were especially impressed by the vivid photography in the books produced by National Geographic. He said the elementary school educators were particularly excited about their new textbooks.

Hayes explained that the textbooks allow a movement away from memorization to “what scientists and engineers do” in alignment with the state’s next science standards.

In April, the proposed new textbooks were available for public review at all public libraries. The scoring by the teachers followed that public review.

The school system is having a professional development session for teachers Monday, June 13 to introduce and present an overview of the textbooks and instructional material that go with them. Then in August and September, there will be follow-up instructional planning.

Contact Dick Myers at dick.myers@thebaynet.com