When Idaho adopted new science standards in 2018, Idaho Falls School District (SD) 91 began the search for a new science curriculum for grades 6-8.
“We didn’t have materials that aligned with the Next General Science Standards (NGSS),” said Todd Brown, curriculum coordinator for Idaho Falls SD 91. “The science materials that we had were outdated, and it was pretty helter-skelter as to what teachers were using in their classrooms.”
In 2019, after reviewing multiple options, a district committee selected STEMscopes Science NGSS 3D.
“Our committee chose STEMscopes because it aligns with the Next Generation Science Standards, which was important to us,” said Brown. “It follows the 5E model and provides hands-on opportunities. Our committee was also impressed with the technology components, like the digital simulations and student supports.”
Idaho Falls SD 91 began using STEMscopes Science in grade 6 in its elementary schools and grades 7-8 in its middle schools in August 2019. Since then, the percentage of students achieving proficiency in science has increased significantly.
Over the last three years, the percentage of eighth graders passing the Idaho Standards Achievement Test (ISAT) in science has increased by more than 9 percentage points, even as statewide eighth-grade science scores stayed flat.
STEMscopes Science NGSS 3D combines a comprehensive digital curriculum with supplemental print materials and ready-made exploration kits. It also includes embedded support for teachers — such as lesson plans, professional development videos, on-demand webinars, and how-to guides — to help them continuously improve their teaching.
“There’s an abundance of resources. Everything you might want to know is there,” said Brown.
STEMscopes Science NGSS 3D, which is 100% aligned to the NGSS, provides a comprehensive approach to Disciplinary Core Ideas, Crosscutting Concepts, and Science and Engineering Practices through the student-driven inquiry of phenomena. It equips teachers with more than 25 resources per lesson to effectively differentiate instruction and adapt to any classroom environment.
“It’s nice to have a program that’s so flexible,” said Brown. “We can mix and match lessons, which makes it easier for teachers to manage.”
In addition, the STEMscopes exploration kits include the materials teachers need to conduct hands-on activities.
““It’s a godsend for teachers to have materials on hand without having to search for them,” he said. “Before STEMscopes, our seventh and eighth grade teachers had very little in the way of science equipment, so they were pleased.”
Each chapter or “scope” in STEMscopes Science NGSS 3D is developed around the research-based 5E (Engage, Explore, Explain, Elaborate, Evaluate) model of instruction. STEMscopes also includes additional phases for Intervention and Acceleration so teachers can adjust the pace and depth of instruction to meet students’ diverse needs.
“STEMscopes is structured for inquiry-based learning,” said Brown. “Even if teachers aren’t familiar with that type of instruction, STEMscopes shows them how everything fits together.”
STEMscopes also helps teachers customize the 5E model to the needs of their classrooms.
“The 5E model isn’t necessarily linear. You might explore, then stop and explain, and then explore a bit more,” he said. “If teachers are time-constrained, STEMscopes does a nice job pointing out which pieces of each phase are critical and which are optional, so they know what to pay attention to.”
According to Brown, this type of inquiry-based learning not only increases student engagement and enthusiasm, but it also improves comprehension.
“Kids love when they can get their hands on something. They naturally observe and ask questions like, ‘Why is that? Why does this happen?’” he said. “STEMscopes takes that natural curiosity and builds on it. It makes them want to dig in and find answers to their questions. When you can get kids doing science, it develops their conceptual understanding far better than just reading about it.”
Within the STEMscopes Science NGSS 3D curriculum, students can access a variety of multimedia tools — such as PhET Interactive Simulations, Content Connections Videos, and Picture Vocabulary — to make abstract concepts more concrete and accessible. These resources also connect concepts to real-world examples to make science learning feel more relevant to students’ lives.
“If students try to read about a concept first, they may not have the background knowledge or language skills to understand it. So, anything you can do to help them visualize or experience it first-hand is going to make a huge difference,” said Brown. “In STEMscopes, the videos and visualizations help give every student the foundational background knowledge they need to access the content.”
In addition, STEMscopes Science NGSS 3D includes a variety of assessment types, such as Claim-Evidence-Reasoning (CER), to offer teachers a deeper perspective on what students know.
“Claim-Evidence-Reasoning makes kids think through what they’ve experienced,” said Brown. “It helps them reflect and ask, ‘What do I know?’ It also helps them discover what they don’t know.”
The district also values the consistency that STEMscopes Science NGSS 3D brings to science instruction across its schools.
Since implementing STEMscopes Science NGSS 3D, students have achieved steady gains on the ISAT. In 2022, 29.3% of eighth grade students scored at the Proficient and Advanced levels. By 2024, that number had risen to 38.5%. In contrast, statewide eighth grade science scores remained flat, dropping slightly from 41.2% in 2022 to 41% in 2024.
| Year | % Proficient | Change |
| 2021-22 | 29.3% | n/a |
| 2022-23 | 32.9% | +3.6% |
| 2023-24 | 38.5% | +5.6% |
“STEMscopes follows the 5E model, which is how science should be taught,” said Brown. “Start with the ‘engage’ phase because that’s where you get kids hooked. Then your instruction will take off from there.”
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