HQIR District Bright Spot: Danville Independent

Suzanne Farmer, Chief Academic Officer of Danville Independent Schools, and her team recognized the need to strengthen science instruction across her district. When the Kentucky Department of Education launched the Designing High-Quality Local Curriculum pilot focused on science, she and her team eagerly joined. This initiative used the Model Curriculum Framework to guide districts in selecting and implementing a high-quality instructional resource (HQIR) in science.

Danville Independent Schools formed a team to gather stakeholder input and create an instructional vision for their science instruction. Through this collaborative process, the team gained a deeper understanding of the science standards and the role of phenomena-based learning in engaging students. They conducted a thorough evaluation of the district’s current practices and identified gaps between where they were and where they wanted to be. This comprehensive approach laid a strong foundation for selecting the right high-quality instructional resource to align with their goals.

After a thorough vetting process, the district evaluated various resources to ensure alignment with their instructional vision—focusing on how students should learn and engage with science. Ultimately, the district selected OpenSciEd for secondary and Smithsonian for elementary because they provide rich, hands-on, phenomena-based experiences that foster deeper learning.

“We like that OpenSciEd encourages students to take ownership of their learning by generating questions and actively participating in scientific inquiry,” Farmer explained.

Through their work with the Designing High-Quality Local Curriculum pilot and the Model Curriculum Framework, Danville Independent Schools has laid groundwork for lasting improvement in science instruction by ensuring that students engage in rigorous, inquiry-based learning that will continue to benefit them for years to come.

For more information on HQIRs and implementation guidance, please visit the high-quality instructional resources page on kystandards.org.