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From Barriers to Breakthroughs: Pennsylvania's Northampton School District Finds the Formula for OpenSciEd Success with Activate Learning
What Research Reveals: Why Some Districts Struggle, and Others Succeed, with OpenSciEd Implementation
We’ve featured success stories of districts partnering with Activate Learning to implement OpenSciEd with phenomenal results. But while OpenSciEd offers innovative resources that transform science education, a 2024 study by Digital Promise, in partnership with OpenSciEd and Carnegie (Practitioner-reported Needs for Enacting, Implementing, and Adopting OpenSciEd Curriculum Materials), reveals that many districts face significant barriers to implementation. The critical question is: Why?
The study surveyed 155 teachers and leaders across 34 states and conducted nationwide focus groups to pinpoint the precise challenges preventing districts from realizing OpenSciEd’s full potential. Researchers identified 22 challenges expressed by participants. They then narrowed this list down to 6 critical implementation barriers that can derail even the most well-intentioned district effort.
The Six Most Common Barriers to Successful Implementation:
Sustaining Student Engagement: The extended time required for students to "figure out" phenomena through investigation, modeling, and revision can lead to declining interest and participation over time.
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Shifting Classroom Culture: Students must make substantial adjustments from traditional science instruction focused on learning facts and producing correct answers to phenomenon-based learning where they figure things out, share work-in-progress, and determine next steps themselves.
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Implementing Coherent Assessment Approaches: Teachers must transition from traditional assessments to three-dimensional approaches that align with OpenSciEd's instructional model, including complex formative assessment practices and aligning student work products to grading expectations.
Materials Adaptation: Teachers need to adapt OpenSciEd materials (including handouts, assessments, and instructional slides) to meet diverse student needs.
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Enabling access to planning and reflection time: OpenSciEd requires significantly more planning and reflection time than traditional materials, especially for lesson preparation, monitoring student progress, providing feedback, and participating in professional learning.
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Increasing teacher capacity to enact OpenSciEd: Teachers must make profound pedagogical shifts that require extensive professional learning and administrative support, while unilateral district adoption without teacher input can inhibit buy-in and successful implementation.
Researchers found that adopting free curriculum materials isn’t enough. Successful implementation and alignment of classroom instruction with the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) requires systemic support to overcome these barriers.
Northampton Area School District in Pennsylvania faced these exact challenges as they worked to meet Pennsylvania’s new K-12 Science, Technology & Engineering, and Environmental Literacy & Sustainability standards (STEELS) by the 2025 deadline. Their breakthrough came when they partnered with Activate Learning.
Activate Learning's All-In-One Breakthrough Solution:
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- OpenSciEd curriculum NGSS aligned and easily adaptable to Pennsylvania's STEELS standards.
- Ongoing personalized professional learning that empowered teachers to lead and guided them from theory
to classroom practice. - Science kits and materials to support hands-on, investigation-centered learning.
- An interactive digital platform for educators and students.
- Assessment tools and adaptive resources to meet diverse student needs.
This approach directly addresses the critical needs identified in the Digital Promise study including sustained professional learning, teacher collaboration, classroom culture shifts, and accessibility for all learners.
Below, we spotlight the most compelling takeaways from Scott Oste (Curriculum Supervisor at Northampton Area Schools) and Zach Winter (6th-grade Science Teacher at Northampton Middle School) as they explain how this innovative partnership turned research-identified barriers into early wins for Northampton (both district-wide and inside the classroom). 🚀
Becoming Better Versions of Ourselves: How Early Preparation and Embracing Change Created Opportunities for Growth and Success
"Our teachers at Northampton Area School District are some of the most passionate, resilient, and tenacious individuals I've been around my entire life. They are true professionals that adapt with change and do some fantastic work with students every single day." — Scott Oste, Curriculum Supervisor
Scott Oste (Curriculum Supervisor, Northampton Area Schools)
Scott Oste knew change was coming, and that it wouldn't be easy. Nearly a decade before Pennsylvania's 2025 STEELS deadline, his supervisor predicted the state would eventually adopt either national science standards or create their own version. This early warning gave Scott and teacher Zach Winter a crucial head start. They began learning and implementing NGSS principles years before most districts even knew what was coming.
But foresight alone wasn't enough. Despite years of preparation, including visits to New Jersey districts that had already adopted NGSS, Scott discovered they "really didn't know what we didn't know." The gap between Pennsylvania's traditional science instruction and the phenomena-based approach required by STEELS was big. Even with early preparation and piloting OpenSciEd, Northampton faced the same research-validated barriers identified by Digital Promise: building teacher capacity, shifting classroom culture, and providing the comprehensive support needed for sustainable transformation.
The turning point came when Scott realized that individual teacher development ("just like we do with students") required understanding where each educator was "at that moment in time" and systematically growing their knowledge toward better instruction. This insight became the foundation for their partnership with Activate Learning, which provided the comprehensive, individualized support structure that their early OpenSciEd pilot efforts had revealed they needed—exactly the kind of systematic teacher development Scott knew was essential for sustainable transformation.
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Scott's Blueprint for Success: Setting the Bar High and Delivering Exceptional Support
"I said from the very beginning that if we set high expectations for our staff, our teachers, and our students, we also, in return, have to provide very high support. You can't have high expectations and low teacher support. That's also a recipe for disaster."
The Reality Check: Scott initially thought OpenSciEd's free availability meant easy implementation. "My misconception was because it's free, we will be able to access everything and implement with ease," he admits. The reality hit quickly—downloading massive Google Drive folders and expecting teachers to navigate hundreds of decisions daily wasn't sustainable. "No teacher would have the time. And I would not have the time nor the energy to sift through massive amounts of Google Drive files."
The "Guardrails" Philosophy: Scott's breakthrough insight came through analogy: "You need guardrails. It's kind of like riding a bike. You can't just go right on the bike and ride it." Just as drivers need permits before obtaining a license, teachers need systematic support before achieving independent mastery. Activate Learning provided those essential guardrails—organized materials, streamlined platforms, and ongoing professional development that eliminated decision fatigue.
The Success Formula: Scott's approach centers on "High expectations + high support = early wins." By maintaining constant classroom presence and addressing challenges quickly, he created an environment where teachers felt safe taking calculated risks. "When you encourage risk taking, you're allowing them to grow over time," he explains. The result? Teachers trying new approaches they'd never attempted before—the exact definition of becoming better versions of themselves.
Going Far Together: The most telling is Scott's commitment to district-to-district collaboration. His key motto, "If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together," reflects how Activate Learning facilitates peer learning networks that benefit entire regions, not just individual districts.
OpenSciEd in Action at Northampton Middle School: Where Students Become Scientists
"My students are capable of thinking and acting and solving problems like real world scientists."
— Zach Winter, 6th Grade Science Teacher
Zach Winter (6th Grade Science Teacher, Northampton Middle School)
Step into Zach Winter's 6th grade classroom at Northampton Middle School, and you'll witness the frontlines of science education transformation. Here, the shift from traditional "memorizing and knowing concepts" to authentic scientific thinking plays out in real-time. Students don't just learn about phenomena, they figure them out, investigating piece by piece, like actual scientists. Zach walks us through OpenSciEd’s Unit 6.6 (“How Do Living Things Heal?”), which students worked on during our visit.
The Power of Authentic Questions: Every unit begins with a real-world phenomenon that students can connect to and relate to. "We always start by asking questions. What are you curious about when you hear this phenomenon?" Zach explains. In their current unit on healing, students investigate why an eighth-grader who dropped a weight on his foot experienced torn muscles, broken bones, and lost feelings. Rather than being told the answers, they discover how cells function, reproduce, and work together to heal injuries.
Creating the Culture for Discovery: The transformation doesn't happen overnight. Zach relies heavily on using OpenSciEd tools and strategies, such as "classroom norms" and "scientist circles," which he initially finds awkward but becomes the foundation for meaningful learning. "You take a classroom full of 11-year-olds and 12-year-olds that don't really know each other and say, 'Sit in a circle and talk to each other.' It's awkward, right?" But persistence pays off. These circles become the space for those coveted "aha moments" where students connect their investigation pieces into comprehensive understanding.
Letting Go to Let Learning Happen: Perhaps Zach's most profound shift was "letting go of the control"—asking genuine questions without knowing what students will discover. This authenticity transforms both teaching and learning. Students ask real questions driven by genuine curiosity rather than fishing for predetermined answers.
The "Juice Is Worth the Squeeze": Initially, Zach's OpenSciEd pilot required an unprecedented amount of preparation time. But Activate Learning's organized platform transformed that experience. "What Activate does that makes it a lot better is organize everything into one place," he notes. Now, with streamlined access to materials and clear guidance on priorities, the intensive preparation becomes manageable—and the results speak for themselves.
The evidence of transformation? "The type of conversation that my students are having. The level of critical thinking that they are showing in those conversations has come so far since the beginning of the year." Students engage because they're genuinely curious about phenomena that affect their real world—not just to earn good grades.
The All-In-One Solution That Gave Northampton Its Breakthrough
Zach opens a prepackaged Activate Learning science kit.
Behind Northampton's breakthrough results lies a fundamental insight: complex challenges require comprehensive solutions. While the Digital Promise research identified six critical barriers to OpenSciEd success, Activate Learning's all-in-one approach systematically addresses each one through organized science kits and materials, an integrated digital platform, ongoing professional learning, and collaborative support structures (like district-to-district collaboration).
For Northampton, partnering with Activate Learning wasn't just a matter of vendor selection; it was a strategic decision that transformed overwhelming complexity into manageable, sustainable processes, leading to early implementation success.
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In Their Own Words: Why Comprehensive Support Made the Difference
"OpenSciEd is written at a very high quality. And when content is written at a high quality there are a lot of pieces and parts that you have to consider in order to make it all work and blend together. Therefore, when you bring in a resource you have to look for a platform, tools and professional development that complement each other.
Teachers make tons of decisions every day. If a resource can eliminate some of those decisions for them and streamline the process, that's several fewer decisions that a teacher has to make in the thousands of decisions that they make every day. We chose Activate Learning because it provided a one-stop shop to remove barriers for our teachers. That one-stop shop provided us with a plethora of tools and resources, all available on one platform."
-- Scott Oste
"Before we decided to go the OpenSciEd route with Activate Learning, we piloted a unit on our own. We ordered the materials from the cheapest source, downloaded them from Google Drive, and gave it a shot. That took a lot of time! This is my 10th year teaching. I've never spent that much time outside of the classroom preparing.
What Activate Learning does that makes it a lot better is organize everything into one place. Once you have the necessary materials, know what to look for, and understand what you're trying to find, the process becomes smoother and more efficient!"
-- Zach Winter
The Formula for OpenSciEd Success: Preperation, Persevearance and Partnership
Northampton's journey and Activate Learning's comprehensive solution validate what Digital Promise research revealed: successful OpenSciEd implementation requires more than free curriculum materials. It demands comprehensive support that addresses every documented barrier (from teacher capacity building and classroom culture shifts to assessment alignment and resource organization).
What Makes This Story Inspiring: Because Northampton embraced the challenges of transitioning to a standards-aligned curriculum early and partnered with Activate Learning from the start, they achieved early wins that set a positive trajectory for their entire OpenSciEd implementation. How you begin any science education transformation often determines whether you succeed, and Northampton's early success created momentum that continues to drive district-wide transformation.
The Results Speak Volumes: Zach's students now engage in sophisticated scientific conversations, thinking critically about real-world phenomena, asking genuine questions driven by curiosity rather than grades. Scott's teachers take calculated risks, grow professionally, and feel confident implementing three-dimensional instruction. These aren't just success stories; they're measurable outcomes that directly address the six barriers Digital Promise identified.
The Activate Learning Difference: What transformed Northampton's challenges into breakthrough results? An all-in-one solution that systematically removes implementation barriers: organized science kits that eliminate preparation overwhelm, a digital platform that streamlines decision-making, ongoing professional development that builds teacher capacity, and collaborative support that sustains transformation. As Scott discovered, "You need guardrails to help you get to those next levels—that next level of instruction."
The Formula That Works: High expectations + high support + comprehensive partnership = teachers and students becoming better versions of themselves. Northampton didn't just implement OpenSciEd; they proved that research-documented challenges could become a sustainable success with the right partner. For leaders beginning a similar journey, Scott offers wisdom from lessons learned: “If I were to give any advice to districts, it would be to be as present as possible in classrooms. You need to work in partnership with your teachers. You need to trust your teachers!”
Ready to create your district's science success story? Partner with Activate Learning
Just as Scott and Zach transformed implementation barriers into breakthrough results through comprehensive support and strategic partnership, your district can overcome the research-validated challenges facing OpenSciEd adoption. Contact Activate Learning today to discover how our all-in-one solution can turn your science education transformation from struggle to success story: one teacher, one classroom, and one authentic learning experience at a time.