New York, NY, Aug. 07, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- OpenSciEd is thrilled to announce that all three of its high school science courses, OpenSciEd Biology, OpenSciEd Chemistry, and OpenSciEd Physics, have received top marks from EdReports, earning all-green ratings for their quality, coherence, and usability. The ratings confirm that OpenSciEd’s free, open educational resource (OER) high school courses meet the highest expectations for science instruction aligned to the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS).
“These results reflect and validate years of collaborative work to develop high school courses that empower both teachers and students,” said James Ryan, Executive Director of OpenSciEd. “We’re incredibly proud that OpenSciEd is the first organization to receive all-green across three courses that capture all of the high school NGSS expectations! With our materials, teachers can be confident their students are receiving a high quality, rigorous, and engaging science learning experience that prepares them for AP coursework, college, and careers in STEM.”
EdReports evaluated OpenSciEd’s learning materials on the following gateways: designed for the NGSS, coherence and scope, and usability. These top ratings reflect the OpenSciEd Biology, OpenSciEd Chemistry, and OpenSciEd Physics materials' ability to support deep student understanding of science concepts, meaningful engagement with scientific practices, and ease of use in real classrooms. The full report is available to the public and offers transparent, independent insights into the program’s quality.
The development of the OpenSciEd High School program was a national effort. Building on the success of the middle school program, OpenSciEd brought together a powerful consortium of developers, including InquiryHub at the University of Colorado, Boulder, BSCS Science Learning, Northwestern University, and The Charles A. Dana Center, with the support of four philanthropic organizations and 10 partner states.
The goal was to design courses that put students at the center of their learning, encouraging them to think, question, investigate, and solve problems like real scientists and engineers. Extensive field testing and the input of hundreds of teachers and thousands of students nationwide demonstrate that the courses spark curiosity and build the critical thinking skills students need to succeed in STEM and beyond. OpenSciEd’s complete suite of high school courses became available in June 2024.
“When we set out to design the high school courses, we knew they had to give all students the opportunity to engage with science and engineering that was relevant to their lives and important to their communities,” said Bill Penuel, Director of High School Development Consortium from inquiryHub at the University of Colorado Boulder. "By listening to and engaging teachers, students, and education leaders, we've built courses that not only meet standards but also deepen students' scientific proficiency by giving them a chance to think and learn like scientists.”
OpenSciEd offers more than just curriculum; it provides comprehensive professional learning support, including an on-demand teacher support library filled with short, actionable instructional videos from OpenSciEd experts and teachers. The organization also has a growing network of certified product and professional learning providers to ensure teachers feel confident and supported.
“Receiving all-green ratings from EdReports is a milestone, but it’s also a starting point,” added James Ryan. “We remain committed to ensuring that every K–12 student has access to high quality science education, and we’re already in the process of releasing units for grades K-5. The future of science teaching is open and collaborative, and OpenSciEd is proud to lead the way.”
To learn more about OpenSciEd High School and read the reviews, educators are invited to visit www.openscied.org to explore the courses and discover how they can help students strengthen their scientific thinking, connect science to real-world issues, and succeed both in school and in future STEM pathways.
About OpenSciEd:
OpenSciEd was launched in 2018 as a nonprofit to address the need among teachers and school districts for high-quality, open-source, full-course science instructional materials, as well as curriculum-based professional learning materials to support the implementation of middle school science instructional units as a result of the adoption of the National Research Council’s document, A Framework for K-12 Science Education and the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). The high school materials are made possible by the generous philanthropic support of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Carnegie Corporation of New York, Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation, and the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation. For more information about OpenSciEd, please visit our website at www.OpenSciEd.org.
About EdReports:
EdReports.org is an independent nonprofit designed to improve K-12 education. EdReports.org increases the capacity of teachers, administrators, and leaders to seek, identify, and demand the highest quality instructional materials. Drawing upon expert educators, our reviews of instructional materials and support of smart adoption processes equip teachers with excellent materials nationwide.
Erica Fraser OpenSciEd efraser@openscied.org
