STEM

STEM

The Buckeye Union School District has a variety of STEM offerings throughout our district and is continually looking for ways to expand opportunities for our students within the STEM field.

At the end of the 2017- 2018 school year, Buckeye Union School District adopted Amplify Science, an NGSS aligned curriculum developed by the UC Berkeley Lawrence Hall of Science, for all grades K-8. With Amplify, students learn to think, read, write, and argue like real scientists and engineers through a combination of hands-on investigations, literacy-rich activities, and the use of interactive digital tools. Complimenting our science curriculum are school garden projects that can be found at each elementary school site.

Technology use as a tool for learning and creativity is an integral part of each Buckeye student's learning experience. Students in grades 3-8 are provided access to a Chromebook device in all core subjects. The use of these devices is embedded in teacher lessons, and a variety of online learning tools are provided to students at each site. In many classrooms, teachers have begun to introduce students to programming through sites such as code.org. In addition, our middle schools offer technology electives.

In recent years, many of our sites have begun to offer STEM enrichment opportunities that engage students in design-and-build processes. Robotics, coding and natural science themes have been a component of these experiences. With our generous parent support, we anticipate these experiences increasing further in the coming years.

The Buckeye Union School District does offer an advanced and accelerated math pathway beginning in middle school. Additionally, elementary teachers have been trained in a small group instructional model that supports greater levels of differentiation for mathematics instruction for all students.