Indiana and Louisiana Approve Discovery Education’s Digital Science Services for Statewide Use in Elementary and Middle School Classrooms

Adoption of Discovery Education Science Techbook by two additional states demonstrates national shift from traditional textbooks to digital curriculum

(Silver Spring, Md.) Indiana and Louisiana have joined Oregon in adopting the Discovery Education Science Techbook as a digital core instructional resource for elementary and middle school science instruction through their state textbook adoption processes. Discovery Education is the leading provider of high quality curriculum-based digital content, professional development and assessment resources whose services are available in more than half of U.S. schools.

The Indiana State Board of Education officially adopted the Discovery Education Science Elementary Techbook for Indiana and the Discovery Education Science Middle School Techbook for Indiana. Also, the Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education officially adopted the Discovery Education Science Elementary Techbook for Louisiana and the Discovery Education Science Middle School Techbook for Louisiana.

“Superior critical thinking skills will fuel today’s students’ success in tomorrow’s global economy. In addition to engaging students in science education in a dynamic and relevant manner, our Techbooks empower Indiana and Louisiana educators to create learning environments that promote collaboration, creativity and participatory learning,” said Robert Onsi, Discovery Education vice president of product management.

“Discovery Education Science Techbook brings the world of science alive for every type of learner through dynamic videos, reading passages, hands-on activities, interactive virtual labs, and more,” said superintendent Linda Florence, whose Ontario, Ore., school district this year began implementing the Techbook as its core instructional resource for 4th and 5th grade science curricula. “This resource helps district educators address every type of learning modality and engages students in the digital world in which they live.”

Each edition of the Discovery Education Science Techbook series is built from the ground up to address individual state standards and is intended to serve as the new primary instructional resource for Indiana and Louisiana elementary and middle schools. The dynamic, interactive resources included in each state’s edition support the 5E model of instruction. A real-time assessment component that measures students’ progress and recommends individualized resources that reinforce classroom instruction is also included.

In addition to meeting the way today’s students learn, Discovery Education Science Techbooks are easy to implement. Built around state-specific courses, each Techbook is a holistic learning system that integrates the nature of science and inquiry into every phase of learning.

Also aiding implementation of this new service is a variety of teacher resources, ranging from “5 Minute Preps” that provide educators valuable refreshers on science content, to full days of custom, in-person professional development that build educators’ capacity to leverage the power of digital content to engage students. Finally, the Discovery Education Science Techbook is a substantially less expensive option per student than traditional textbooks, with additional savings derived from a lack of textbook replacement or inventory costs.

“Multiple state review boards approving Discovery Education’s digital science service as a core instructional resource signals a systemic shift at the state level toward the acceptance of digital content as a textbook alternative. These adoptions are evidence of the growing movement away from static textbooks towards engaging, current, cost-effective digital teaching solutions,” said Kelli Campbell, senior vice president of global product and content strategy, Discovery Education.

Discovery Education’s digital content services are scientifically shown to improve student academic achievement. For more information about the Discovery Education Science Techbook, visit www.discoveryeducation.com or call 800-323-9084.

About Discovery Education
Discovery Communications (NASDAQ: DISCA, DISCB, DISCK) revolutionized television with Discovery Channel and is now transforming classrooms through Discovery Education. Powered by the number one nonfiction media company in the world, Discovery Education combines scientifically proven, standards-based digital media and a dynamic user community in order to empower teachers to improve student achievement. Already, more than half of all U.S. schools access Discovery Education digital services. Explore the future of education at www.discoveryeducation.com.