Located in the heart of Virginia’s Hampton Roads metropolitan area, SPS’ team of 2,300 professionals serves a diverse and dynamic student population of over 14,000 students. Guided by their strategic plan—Building Exceptional Schools—and supported by the district’s 1:1 initiative, the school system equips students to become lifelong learners while partnering with the community to provide outstanding educational experiences to all they serve.

To support the district’s efforts to embed the 5Cs more firmly into instruction and deepen student learning through real-world connections and cross-curricular content integration, SPS administrators sought a high-quality, flexible digital solution that would support the learning of all students. Following a review of potential solutions, SPS selected the Virginia Discovery Education Science Experience for use districtwide. Virginia Discovery Education Science Experience includes:

The Discovery Education platform.
Discovery Education connects educators to a vast collection of high-quality, standards-aligned content, ready-to-use digital lessons, intuitive quiz and activity creation tools, and professional learning resources. The program provides educators with a recently enhanced learning platform that facilitates engaging, daily instruction in any learning environment.

Discovery Education’s team continues adding, contextualizing, and organizing exciting new content and timely and relevant resources to the platform each month in response to current events and the ever-evolving needs of educators. These resources, sourced from trusted partners, are aligned to state and national standards and help educators bring the outside world into teaching and learning every day.

The K-12 learning platform is designed to work within the school systems’ existing infrastructure and workflows and provides safe, secure, simple access methods for educators and students. Through expanded, lasting partnerships with Microsoft Teams, Google Classroom, Schoology, Canvas, Brightspace, and Clever, integrating Discovery Education’s K-12 learning platform into existing IT architecture is easier than ever.

Discovery Education Science Techbooks.
The Discovery Education Science Techbook series—which is currently used in classrooms across the United States and Canada—is a comprehensive, research-backed science solution for grades K-12. Delivered through Discovery Education’s K-12 platform, the Science Techbook series drives engagement with exclusive phenomena and interactive content. Virtual and hands-on investigations, STEM activities, and various instructional supports enhance the delivery of impactful, blended instruction in person or at a distance. Digital teacher editions also provide flexible pacing options, embedded teacher notes, and Pathways for Learning to address diverse learners.

The Virginia edition of the Discovery Education Science Textbook was approved for statewide use by the Virginia State Board of Education in September of 2020 and is also used by Virginia’s Chesapeake Public Schools and the Portsmouth Public Schools.

“The introduction of Discovery Education’s digital services into district classrooms helps SPS teachers provide students new learning opportunities. It connects the instruction going on inside the classroom to the world in which they live,” said Dr. John B. Gordon, III, Suffolk Public Schools Superintendent. “We are incredibly excited to have these resources now available throughout the district.”

Discovery Education will provide SPS educators with dedicated professional learning to help the school system recognize the full return on their edtech investment. Through these interactive professional development sessions, participants will learn best practices for integrating their new digital resources into instruction. Effective professional development will maximize the power of these resources, increase student engagement in learning, and support students’ continued academic development.

The district’s partnership with Discovery Education also provides all district teachers access to the Discovery Education Community. A global community of education professionals, the Discovery Education Community connects members across school systems and worldwide through social media, virtual conferences, and in-person events, fostering valuable networking, idea sharing, and inspiration.

“Discovery Education is proud to partner with Suffolk Public Schools on their effort to produce life-long learners equipped with the skills, knowledge, and attitudes to succeed as productive citizens in a local, national, and global society,” said Kelly Hoce, Discovery Education’s Senior Director of Education Partnerships. “This collaboration is off to a great start, and we look forward to continuing to work side-by-side to prepare every student to find success in our complex society.”

For more information about Discovery Education’s digital resources and professional learning services, visit www.discoveryeducation.com and stay connected with Discovery Education on social media through Twitter and LinkedIn.

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About Discovery Education
Discovery Education is the worldwide edtech leader whose state-of-the-art digital platform supports learning wherever it takes place. Through its award-winning multimedia content, instructional supports, and innovative classroom tools, Discovery Education helps educators deliver equitable learning experiences engaging all students and supporting higher academic achievement on a global scale. Discovery Education serves approximately 4.5 million educators and 45 million students worldwide, and its resources are accessed in over 140 countries and territories. Inspired by the global media company Discovery, Inc., Discovery Education partners with districts, states, and trusted organizations to empower teachers with leading edtech solutions that support the success of all learners. Explore the future of education at www.discoveryeducation.com.

Contact
Stephen Wakefield
Discovery Education
Phone: 202-316-6615
Email: swakefield@discoveryed.com

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