Framingham Public Schools (FPS) is pleased to announce several grant awards from the One8 Foundation. This award advances our continued efforts to support the adoption of High-Quality Instructional Materials (HQIM) and curriculum coupled with professional learning for educators.  The award of these competitive grants will support Tier I instruction across the curriculum in our Middle Schools while another grant award will serve as an early adoption of a supplemental math program at two of our Elementary Schools. “I am so excited about this opportunity to support our students as we expand beyond our primary focus on literacy; this is a tremendous benefit to advance other important areas of our curriculum in the areas of Science, History, and Mathematics,” said Dr. Robert Tremblay, Superintendent of Schools.

Two of our elementary schools, McCarthy and Stapleton, will be early adopters of the ST Math Program. This Prek-8 Visual instructional program builds a deep conceptual understanding of mathematical concepts by leveraging spatial-temporal reasoning. Students engage in challenging puzzles and problem-solving exercises in a digital environment that provides immediate feedback to understand better and internalize mathematical concepts. A key to this engaging program is JiJi, the penguin who motivates and encourages goal setting, engagement, and perseverance!

The history and science curriculum is of high quality and is rated highly by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE). The Investigating History Program and Open Sci Ed science curriculum emphasize student-driven, inquiry-based learning, using a storyline approach where lessons are motivated by student questions arising from interactions with phenomena. “We have already begun to see the benefits of these curricula in our initial implementation this year, and it has served to increase student interaction with content,” shares Superintendent Tremblay.

Investigating History is a comprehensive, authentic, inquiry-based curriculum fully aligned to the 2018 History/Social Science Framework — developed by DESE in collaboration with teachers, history scholars, and organizations across Massachusetts. 

“This will undoubtedly provide an equitable teaching and learning experience for all our grades 6-8 students,” said Dr. Marybeth O’Brien, Director of Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment for the Framingham Public Schools “We recognize that equity in education begins with students having access to a high-quality curriculum that allows for engaging high-interest content matched to grade-level standards and expectations. High-quality curriculum materials, coupled with high-quality professional development, is critical for educators to understand how to deepen their pedagogical content knowledge and increase their efficacy in supporting their students with engaging instructional practices.” 

The One8 grant program will allow FPS to leverage these two components, a high-quality curriculum and professional learning for educators, to improve the opportunities and access for our students in Science, History, and Mathematics.  We hope to continue to spread and share these strong instructional practices across the curriculum areas, which will also strengthen the instructional practices of our educators and lead to better student experiences and outcomes overall. Undoubtedly, our efforts at the district and school levels will continue to support the systems and structures to ensure educators engage collaboratively to enhance further their practice and use of the curriculum among their teams, schools, and across schools.  

Principal Kerry Wood remarked: “At Fuller, we are thrilled to continue our curriculum work with Open Sci Ed and Investigating History. We believe this will continue to profoundly impact our students and the learning they are already experiencing.”

Framingham Public School team members, including the Superintendent, School and District leaders, and educators, will join other schools across the commonwealth to celebrate these awards at the 2025 One8 Applied Learning Convening on April 14th. Team members will connect with a community of innovative educators and work with program partners to begin onboarding and developing implementation plans for these curriculum adoptions. 

About the One8 Foundation

The One8 Foundation identifies, supports, and scales high-impact applied learning programs that help schools and teachers prepare students for success in a rapidly changing, data-rich world. We work with over 200 districts across nearly 700 schools in the Commonwealth to support this work. One8 imagines a future where high-quality applied learning opportunities that make learning relevant and rewarding are a regular part of the student experience, driving impact for all students. Learn more at www.one8.org.

About One8 Applied Learning Hub

At the One8 Applied Learning Hub, a team within the Foundation, we are here to help Massachusetts schools get the most out of the applied learning programs supported by the foundation. To this end, the One8 Applied Learning Hub provides implementation support, educator community building, and student opportunities that help bring learning to life. The One8 Applied Learning Hub currently supports five programs in the Commonwealth: Democratic Knowledge Project, Investigating History, OpenSciEd, Project Lead The Way, and ST Math. Visit www.one8alhub.org to learn more.

About OpenSciEd Massachusetts Community

OpenSciEd (OSE) Massachusetts Community is a team of educators that works directly with schools supporting the implementation of OSE in classrooms across Massachusetts. OSE Mass’ goal is to support schools in the sustainable, effective implementation of OSE’s high-quality instructional material (HQIM) over time.