INSTRUCTIONAL EXPECTATIONS
Teach the South Carolina Science Standards with fidelity.
Engage students in three-dimensional, inquiry-based science instruction.
Provide meaningful laboratory and investigative experiences.
Use assessment data to inform and improve instruction.
Maintain a safe, student-centered learning environment that promotes curiosity, collaboration, and scientific thinking.
Middle School
Middle school science instruction in Spartanburg County School District 6 is designed to build a strong foundation of scientific knowledge and inquiry by engaging students in meaningful, standards-aligned learning experiences. Instruction should consistently reflect the South Carolina College- and Career-Ready Science Standards while emphasizing the integration of disciplinary core ideas, science and engineering practices, and crosscutting concepts. Teachers are expected to create student-centered classrooms where inquiry, collaboration, hands-on investigations, scientific discourse, and evidence-based reasoning drive learning. Instruction should be informed by formative and common assessment data, aligned with district pacing and instructional expectations, and intentionally prepare students for success in high school science.
GT = Guidelines, Curriculum
High School
High school science instruction in Spartanburg County School District 6 prepares students for college, careers, and informed citizenship through rigorous, standards-based learning experiences that develop scientific literacy, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills. Teachers are expected to implement the South Carolina College- and Career-Ready Science Standards while maintaining alignment with district curriculum, pacing, and assessment expectations. Instruction should provide authentic laboratory investigations, encourage scientific inquiry and engineering design, integrate technology and data analysis, and foster student ownership of learning through meaningful collaboration and evidence-based reasoning.
Pacing Guides - Integrated, Biology, Chemistry
INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS
All instructional materials for science courses must be purchased using each school’s allocated instructional funds. Schools are responsible for prioritizing these funds to support approved curriculum resources, laboratory supplies, and instructional tools aligned to state science standards and district expectations.
Science kit money is allocated from the state to purchase and resupply science kits for elementary and middle school science classrooms. The science kits that were purchased align to the state standards and the state will pay yearly to restock those kits. The district is only allowed to use this money to specific items that have been purchased from any science kit in the past. The district cannot reallocate this money for other purchases. Any other supplies for the classroom will need to come out of the schools instructional budget.
Vertical articulation of science standards is essential because it ensures that learning progresses logically and intentionally from one grade level to the next, building the knowledge and skills students need for future success. In Spartanburg County School District 6, vertical articulation helps teachers understand what students have already learned, what they are expected to master at their current grade level, and how their instruction prepares students for subsequent science courses. This alignment reduces gaps and unnecessary repetition in instruction, promotes consistency across schools, and supports the development of scientific thinking, inquiry skills, and content knowledge over time. By maintaining a coherent progression of standards, educators can provide students with a stronger foundation for advanced science coursework, college readiness, and career pathways in STEM fields.
Assessments
~ A consistent, common assessment system is essential to ensuring alignment and clarity in science instruction across the district. Common assessments provide a shared measure of what students are expected to know and be able to do, allowing teachers to accurately compare results, identify learning gaps, and adjust instruction in a timely and targeted way. This consistency strengthens collaborative planning, supports data-driven decision-making, and ensures that all students are held to the same high expectations and given equal opportunities to succeed.
SCIENCE FAIR