OpenSciEd
OpenSciEd creates free, NGSS-aligned science curriculum and professional learning resources for educators, spanning elementary, middle, and high school.
What OpenSciEd is
OpenSciEd creates free, NGSS-aligned science curriculum and professional learning resources for educators, spanning elementary, middle, and high school. Its lessons use phenomena-based instruction, with students asking questions, investigating, and solving problems. Teachers are encouraged to adapt lessons to their students’ needs. Released units are available as PDFs, Google Drive files, Word documents, or PowerPoint presentations; some also have Google Classroom or Canvas versions. Free self-guided learning paths and an on-demand support library provide videos and resources for preparing units, understanding routines, anticipating student ideas, and classroom implementation. Access to the free materials requires registration, intended for educators or parents rather than K–12 students. Middle school materials use CC BY 4.0, while elementary and high school materials use CC-BY-NC licensing, with free and perpetual noncommercial 5R permissions. OpenSciEd High School offers three NGSS courses that received all-green ratings after an educator-led EdReports review. The organization describes itself as an independent nonprofit.
Good
- Curriculum spans elementary, middle, and high school.
- Released units are available in several file formats.
- Free self-guided learning paths and teacher support library.
- Some units have Google Classroom or Canvas versions.
Watch out
- Registration is required to access free materials.
- Registration is intended for educators or parents, not K–12 students.
- Elementary and high school materials use CC-BY-NC licensing.
- The website does not guarantee continuous availability.
Who it suits
OpenSciEd is suited to educators seeking adaptable science materials across elementary, middle, and high school, along with free professional learning resources. Parents can also register for access; registration is not intended for K–12 students.
Verdict
OpenSciEd pairs adaptable, NGSS-aligned science curriculum with free educator learning and support resources. Review the registration rules and licensing for the grade band you plan to use.
Plans and prices
From OpenSciEd's own pricing page, checked 15 Oct 2026.
| Plan | Price | What it gives you |
|---|---|---|
| OpenSciEd core curriculum | Free | Free online access · downloadable PDFs and Google Drive versions · registration required |
| OpenSciEd curriculum and resources | Free | registration required · educators or parents only · $0 to download |
| Certified distributor packages | Priced on request | Printed books · laboratory kits · online platforms · professional learning |
| Packaged curriculum from certified distributors | Priced on request | books · lab kits · online platforms |
The facts
Each one read from OpenSciEd's own pages, with the date it was checked.
What it does
- Accessibility
- OpenSciEd publishes Accessibility Conformance Reports addressing Section 508 and WCAG 2.2 for elementary, middle and high-school materials.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Adaptability
- Teachers are encouraged to download and customize the fully adaptable lessons for their students’ needs.checked 2 Oct 2026
- Assessment feature
- Assessment is primarily formative and teacher-managed, using written explanations, discussion artifacts and evolving models.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Availability limitation
- OpenSciEd says it cannot guarantee that the website will always be running and disclaims liability for data loss caused by unavailability.checked 2 Oct 2026
- Canvas API
- The Canvas Loader uses Canvas APIs to create native courses, modules, assignments, files, discussions and quizzes; it does not enroll students or retrieve outcomes.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Classroom integrations
- Some units can be downloaded in Google Classroom or Canvas versions.checked 2 Oct 2026
- Commercial-use limit
- Commercial reuse is handled through a separate agreement and may require fees; the June 3, 2026 version adds restrictions on AI training plus human review and disclosure requirements.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Computer-science integration
- Five middle-school units integrate computer science for data collection, modeling and testing.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Corrections process
- OpenSciEd maintains a public corrections page listing post-release inaccuracies and updates by grade, course and unit.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Curriculum access
- Core instructional materials can be downloaded free from the OpenSciEd website, while packaged print, kit and platform versions are sold through certified distributors.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Downloads
- Released units can be downloaded as PDFs or Google Drive files and downloaded as Microsoft Word and PowerPoint files.checked 2 Oct 2026
- Funding supporters
- OpenSciEd identifies Carnegie Corporation, Schusterman, Gates, Walton and Hewlett foundations among supporters of its early development.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Google and Canvas downloads
- Units are available as Google Suite files or PDFs, and a Canvas Loader imports assignments and materials as editable draft posts.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Google Classroom integration
- The Google Classroom Loader creates draft assignments and material posts that teachers can edit, target to sections and share with colleagues.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Grade levels
- The curriculum is offered for elementary, middle, and high school.checked 2 Oct 2026
- High-school courses
- The high-school program includes biology, chemistry and physics courses with Earth and space science content, hands-on investigations and data analysis.checked 15 Oct 2026
- High school offering
- OpenSciEd High School offers three courses addressing the NGSS.checked 2 Oct 2026
- Independent review
- The three OpenSciEd High School courses received all-green ratings from EdReports after an educator-led review process.checked 2 Oct 2026
- Instructional model
- Units use anchoring phenomena, student questions, investigations, model revision and collaborative scientific sensemaking in extended storylines.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Legal and tax identity
- Charity Navigator lists OPENSCIED as a 501(c)(3) organization with EIN 39-2270152.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Licence
- Since October 18, 2023, classroom curriculum and professional-learning materials are generally under Creative Commons BY-NC 4.0, with attribution and a site link required for noncommercial reuse.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Licensing
- Middle school materials use CC BY 4.0, while elementary and high school materials use CC-BY-NC licensing; noncommercial 5R permissions are free and perpetual.checked 2 Oct 2026
The company
- Company status
- LinkedIn lists OpenSciEd as a nonprofit primary and secondary education organization founded in 2018, headquartered in New York City, with 11–50 employees.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Founded
- 2018checked 28 Sep 2026
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