Tales from the Team (Part 2)

At Contentra, some of the most rewarding projects we work on are the ones that challenge teams to rethink how learning experiences are built and delivered.

Whether that means adapting content for new platforms, restructuring large sets of standards data, or finding ways to preserve strong instructional practices in completely different formats, these are the kinds of projects that push our teams to collaborate closely and solve problems creatively alongside our clients.

In this second installment of Tales from the Team, we’re highlighting two very different projects that reflect the range of work our teams support across STEM curriculum development and academic alignment work.

Transforming Inquiry-Based Science for Digital Learning

This project story is shared by Laura Cunningham, our STEM Editorial Director.

As more schools shifted toward digital and asynchronous learning environments, one client needed to rethink how their science curriculum would function online without losing the inquiry-based approach that made the program successful in the first place.

That challenge became one of Laura’s favorite projects.

One of my most rewarding professional experiences has been transforming an elementary and middle school science curriculum from a traditional, print-based, synchronous format into a fully digital, asynchronous learning experience without sacrificing what made it great in the first place.

The original curriculum was built on inquiry-based learning, and preserving that spirit guided every decision we made throughout the entire process.

From the ground up, we developed a comprehensive scope and sequence, detailed unit-level outlines, original content, and rigorous assessments. Then we brought the curriculum to life with custom animations, animated videos, and interactive widgets built within the content provider’s platform.

It is a curriculum that meets students where they are today: online, on their own schedule, while still asking the kinds of questions that make science exciting.

Building Large-Scale Standards Metadata Systems

This project story is shared by Steven Kaszynski, our Director of Alignment.

Alignment and metadata work often happens behind the scenes, but it plays a major role in helping educational content stay organized, measurable, and usable across increasingly complex digital systems and platforms.

One of Steven’s favorite projects involved exactly that kind of large-scale collaboration.

One of the most memorable projects I worked on involved helping create a comprehensive database of skill statements designed to support large-scale academic metadata development.

This ambitious three-party collaboration focused on rewriting K–12 social studies standards for all 50 states, as well as the Common Core standards for History/Social Studies; the College, Career, and Civic Life (C3) Framework for Social Studies State Standards; and the Partnership for 21st Century Learning skills.

Along with rewriting the standards frameworks, we broke down thousands of complex standards into individual concepts and measurable skills that could be consistently tagged and aligned across platforms and grade levels.

The work required 10 months of writing, strong communication, flexibility, and close collaboration between our alignment staff and the database teams.

Beyond the technical and analytical aspects, the project was especially rewarding because it led to valuable partnerships within the educational publishing industry and helped establish a strong, long-lasting relationship with the primary client that has continued well beyond the project itself.

Looking Ahead

Both projects reflect the kind of work that continues to define how our teams operate at Contentra.

In one case, it was the challenge of transforming a traditional science curriculum into a fully digital, asynchronous experience while preserving the instructional philosophy at the center of the program.

In the other, it was a large-scale standards and metadata effort that required collaboration, consistency, and careful coordination across multiple frameworks and systems.

While the work itself was very different, both projects highlight the same core themes: close collaboration across teams; trust from our clients; and a willingness to adapt, learn, and work through complexity to deliver meaningful outcomes.

These projects are just two examples from a much larger group that reflect the kind of work we are fortunate to do every day—work that requires flexibility, creativity, precision, and strong partnerships.

Check back for more stories like this in the coming weeks as we continue highlighting the people and projects behind the work we do at Contentra.

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