The Austin Public Schools District will change the way it meets science standards in the district’s four elementary schools.

Representatives from Southgate, Sumner, Neveln and Banfield elementary schools are writing their own lessons and looking at ways to meet standards without necessarily buying new textbooks.

“In some cases it’s technological; in some places it might be a literacy based solution; it might be experiential; it might be an experiment,” Educational Services Director John Alberts said. “It all depends on what the teachers are feeling is the best way to address that standard.”

Volunteer teachers in first, second, third and fourth grades are creating the curriculum over the summer, with pay, with the goal of using the new curriculum in the 2014-2015 school year. But the new curriculum will be adaptable.

“It has to be something that’s living and working on an ongoing basis,” Alberts said.

Teachers can choose to use textbooks in the new curriculum, but the idea is to find new, up-to-date ways to meet academic standards. Alberts has high hopes for the new curriculum.

“We feel like the product is going to be much more responsive, and be better written because it’s written by our own people,” Alberts said.

Although not having to purchase textbooks will save money, the schools will continue using that money to meet standards, whether it’s for new science equipment or for gaining access to online resources. The process isn’t expected to cost more than previous years.

The schools can only afford to address one curriculum area each year, and they chose to start with science for the upcoming school year.

“I’m feeling like it’s going to turn out well. It’s an experiment in some ways so we’ll see how it goes,” Alberts said. “Ultimately there’ll be some things that we’ll need to adjust, but we have a good feeling that we have the people in place that can do it.”