Amplify Classroom vs OpenSciEd

Amplify Classroom is a web teaching platform for K–12 math, literacy, and science, with more than 1,000 free interactive lessons. Its teacher dashboard shows student responses and thinking in real time. Teachers can pause a lesson or move every student screen forward together, and select and sequence student work for anonymous class discussion. They can copy and edit existing lessons or create new ones with a drag-and-drop builder. Class tools support multiple classes, co-teachers, and roster organization. The free account provides teaching tools and lessons without a district license or subscription. Integrations include Google sign-in, Google Classroom roster imports, and Clever rostering for Amplify customers; Amplify also lists connections with Canvas, ClassLink, D2L, SchoolDay, Safari Montage, and Schoology. The platform is designed to facilitate compliance with student-data privacy laws. Amplify encrypts student data in transit and at rest, and its information-security program uses NIST frameworks and controls. Annual SOC 2 Type 2 examinations cover relevant security controls. Some Amplify Desmos Math and Amplify CKLA content requires a school or district subscription.

OpenSciEd creates free science curriculum materials and professional learning resources for educators, with NGSS alignment across elementary, middle and high school. Its lessons center on scientific phenomena and student questioning, investigation and problem-solving; teachers are encouraged to adapt them. Released units can be downloaded as PDFs, Google Drive files, Word documents or PowerPoint files, and some are available in Google Classroom or Canvas versions. Free self-guided learning paths and an on-demand support library provide videos and resources for unit preparation, classroom routines and anticipating student ideas. Registration is required to access the materials and is intended for educators or parents, not K–12 students. Middle school materials use CC BY 4.0; elementary and high school materials use CC-BY-NC licensing, with noncommercial 5R permissions free and perpetual. OpenSciEd High School offers three NGSS courses. The organization describes itself as an independent nonprofit, and the website is listed for web access.