We did a pilot and liked the middle school science curriculum, there is a lot of literacy and the students are constantly involved. Everything is there for you to use. The books are all sequenced with worksheets and activities already for you. We like that everything is more student based. There is no more having students copy notes. The students have to read on their own and complete each activity on their own.
Student work is all different. There are worksheets that go along with the activities, analysis questions to consider after every activity, Evidence and Trade Offs that the students can easily turn into essays - there is also a journal aspect that you can incorporate with every lesson. Issues and Science aligns with NGSS and we have fully implemented the standards.