Original Vision

As can be discerned from the title of this project, it was submitted to NSF under the Teacher Preparation and Enhancement Program (TPE), but the Foundation funded it as the first secondary science LSC. The project followed a quite successful five-year project in which we implemented hands-on science kits (mostly STC and FOSS) in grades K-6 in the Spokane Public Schools and local private schools.

The project was designed to be sustainable in that a new science framework and curriculum was to be put in place that emphasized teaching and learning for understanding. Professional development for teachers was planned to improve their content knowledge and pedagogical skills to support the curriculum. A classroom based assessment system was to be created to assess student understanding of the learning units and serve as a vehicle for continuous improvement of the curriculum and teaching strategies. Development of supportive infrastructure was designed into the project, specifically a cadre of leadership teachers, and the creation of communities of teachers within the individual middle schools and high schools. Ideally, this system would not only sustain itself, but it would have the ability to improve over time.

This project goals involved the creation of a 7th -12th grade science education system in which all students have the opportunity to learn challenging, worthwhile and academically rigorous science subject matter, to develop the ability to conduct scientific inquiry and solve scientific problems, and to successfully communicate their understanding. The specific objectives of the project were divided into instructional objectives and organizational objectives.

The instructional objectives were intended to:

1. establish district level science learning targets in 7th -12th grades that align with state and national content standards for exemplary student performance, and that articulate with the learning goals for the K-6th grade level;
2. establish a district science learning framework that provides a clear vision of the student learning that should be occurring in each grade level, 7th-12th;
3. implement exemplary science instructional materials in 7th -12th grades, including computer-based instructional materials;
4. develop and implement a classroom-based assessment system for all 7th -12th grade units of study that will inform students, parents/guardians and teachers of student progress toward the attainment of the science learning targets;
5. improve the content knowledge of the science teachers, increase their awareness of common, student alternative conceptions of science, and develop instructional strategies to address those conceptions; and
6. increase the ability of science educators to organize effective classroom learning environments and provide instruction that enables students to attain significantly higher levels of achievement.

The organizational objectives were intended to:

1. provide professional development opportunities that enable educators to develop a deep understanding of the complex interplay among learning goals/targets, and the assessment instruments and scoring criteria that demonstrate student success;
2. establish a comprehensive support system in each school and across the district that encourages professional dialogue, collegiality and collaboration, and that strengthens the overall learning community;
3. create a leadership cadre of teachers who will collaborate with the project directors, higher education staff, and the project consultant to plan, organize and conduct project activities that will occur at the school and district levels;
4. establish an organizational structure in the project that allows for continuous input from project stakeholders and permits adjustments in strategies and approaches as formative evaluation information is provided; and
5. create a monitoring system that allows for the periodic measurement of student achievement, performance and attitudes about their science learning experiences.

It was clear early on that there were significant differences between the elementary and secondary level projects. First, the elementary curriculum could be "bought off the shelf," but no coherent curriculum was available for secondary science. Excellent bits and pieces existed, but they had to be molded into usable learning units. While not curriculum development per se, this turned out to be an enormous task. Second, the secondary teachers had better science content knowledge than their elementary school peers, but they tended to rely on more traditional teaching methods. The introduction of "teaching for understanding" techniques conflicted with the many of their basic beliefs about teaching. Even for those who accepted the new vision, the development of the requisite pedagogical skills was an arduous task. Third, the district decided to change from the traditional year-long courses in grades 7-10 to a system in which earth science, life science, chemistry and physics were taught each year. So teachers who had taught only one subject were now expected to teach four, requiring substantial expansion of their science content knowledge.

The project has produced the products envisioned in the proposal. These include 16 units of instruction for grades 7 - 10 along with classroom based assessment instruments. These materials have been used and revised over a four-year period and are essentially complete. The content knowledge of the teachers has improved greatly according to their own reports to the project evaluator. So the central issue for the project is have the individual teachers and the collaborative grade level teams made the fundamental changes envisioned by the "teaching for understanding" approach to teaching and student learning?

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