Original Vision

ASSET is a five-year science reform project for all of the K-8 faculty, administrators, and their students in Buchanan, Dickenson, Russell and Tazewell counties in southwest Virginia. Our hopes are, during the five year funding period, to replace the existing didactic elementary science curriculum with an innovative, hands-on/minds-on, inquiry base science curriculum, provide professional development for K-8 teachers essential to successful inquiry teaching and learning, and develop a framework of support to sustain the reform. The goals and objectives are to have all the elementary school faculty become competent in selected FOSS, STC, and Insights elementary science curriculum materials that encourage the development of problem-solving skills and knowledge that are consistent with Virginia and national science standards of learning; have all the elementary school faculty improve their science instruction; to establish a Materials Resource Center, to establish a professional development program, and to develop an exemplary group of lead teachers to sustain the reform. The professional development of elementary faculty focuses upon learning science content and processes through inquiry-based teaching, use of cooperative learning strategies, questioning strategies, and appropriate methods of assessment. Fall and spring annual follow-up sessions are being conducted for all K-8 faculties throughout the five project years. During these sessions:

• module training is enhanced
• elementary faculty are provided the opportunity to share ideas for improvement
• teaching strategies, inquiry learning, methods of alternative assessment and questioning techniques are continued to be developed
• their understanding is deepened in areas of science in which their curriculum does not cover the Standards of Learning
• teachers are encouraged to improve pedagogy and to emphasize the need for self-reflection and self-evaluation