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posted by:
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John Collette
on May 19, 2003
at 12:16PM
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subject:
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The legacies of the LSC's
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Mark S. John has done an exceptional job is outlining a series of
legacies as different measures of the impact and sustainability of the
LSC. Given these measures, and observing the legacies from the Delaware
Science LSC, I must take exception to his statement that it is
virtually impossible to sustain an LSC, if we broaden the definition of
sustainability to reflect the legacies.
I want to add to his discussion with some examples from our LSC.
Curriculum- curriculum implementation can be a legacy rather than a
product that gets replaced every 5 to 7years. We look at our K-8
science curriculum as work in progress that must be continually
upgraded and renewed as we learn more from teacher experience and from
teachers analyzing actual student work from our assessments to
determine what is working or not working in the classroom. We know for
example that our State Science Standards currently have too much
material for teachers or students to cover effectively in grades 4 and
5. As this impacts all grades, we will be re-examining our K-12
standards later this year to correct that and other problems that have
been found. We know that additional improvements will occur as we
identify new kits that better match our needs and also learn how to
incorporate more technology into the curriculum in a way that improves
student learning.
The professional development model established and promoted by the LSC
has not only become embedded for science, but also has been recommended
as a model for all disciplines by the Dept of Education and by the
State Board of Education. It also had a significant influence on the
new state teacher licensure regulations that were adopted earlier this
year.
Another legacy of the LSC we believe will last is the emphasis we have
placed on using assessments to better understand what students are
learning. We now have teacher developed end-of-unit science assessments
for almost every unit in our curriculum available through our website
(www.scienceassessment.org) that teachers can use with their students.
The process of developing these and their use by teachers has helped
many recognize what they need to change in their teaching and has
significantly increased the impact of the professional development
program.
An important legacy is the centralized Science Resource Center that
serves schools throughout the state and is jointly supported by the
state and the schools. This is a very concrete (no pun intended)
example of a legacy that districts and teachers have come to depend on.
It also represents a very significant change in the behavior of
district leadership from pre-LSC days. By endorsing a common science
curriculum, the superintendents have recognized the value they are
getting from teachers and administrators collaborating on the common
problem of improving student learning.
One legacy that is more important to us than any other is the commitment
by districts to provide professional development to all teachers and in
particular to all new teachers to counter the high levels of teacher
turnover that are inherent in the system. (see Joe Merlino poster).
Even with all the current efforts to strengthen teacher education at
our colleges, we must assume that for the foreseeable future most newly
hired elementary teachers will not have the science background
necessary to teach up to the National Science Standards. At a rate of
20% teacher turnover, a school or district will lose 50% of its science
teaching capacity in three years without a plan to train all new
teachers.
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