Reaching for Excellence in Middle and High School Science Teaching Partnership Cooperative Partners...

Reaching for Excellence in Middle and High School Science Teaching Partnership

Cooperative Partners

Tennessee Department of EducationCollege of Arts and Sciences

Center of Excellence in Math and Science EducationLocal Education Agencies

Dr. Jack Rhoton

East Tennessee State University MSP Project

Region Served

Reaching for Excellence in Middle and High School

Science Partnership Project Goals

• Provide project participants opportunities to learn advanced science content and standards-based instructional strategies

• Increase student achievement in middle and high school science

• Increase the number of middle and high school science teachers participating in content-based professional development


Impact ofCurrent MSP Projects

• Trained 107 teachers of 5-12 science• Directly impacted approximately 6,000

students• Involved over 37 partner schools in the 16 school

districts in the UETEC• Gains in teacher content knowledge• Gains in student achievement • ETSU Arts & Sciences faculty visiting schools

on a regular basics


Engagement of Arts & Sciences and College of Education Faculty• During the past four years, 9 faculty have been

recognized for MSP work.• Seven Arts & Sciences faculty have participated

each year• Five of the faculty in 2006-2007 have engaged in

MSP academic year follow-up work for more than 100 hours each.

• Two have engaged in 90 hours each during

the past year.


Student Achievement

Elements of Professional Development and Teacher Needs Assessment

Instructional Teams Project Director

Teacher Knowledge Gain

Summer Leadership Institutes

Project Management

Team

Sustained Academic Year

Follow-up

Teacher Input

East Tennessee State University MSP Logic Model

Reaching for Excellence in Middle & High School Science Partnership

Project Management Team (Meets four times a year)• Central Office Curriculum Directors (with decision making authority)• Middle School & High School Principals• Six University Science Professors (biology, chemistry, physics)• Middle School & High School Teachers• Graduate Assistants (working with low achieving students)• External Evaluator• Project Director


East Tennessee State UniversityElements of effective professional development for science teachers

Cited by various sources ETSU Framework and Model

Focus on content knowledge, pedagogy and leadership

Science institutes for content, pedagogy and leadership

Links to high standards State and national standards

Opportunities for teachers to be engaged in leadership roles

Teachers as mentors

Bringing together various stakeholders

Project management team

School-based and job embedded

School-site professional development

Use of data to inform professional development decisions

Analysis of student classroom data

Monitoring and assessing Assessment each year

Summer Science Leadership Institute

The ETSU model makes available summer science leadership institutes for middle and high school science teacher participants. The institutes run for 12 days each summer and are taught by ETSU science faculty and science educators. Institutes focus on both science content (inquiry in science) and inquiry in teaching and learning. Participants engage in a variety of science investigations in the areas of biology, chemistry, physics, with topics for investigation driven by the participants, student data, and local and state science standards.


School-Based and Job Embedded

When university faculty make their monthly school site visits during the academic year they gather information from teachers and principles and provide support to participants as they implement the professional development model. During the visits, model lessons are presented. Visits, however, do not provide the continuous networking inherent in the professional development model. The project model gives participants an opportunity to develop a networking force for improving middle and high school science teaching and learning in the participants’ schools.


Do We Have Any Results?

Analysis of data from our current Math Science Partnership program shows 5-12 science students proficiency rising in conjunction with new educational approaches.


Summer Workshop Pretest and Post-test Results

Teacher Achievement

0.0%

20.0%

40.0%

60.0%

80.0%

100.0%

1 2

Pretest Post-test

Item

s P

erc

en

t Co

rre

ct

Summer Workshop Pretest and Post-test Results


Treatment and Control Teacher Knowledge


Pre Post Performance by Grade Level

46

49

52

55

58

61

64

1 2

PrePost

Est

imat

ed M

argi

nal M

eans

Grade 5

Grade 6

Grade 7

Grade 8


Middle School Level

Science Proficiency by Grade

0.0%

20.0%

40.0%

60.0%

80.0%

100.0%

5 6 7 8

Grade Level

Per

cent

Pro

ficie

nt o

r A

dvan

ced

Pretest

Postest


High School Post-test Biology Gateway Exam

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

Not Proficient Proficient Advanced

Post Proficiency of High School Biology Students

Co

un

t

28.6%

71.4%

2%


What Else are We Learning?• Limitation in region’s human capacity to engage in

reforming K-12 mathematics & science• Essential role of ETSU in reforming K-12 mathematics

& science education• Important linkage between preservice education and

an array of alignment concerns across P-16• Major gaps in the array of tools & instruments for

doing the necessary work & assessment of

effectiveness


Challenges, Opportunities & Implications

• Gain Public Support• Develop & train high-quality mathematics &

science teaching work force• Provide students appropriate opportunities to

learn• Prepare guidance counselors to provide

quality career guidance


DisclaimerThe instructional practices and assessments

discussed or shown in these presentations are not intended as an endorsement by the U.S.

Department of Education".

Reaching for Excellence in Middle and High School Science Teaching Partnership Cooperative Partners...

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