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Principals get look at innovative science program

Live creatures will soon be creeping into local classrooms as the result of a plan to phase in an innovative science program in the Imperial Valley.

The inquiry-based science program, called Valle Imperial Project in Science, or VIPS, will be expanded within the next four years to local schools courtesy of a $3.3 million grant awarded to the El Centro (elementary) School District. The district piloted the program at three of its schools in 1995.

Several principals received an overview of the program at an orientation Wednesday led by El Centro district officials.

Sarah Quinn, VIPS director, said teacher training will begin this summer, with about 25 percent of schools in the country participating.

"Our goal is to build within teachers the capacity for inquiry-based teaching," Quinn said. "Teachers will learn how the science units can be integrated into other courses, like math, and will learn the materials management."

VIPS teaches children in kindergarten through sixth grade science using kits stressing a more hands-on approach. These units emphasize exploration, experimentation, data collection and recording. Students keep a science notebook in which they write or draw their observations about experiments done in class.

"The curriculum we use is based on national science standards. The students will be able to manipulate data and variables. In the life science unit, for example, they will study live crayfish, silkworms and take care of butterflies," Quinn said.

The district will supply participating teachers with materials needed to teach the units.

"We give them the materials and provide them with weekly resource teacher visits for support," she said.

The issue of accountability was addressed during the orientation.

El Centro (elementary) District Superintendent Michael Klentschy said the program is designed to give educators immediate feedback on students' progress.

"Hands-on science teaching and performance assessment go hand-in-hand," Klentschy said.

He talked about using "embedded assessmeet" in both English and Spanish to monitor the students.

"These are assessments given before the end-of-unit assessment. We want our students to be able to demonstrate to us their knowledge about a unit before they move on to the next," he said.

David Groesbeck, principal at Kennedy Gardens Elementary School in Calexico, is excited about participating in the program.

"I'm going to make an appeal so we are included in the first year of implementation. I think science is an area that needs additional attention because some of our teachers lack the confidence to teach it," Groesbeck said.

Mark St. John, president of Inverness Research, presented the educators with suggestions on how to create an effective countywide science program. Representatives from the Northern California-based company will visit participating schools periodically to evaluate their science programs.

"The best driving force in setting up a program is if you feel you are not satisfied with the current science program. Ground rules must also be in place, with teachers agreeing to participate and principals agreeing to get rid of barriers and providing their teachers with support," St. John said.