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Annual Report Overviews
E=MC2 Annual Overview 2001
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District |
1995 Enrollment |
2001 Enrollment |
|
Ewing |
3,450 |
4,050 |
|
Lawrence |
3,541 |
4,082 |
|
West Windsor |
6,564 |
8,000 |
|
Total |
13,555 |
16,082 |
Highlights of the year 2001 include:
Kit level training sessions were organized in each district. The trainings were coordinated so that each session was shared among the three districts as well as other districts outside the project, such as Hillside, Warren and Montgomery Public Schools.
NJ Department of Education invited E=MC2 teachers to provide imput for the revising of the NJ Core Curriculum Content Standards in Science. This was an exclusive invitation.
Continuation of Winter, Fall and Summer Institutes.
-Fall 2000: Part A on Inquiry
-Winter 2001: Part A on Inquiry & Part B on Assessment and Technology
-Summer 2001: Part A on Inquiry & Part B on Assessment and Technology
-Year 2000-2001 Design & Implementation of Summer Institute Part C in
Science Content
-Grades K-2 Life Science
-Grades 3-6 Life Science
-Grades K-2 Physical Science
-Grades 3-6 Physical Science
The development and leadership of both Life Science Institutes was accomplished by the Project Director, Lead Principal Investigator and Lead Teachers. Support and some resources were provided by Dr. Michael Benner, Director of Rider Select. A team of instructors led by content specialists taught each cluster. The other members of the team were scientists and teachers from E=MC2 districts who have been identified as exemplary science educators with a flair for integrating their curriculum with the NJ Core Curriculum Content Standards as well as the National Standards.
The development and leadership of both Physical Science Institutes was accomplished by the Project Director, Lead Principal Investigator and Lead Teachers. Support and guidance were provided by Dr. Carole Stearns, science consultant to the project. A team of instructors led by content specialists taught each cluster. The other members of the team were scientists and teachers form our districts who have been identified as exemplary science educators with a flair for integrating their curriculum with the NJ Core Curriculum Content Standards as well as the National Standards.
85 teachers from the consortium, teachers from other public and independent schools, and preservice students from Rider University attended the Institute on Inquiry for the year 2001. 558 participants have attended the Institute on Inquiry since the inception of the grant.
76 teachers from the consortium and preservice students from Rider University attended the Institute on Assessment and Technology for the year 2001. 427 participants have attended the Institute on Assessment and Technology since the inception of the grant.
60 teachers from the consortium have attended the Institute in Content. 60 participants have attended the Institute on Content since the inception of the grant.
The continuation of grade level study groups on assessment, each led by Rosalea Courtney, the Lead evaluator of E=MC2. This has led to the routine integration of formative assessment into science lessons.
Collaboration with Rider Select, a Rider University program, has resulted in a program that merges inservice and preservice programs. Undergraduate and continuing education teachers receive training through the same program in Inquiry-Based Science, Assessment and Technology.
CURR 600 Independent Study and Reserch in Curriculum, Instruction, and Supervision: Inquiry-Based Teaching and Learning Inquiry-Based Teaching and Learning is a special independent study course offering for K-8 teachers in which participants explore the planning, implementation, and assessment of standards-based, inquiry-centered science teaching and learning through participation in NSF-supported district inservice programming coordinated by the districts of Ewing, Lawrence, and West Windsor-Plainsboro.
Teachers from the E=MC2 program are able to obtain 3 graduate credits for attending the Institutes on Inquiry, Assessment and Technology from Rider University. Teachers must participate and submit a 10 page paper on a description of how they intend to incorporate what they have learned into their own classrooms. Plans should include a detailed description of present challenges, an implementation plan, and an example of a specific lesson plan.
An E=MC2 presentation at the 2001 NJEA Annual Convention in Atlantic City, New Jersey, led by Lead Teachers along with the Project Director, Sona E. Polakowski, Rosalea Courtney, Educational Testing Services and Ed Nartowitz, Lead PI and Science Supervisor, Lawrence Township Public Schools. The topic was 'Assessing Science Outcomes' and 'Questions, Questions, Questions.' Over 160 teachers attended both workshops.
Presentation at the New Jersey School Boards Association in Atlantic City on Community Collaboration by the Edward Nartowitz, Lead PI, Sona E. Polakowski, Project Director and Dr. Michael Benner, Director of Rider Select.
A paper and presentation was presented at the AAAS, in San Francisco, California by David Reibstein, Director of Outreach, Princeton Materials Institute and Sona E. Polakowski, Project Director on Extension Activities and Content Training for Teachers.
Ewing Hands-On Science Night
-Had over 250 parents and students engaged in science activities
related to the science curriculum. Due to the success of the evening
this will be repeated next year.
Middle School Science Teacher Celebration and Learning Event sponsored by E=MC2 and Bristol-Myers Squibb was attended by nine school districts, corporate leaders and government officials. Over 150 people attended. Sally Goetz Schuler, Director of the NSRC was the keynote speaker. Participants were able to participate in a jigsaw and see exemplary curriculum.
E=MC2 has set the tone for the region by leading a regional reform initiated through programs to gain enthusiastic support of teachers, administrators, school boards, the corporate community, and parents.
Findings:
FINDINGS/RESULTS
The following findings/results can be reported as of this date:
Training and Development:
TRAINING
All teachers from the project are provided with three types of professional development experiences: kit-specific training, content training, and training in the pedagogy of science inquiry.
Kit-specific training is provided to all teachers who are newly hired or who are new to their grade level. It is also provided to all grade level teachers upon adopting a new kit. This training usually consists of a daylong workshop in which teachers are provided with experiences with each activity in the kit. These workshops also provide content background as well as some training in assessment. It is the goal of these workshops to make all teachers comfortable with implementing the kit. These workshops are most often presented by lead teachers or by scientists involved with the project. Ewing, Lawrence and West Windsor-Plainsboro school districts have shared resources to provide shared training for teachers in the E=MC2 districts as well as other districts outside the project such as the Hillside, Warren, and Montgomery Township Public Schools.
Content training designed to support targeted instructional modules is provided on a regular basis to all teachers. It is usually provided either by one of the scientists involved with the project or by a science specialist from one of the districts. Content sessions are either half-day or full day and often tie together major ideas from several kits. Each district involved in the consortium has shared and taken responsibility for providing resources for the training.
In addition, a content oriented summer institute called Part C was introduced in July, 2001. This institute was developed with help from a $510,000 grant from the US Department of Education and was organized into four separate strands: a K-2 life science strand, a K-2 physical science strand, a Grade 3-6 Life Science Strand, and a Grade 3-6 Physical Science strand. It was designed and implemented by a team consisting of the Project Director, the Lead PI, and the Lead teachers. Guidance for the development life science strands was provided by Dr. Michael Benner, Professor of Biology from Rider University, and guidance for the development of the physical science strands was provided by Dr. Carole Stearns, formerly of the Merck Corporation. Each strand was presented by a team consisting of a K-6 lead teacher, a science specialist from middle school or high school, and a scientist. Over a year was spent in the development of this institute.
The QUEST summer program also provides content training. This program is implemented by the Teacher Preparation Program at Princeton University and provides two-week sessions in each of three content strands every summer. These content strands are life science, physical science, and earth science. QUEST is a selective program that accepts approximately 5 teachers from grades 3-6 from each district. Its existence, therefore, is compatible with the Part C Institute described above because Part C serves the needs of every teacher and includes teachers in grades K-2. QUEST is used by this project as preparation for lead teachers.
Additional content training is provided by the Princeton Materials Institute together with E=MC2. This training consists of eight two-hour sessions provided by scientists from the Materials Institute and lead teachers from the project.
Training in the pedagogy of inquiry is provided by the 30 hour E=MC2 Part A Institutes which were offered in the summer, fall, and winter of 2001. During these institutes, teachers rotate around the following instructional modules: Communications Connection, in which participants explore methods of communicating in science; Caution, Knowledge Under Construction, in which participants explore student misconceptions; Stepping Up To Standards, in which participants explore the alignment of the kits with state and national standards; Rubrics; Assessing Science Outcomes, in which teachers explore a variety of assessment tools; Inquiry-based Science; The Guide On The Side, in which teachers explore strategies for implementing the inquiry approach; Knowing Yourself As A Learner, in which teachers explore the ways in which the inquiry approach is affected by different learning styles; and The Nature Of Science: Questions, Questions, Questions. In addition, three new modules for Fall 2001 are Sara's Corner, which provides recommended books and materials to supplement the science curriculum; Integrating Inquiry, which demonstrates practical strategies for integrating an inquiry approach with language arts and mathematics; and Microsoft Power Point, in which teachers develop their Power Point presentations for science to be used at Back-To-School Night with parents.
In addition to the Part A Institutes, a Part B Institute on technology and assessment continued to be implemented in the winter and summer of 2001.
This past summer, 60 K-6 teachers received content training in the first annual Part C Summer Institute. In addition 73 K-8 teachers received inquiry training in the Winter, Summer, and Fall 2001 Part A Institutes, and 76 K-8 teachers received technology and assessment training in the Winter and Summer 2001 Part B Institutes. Since the inception of the E=MC2 Project in 1996, 527 teachers have been trained in the Part A Institute and 437 teachers have been trained in Part B.
Rider SELECT, an initiative between E=MC2 and Rider University in which the education of pre-service students at Rider has been combined with the inservice efforts of E=MC2, has continued in 2001. Rider undergraduates continued to join with teachers from our three districts in attending the 2001 Winter Institute on Inquiry Science. In addition, a graduate course in assessment was implemented at Rider for both Rider students and teachers from the project. It was taught by the lead evaluator (expert) of E=MC2, a lead teacher (practioner) from E=MC2, and a Rider biology professor (scientist). This initiative was developed and proposed by E=MC2. After completing the course, graduates plan to develop a book of K-6 performance assessments funded by the E=MC2 project.
The development of our teaching staff has been further enhanced by the formation of study groups at the Princeton Materials Institute. These groups are organized around kits common to all three districts of the project and include volunteer teachers and a volunteer scientist. The groups plan kit enhancements and organize workshops to support teachers implementing the kits.
Outreach Activities:
Dr. Bruce McGraw, Assistant Superintendent, Edward Nartowitz, Principal Investigator of E=MC2 and Sona E. Polakowski, Project Director continue to serve as fellows for the National Science Resource Center's Elementary and Middle School Science Leadership Institute. All three presented with Nationally recognized leaders who helped prepare school districts in implementing hands-on science, inquiry-centered science programs and to bring about systemic reform of science education for all children. This 3rd Regional Institute was attended by 15 school districts leadership teams from New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania and Sweden. The Leadership and Science Education Reform was hosted by Bristol-Myers Squibb Company in Princeton.
Project Director Sona Polakowski, Lawrence Assistant Superintendent Dr Bruce McGraw, and Ewing Superintendent Timothy Wade, presented before the Education Committees of the State Senate and Assembly. The presentation was well received. A bill sponsored by both chairs of the Education Committee has been introduced for Middle School reform and outreach due to the success of the grant.
The lead PI, project director, project evaluator and lead teachers presented 'Assessing Science Outcomes' at the National Science Teacher Association(NSTA)annual convention in Orlando. Over 150 participants attended the workshop.
E=MC2 presented an Interactive Poster Session at the New Jersey Education Association. Lead teachers showed samples of student's work generated through assessments of hands-on science units used in K-6.
Sona Polakowski,E=MC2 Project Director and Carlo Parravano, Executive Director, Merck Institute for Science Education were both highlighted as two successful Local Systemic Change initiatives involving inquiry based science education in school districts and their collaboration with non profit organizations, the business community, institutions of higher education and professional societies at the New State Systemic Initiative Statewide Conference, Princeton, NJ. They both presented to a capacity filled room entitled, Implementing Local Systemic Change in New Jersey.
CoTRAINING
All teachers from the project are provided with three types of professional development experiences: kit-specific training, content training, and training in the pedagogy of science inquiry.
Kit-specific training is provided to all teachers who are newly hired or who are new to their grade level. It is also provided to all grade level teachers upon adopting a new kit. This training usually consists of a daylong workshop in which teachers are provided with experiences with each activity in the kit. These workshops also provide content background as well as some training in assessment. It is the goal of these workshops to make all teachers comfortable with implementing the kit. These workshops are most often presented by lead teachers or by scientists involved with the project.
Content training is provided periodically to all teachers and is geared to the kits that they are working with. It is usually provided either by one of the scientists involved with the project or by a science specialist from one of the districts. Content sessions are either half-day or full day and often tie together major ideas from several kits.
The QUEST summer program also provides content training. This program is implemented by the Teacher Preparation Program at Princeton University and provides two-week sessions in each of three content strands every summer. These content strands are life science, physical science, and earth science.
Additional content training is provided by the Princeton Materials Institute together with E=MC2. This training consists of two-hour sessions provided by scientists from the Materials Institute and lead teachers from the project.
Training in the pedagogy of inquiry is provided by the 30 hour E=MC2 institutes which are offered in the summer, fall, and winter. During these institutes, teachers rotate around the following instructional modules: Communications Connection, in which participants explore methods of communicating in science; Caution, Knowledge Under Construction, in which participant explore student misconceptions; Stepping Up To Standards, in which participants explore the alignment of the kits with state and national standards; Rubrics; Assessing Science Outcomes, in which teachers explore a variety of assessment tools; Inquiry-based Science; The Guide On The Side, in which teacher explore strategies for implementing the inquiry approach; Knowing Yourself As A Learner, in which teachers explore the ways in which the inquiry approach is affected by different learning styles; and The Nature Of Science: Questions, Questions, Questions.
An important initiative has begun this year between E=MC2 and Rider University in which the education of pre-service students at Rider has been combined with the inservice efforts of E=MC2. Rider undergraduates joined with teachers from our three districts in attending the E=MC2 Fall Institute on Inquiry Science. To this end, a graduate course in assessment has been established at Rider that enrolls both Rider students and teachers from the project. It is taught by the lead evaluator (expert) of E=MC2, a lead teacher (practioner) from E=MC2, and a Rider biology professor (scientist). This initiative was developed and proposed by E=MC2.
The development of our teaching staff has been further enhanced by the formation of study groups at the Princeton Materials Institute. These groups are organized around kits common to all three districts of the project and include volunteer teachers and a volunteer scientist. The groups plan kit enhancements and organize workshops to support teachers implementing the kits.
Co-PI's Gary Reece, West Windsor-Plainsboro, Dr. Linda A. Walker, Ewing and Edward Nartowitz, Lawrence continue to provide outreach and resources for the scientific and corporate community who are interested in science reform.
