Progressive Science Initiative

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Progressive Science Initiative
Bob Goodman NJ Center for Teaching and
Learning bgoodman33_at_gmail.com
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• Empowering Teachers Leading Change

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The US faces a serious challenge in math and
science education

• US student achievement is considered
  internationally uncompetitive
• The US percentage of the worlds scientists and
  engineers is shrinking
• Two useful reports Rising above the Gathering
  Storm and The Perfect Storm

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A major obstacle is a lack of coherence what is
science?

• The relationship between the subjects (Physics,
  Chemistry, Biology, Earth, Forensic, etc.) is
  unclear
• What content to teach within the subjects is
  unclear
• How we measure progress is unclear

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Conflicting goals for science education

• State Standards
• NAEP Standards
• TIMSS
• Textbook driven curricula
• AP Curricula

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Conflicting process goals

• Science Literacy (basic facts)
• Inquiry
• Mathematical Problem Solving

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Solutions must work for both students and
teachers to be viable

• A successful program must emerge from and support
  teachers while teaching students
• A successful program must result in high student
  achievement and a high level of teacher morale
• A successful program must grow its own great
  teachers, not count on finding them elsewhere

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The Progressive Science Initiative

• Began 10 years ago by the teachers at the school
• Aimed at improving math and science achievement
• Embraced the AP Curricula as setting a clear goal
• The resulting coherence helps teachers as much as
  it helps students

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AP Performance and International Competitiveness
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Teterboro Science InitiativeVertical and
Horizontal Alignment to AP Curricula

• Vertical alignment of both math and science
• Shows the usefulness of learned tools from year
  to year
• Horizontal alignment of math and science
• Shows the usefulness of learned tools between
  math and science
• AP exams used as landmark goals
• Adds value through recognition, self-esteem,
  college credits and better college choices
• Especially for low SES and minority students

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AP Exams by Department (as multiple of NJ Rate
NJ1)
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AP Exams Passed (3) (as multiple of NJ Rate
NJ1)
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AP Science Exams Taken (as multiple of NJ Rate
NJ1)
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AP Science Exams Passed (as multiple of NJ Rate
NJ1)
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Participation in Elective ScienceCourses Taken
Per Senior
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Racial Composition of Site2009
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Free or Reduced Lunch2009
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Math SAT Scores
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Verbal SAT Scores
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Key Design Elements

• Science Sequence Physics - Chemistry - Biology
• AP exams as landmarks
• Provide subject area goals
• Drives vertical curriculum through backwards
  design
• Only AP science content taught in required
  courses
• Vertical and horizontal curriculum alignment

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Defining AP Achievement Participation and
Passing Rates Not the average score on the AP
Exam

• Reduces tracking while promoting vertical and
  horizontal curriculum alignment
• Prior learning scaffolds future learning
• Redundancy is minimized
• More sections of fewer courses

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Encourages Doing the Right Thing

• Increase participation in AP Courses
• Prepare all students for AP courses
• Encourage all students to take AP courses
• Encourage all students to complete the courses
• Require all students to take the exam
• Increase AP Offerings
• Improve practices to raise scores

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Progressive Science Sequence Grades 9 - 12
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Progressive Science Sequence Minimal Version
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Traditional SequenceRigorous Version
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Traditional SequenceMinimal Version
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Ninth Grade PhysicsThe Keystone to Science and
Math Achievement

• The foundation of the science sequence
• The foundation for math achievement
• The equalizer - social constructivist approach
  benefits all students

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Social Constructivist SettingIn the Classroom

• Group Problem Solving
• Time in class mostly devoted to working on
  problems in small or large groups
• Peer teaching
• Different prior math skill leads to peer teaching
• Flat playing field
• prior physics experience of students similar -
  minimal

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Social Constructivist SettingIn the School

• Twice a week - 2 hours of after-school help
  available from teachers, peers and AP Physics
  students
• Ample teacher and peer tutoring available
• Since all students take the same course study
  groups and peer help encouraged

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Assessment

• Weekly formative assessments
• AP format for all major tests
• Half free response
• Half multiple choice
• Questions from prior AP tests or similar
• Bi-weekly labs
• No grades for participation, homework, etc.

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Encourage Success

• Maximize student effort and morale
• Maintain high standard
• Most students do well almost none fail
• Modified AP curve used for most assessments
• Students may retake all assessments (new version)
  - only higher grade counts

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Algebra

• All students must master Algebra I by the end of
  9th grade
• Fundamental to all later math
• Fundamental to much of later science
• Necessary to be literate in math and science
• Algebra weakness is a key reason for
  algebra-based physics not a reason to avoid
  algebra in physics

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Physics Supports Algebra

• Algebra-based All students enrolled in Algebra,
  or completed it in a prior year
• No trigonometry
• Provides a setting to show the usefulness of the
  mental tool of mathematics

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Physics Supports AP Physics B

• All objectives taken from Physics AP B
• About 40 of AP B completed
• Completes 90 of Mechanics and E M
• excludes only the 10 requiring trigonometry
• All students prepared for AP B
• makes 9th Grade Physics very useful
• All students accepted into AP Physics B

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Physics Supports Chemistry

• Fundamental concepts such as
• Energy
• Electrostatic force fundamental to chemistry
• Atomic Quantum Theory
• Problem solving experience
• Experience with units and calculations
• Inquiry Experience

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Chemistry

• Supports AP Chemistry
• All objectives drawn from AP Chemistry
• about half of AP Chemistry completed
• Supports AP Physics B
• all AP B students also in chemistry
• shared objectives taught in chemistry first (gas
  laws, atomic energy levels, etc.)
• Saves time in AP Physics and eliminates
  redundancy
• Supports Biology
• Much of biology based on physics and chemistry

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Biology

• Supports AP Biology
• All objectives drawn from AP Biology
• about half of AP Biology taught in this course
• Supports Anatomy and Physiology
• Supports AP Chemistry
• Reviews chemistry, so AP Chemistry doesnt need
  to

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The Teachers

• All ten current teachers were hired and trained
  during the programs development
• None had previously taught an AP course
• Seven of the ten are currently teaching an AP
  science course
• Zero turnover no teacher has left the school in
  more than 5 years

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Teacher Collaboration

• Weekly meeting of all teachers to develop shared
  materials by consensus
• Unit Plan, assessments, worksheets, labs, etc.
• Major tests given on same dates
• All classes take same tests, etc.
• All content must come from AP B objectives
• Raises teacher and student morale through
  coherence and focus

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Teacher Collaboration

• Common schoolwide assessments structures the
  work of teachers who are new, or new to a course
• Maximize the number of teachers for each course
  rather than minimizing preps more teachers for
  a course increases support and cooperation
• Frequent (at least weekly) meetings between all
  teachers for a course

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Teacher Collaboration

• New teachers given time to take course with
  students before teaching it the next year
• All materials (tests, quizzes, notes, HW
  assignments, etc.) shared between all teachers
• After school tutoring for all students,
  regardless of teacher
• Moving to shared use of Smart materials

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Great teachers a cause and a result of a
successful program

• A coherent program with clear goals and strong
  teacher support attracts both strong teachers and
  strong prospective teachers
• It honors the expertise of experienced teachers
  while supporting new teachers it offers
  continuous professional growth
• Successful recruitment, training, induction and
  retention are the causes and the results of an
  excellent program

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Expanding PSI www.njctl.orgClick on PSI
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Progressive Science Initiative

• Research shows that PSI raises the science
  achievement of average US students to
  international levels
• A solution to raising national student
  achievement is to spread PSI to more schools
  (its not clear there are other solutions)
• That requires more PSI teachers, but PSI provides
  the method to train/certify new science teachers

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Progressive Science Initiative

• Traditional Alternate Route programs seek to
  get current science professionals to become
  teachers. The problem is
• We have a shortage of science professionals
  thats why we need to improve US science
  education
• Its not clear they want to leave their jobs
• Its not clear that they will be good teachers
• We question the assumption that
• Science is hard teaching is easy

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Progressive Science Initiative

• PSI has shown all students can learn science.
• We extend that to all teachers can learn
  science
• We propose to use PSI to teach science to highly
  skilled teachers.
• Our goals is to get the best teachers to become
  science teachers our assumption is
• Teaching is hard science is easy

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PSI Smart Technology

• PSI instructional materials have been
  collaboratively developed using Smart/Senteo
  technology improving educational efficiency
• This has also increased teacher collaboration
  through Smart lesson study approach
• Extending this to a virtual interschool PLC will
  enable scaling up PSI to new schools and teachers

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PSI Provisional Certification

• Teachers will learn the science content, and how
  to teach the science content, in PSI classes
• Teachers will be certified to teach a first level
  PSI course, after completing it successfully
• Teachers will continue taking PSI courses while
  teaching their first PSI course.
• Teachers will be mentored on site and meet twice
  weekly with their cohort to take subsequent PSI
  courses and discuss their field experience

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Full Certification

• After completing a PSI sequence, and the field
  experience, teachers will be able to teach any
  standard course in their content area
• Teachers will need to pass the appropriate Praxis
• Teachers will then be fully certified and will be
  able to teach both PSI and non-PSI courses in
  their content area

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Courses and Certifications
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www.njpsi.org

• All the materials developed to teach PSI courses
  are being posted on this site
• Teachers will be able to access all of them
• Students will be able to access all but
  assessments

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www.njpsi.org

• A discussion board is open to teachers and
  students
• A blog, for teachers only, is being added
• Teachers and students will be able to upload
  their improved versions of materials
• The site is the backbone of a virtual
  Professional Learning Community

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District Requirements

• Adopt the PSI Approach in participating schools
• Course sequence
• Curriculum
• Pedagogy
• Create PSI Classrooms
• Up to date Computer
• Projector
• Smart board
• Smart Response System
• Round Tables
• Large Whiteboard

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District Requirements

• Provide certified teachers (for any subject) who
  are interested in learning and teaching science
• Pay the graduate school tuition for the PSI
  coursework for those teachers
• Teachers receive training and graduate credits at
  no cost, except their time

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Smarts Contribution

• For this first cohort, Smart is donating 45 sets
  of Smart Responders at MSRP that represents
  about 120,000
• Smart has given us preferential pricing we can
  use for any of the schools we work with
• Smart is working towards developing interest in
  other states through their liaison person who
  works with DOEs around the country

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First Physics Teacher Cohort Physics - June 29,
2009

• Summer coursework for teachers has been completed
• 42 Current teachers
• 4 School Districts
• 21 Schools
• Taught by 3 Teterboro faculty in the role of Kean
  University Adjunct Faculty
• Located in two classrooms and one physics lab

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First Physics Teacher Cohort Current
Certifications

• Biology 12
• Mathematics 7
• Physical Science - 5
• Physics 4
• Middle School Science - 4
• Chemistry 3
• Earth Science 2
• Environmental Science - 1
• Accounting - 1

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First Chemistry Teacher Cohort January, 2010

• Physics coursework, to prepare for chemistry,
  begins in January Chemistry courses in June
• Target 46 Current teachers
• Target 4 School Districts
• Target 21 Schools

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Second PSI Physics Teacher Cohort January, 2010

• Physics coursework, along with teachers in the
  first chemistry cohort
• For these teachers, replaces the summer course
• Complete coursework in the Fall along with those
  in the third cohort, who will take the first
  courses in the summer

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First PSI Biology Teacher Cohort August, 2010

• Physics coursework, to prepare for chemistry,
  begins August, 2010
• Chemistry coursework to prepare for biology
  begins in January, 2011
• Target 46 Current teachers
• Target 4 School Districts
• Target 21 Schools

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How we measure student success

• AP exams taken
• AP exams passed
• State tests passed
• SAT II test scores
• Student interest in science and math as seen in
  electives chosen and college majors
• High student and teacher morale

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How we measure teacher success

• The number who complete the initial PSI course
• The number who pass the exit test from that
  course to enter field experience
• The number who become fully certified
• The number who become full time science teachers
• The results of their students

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PSI Partners

• New Jersey Center for Teaching and Learning
• New Jersey Department of Education
• New Jersey Educational Association
• Kean University
• Bergen County Vocational Technical Schools
• Jersey City Public Schools
• Newark Public Schools
• Paterson Public Schools
• Smart Technology, Inc.

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Future PSI Expansion

• Additional schools within current partner
  districts
• Additional school districts in New Jersey
• Additional States

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PSI ExpansionChallenges and Opportunities

• The current web site and materials support
  unlimited expansion
• The need for PSI professors to instruct future
  PSI teachers is a potential limiting factor
• The PSI courses need to both train future PSI
  teachers as well as future PSI professors
• A portion of the teachers currently enrolled in
  PSI courses have the ability to become PSI
  professors
• An incentive for certified science teachers to
  take PSI courses, benefiting the social
  constructivist approach

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Progressive Science Initiative
Bob Goodman NJ Center for Teaching and
Learning bgoodman33_at_gmail.com