ERIC Number: ED518449
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2008-Oct
Pages: 90
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Science: It's Elementary. Year Two Evaluation Report
Banilower, Eric R.; Fulp, Sherri L.; Warren, Camille L.
Horizon Research, Inc. (NJ1)
This report summarizes the activities and findings of the external evaluation of the "Science: It's Elementary" (SIE) program in the period June 2007 through May 2008. The SIE program is managed by ASSET Inc. and overseen by the Pennsylvania Department of Education. SIE is an initiative aimed at improving elementary science instruction across the commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The program is focused on helping schools and districts implement an inquiry-based, hands-on science education program, with the ultimate goal of improving student learning. To accomplish its goals, SIE provides participating schools with module-based science instructional materials; teacher professional development around specific modules and inquiry-based science teaching more generally; and opportunities for strategic planning to help create supportive systems for science education reform. After a brief description of the SIE program and the evaluation plan, this report describes the status of the teachers, schools, and districts participating in SIE; the nature and quality of the services provided by the program; and preliminary evidence of the program's impact on teachers, their teaching, and their students. The report concludes with a summary of major achievements and presents a list of recommendations for the program. Appendices include: (1) District Curriculum Alignment Questionnaire and Summary of Data; (2) Selected Cohort 2 Teacher Curriculum Survey Results; and (3) Composite Definitions. (Contains 15 figures, 20 tables and 21 footnotes.) [For "Year One Evaluation Report," see ED518457.]
Descriptors: Program Descriptions, Cohort Analysis, Elementary School Science, Strategic Planning, Hands on Science, Program Effectiveness, Instructional Materials, Educational Change, Science Instruction, Science Education, Inservice Teacher Education, Curriculum Implementation, Program Evaluation, Guidelines, Standards, Alignment (Education), Questionnaires, Teacher Surveys, Observation, Interviews, Pretests Posttests, Experimental Groups, Control Groups, Comparative Analysis, Teacher Attitudes, Science Achievement, State Programs, Educational Policy, Instructional Improvement
Horizon Research, Inc. 326 Cloister Court, Chapel Hill, NC 27514. Tel: 919-489-1725; Fax: 919-493-7589; e-mail: hri@horizon-research.com; Web site: http://www.horizon-research.com
Publication Type: Reports - Research; Tests/Questionnaires
Education Level: Adult Education; Elementary Education; Elementary Secondary Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: Horizon Research, Inc.
Identifiers - Location: Pennsylvania
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A