This page last modified January 8, 2001 (tca)
Event-Based Science is recommended as a Promising science program.
Program Description. Event-Based Science (EBS) is a supplemental program for students in grades 6-8. It offers an innovative, modular approach to middle school science education, using videotaped television news coverage of real events (e.g., Oil Spill, Hurricane, Outbreak, First Flight) to establish relevance and context. From the event flows a problem, the solution to which requires students to learn relevant science concepts. Engaging interviews, lively narrative, and team involvement lead students to want to know more. Juxtaposition of hands-on science activities with newspaper articles, interviews, and science exposition creates a rich student resource package. Although EBS can be used to fashion a comprehensive science program, most school districts use two or three units per year. World Wide Web support for EBS modules includes links to sites with specialized information and data, as well as to internal pages designed to provide teachers with ongoing help in implementing the program.
Professional Development Resources and Program Costs. There is a network of certified EBS trainers, whose work is supported by Dale Seymour Publications through a cooperative agreement with the Event-Based Science Institute, Inc. The Institute provides free workshops to schools and school districts that purchase as few as 35 class sets of EBS, with the actual minimum purchase required depending on travel costs.
The costs of EBS books are $9.95 for the student edition, $24.50 for the teacher's guide with video, and $145 for a set of 15 student editions, a teacher's guide, and a video (plus 10% shipping and handling). The program keeps additional costs at a minimum by using materials and equipment that are readily available in a typical middle school.
Program Quality. Reviewers found the program's learning goals to be challenging, appropriate, and clearly stated in the teacher and student editions. EBS modules contain appropriate content and provide students with other types of skills that contribute to life-long learning, such as responsibility, organization, cooperation, and communication skills. The modules are designed to promote student understanding of and development of scientific inquiry. For example, students create their own questions and experiments; collect, analyze and interpret data; draw conclusions and present information to an audience; and reflect and correct areas in need of more development. The real-world content and instructional design as presented through multiple opportunities, consistent with national science standards, enhances and promotes learning of the identified concepts in an active and engaging environment. The modules grab students' interest, elicit their ideas, and provide the context for learning opportunities that are ultimately demonstrated through a highly engaging performance task. The social constructivist pedagogy used for the group work and the authentic performance assessments are strengths of the program.
Usefulness to Others. EBS is easily adapted to all educational settings, and the modular design fits easily into existing curricular structures. Reviewers noted that the teacher's guide and web site provide support to teachers to help them develop the program, assess student learning, and modify lessons for all learners. Implementing sites require a web browser with access to the Internet. The program is culturally diverse, and it allows all students to see the variety of people who study science and understand how science affects their lives.
Educational Significance. Reviewers concluded that EBS provides a combination of strong and relevant content, good pedagogy, and appropriate assessment that clearly matches the vision promoted in the national standards. By engaging students in inquiry and real-life tasks, students view science as important and fulfilling. The program is designed to improve learning for a wide spectrum of students and to help teachers motivate students by presenting them with various ways of accomplishing the same goals. All students have the opportunity to learn and feel successful with this program.
Program Effectiveness and Success. Reviewers found that the program presented evidence of statistically significant gains in student understanding of earth science concepts for EBS students in grades 6-8. Evaluation studies were conducted during the cohort years 1992-93, 1993-94, and 1994-95. The six test sites were diverse, and the 20 treatment and 20 control classrooms (with approximately 400 students in each group) covered the same earth science content. Treatment students received three EBS units, and control students received their traditional earth science curriculum. Statistical comparisons between treatment and control students were conducted using pre-program measures, including an eight-item multiple choice general science test, a 38-item science attitude survey, and science grades to assess the comparability of the groups.
Statistical analyses of treatment and control students' performance on a 35-item multiple-choice, earth science post-test covering content from two of the three EBS earth science units that were taught yielded statistically significant treatment effects for EBS students. Post-test item selection and development were based on standardized tests, textbooks used by control classes, and information from EBS unit developers.
Statistically significant treatment effects were demonstrated using chi-square analyses of the data collected from a 45-item, post-test science attitude survey administered to 420 treatment and 390 control students in earth science classes at the end of the school year. The program also claimed statistically significant treatment effects using a multivariate analysis of covariance on data from three scientific skill application tasks (i.e., group procedure, data table, and write-up) of a performance assessment measure administered to more than 100 treatment and 100 control students at two sites.
For Further Information Contact:
Russell G. Wright
Montgomery County Public Schools
850 Hungerford Drive
Rockville, MD 20850
Telephone: (800) 327-7252
Fax: (301) 279-3153
E-mail: russ_wright@fc.mcps.k12.md.us
Web site: http://www.mcps.k12.md.us/departments/eventscience
Dale Seymour Publications
299 Jefferson Road
Parsippany, NJ 07054
Telephone: (800) 872-1100
Web Site: http://www.pearsonlearning.com
This page last modified January 8, 2001 (tca)