This page last modified January 8, 2001 (tca)
National Science Curriculum for High Ability Learners Project is recommended as a Promising science program.
Program Description. The National Science Curriculum for High Ability Learners Project is a supplemental program that has been implemented across grades 2-8 and, in several school districts, with a broad group of students within the average to gifted range of ability. The curriculum units employ problem-based learning as the catalyst and integrative agent for engaging students in the study of (a) the concept of systems, (b) specific science content, and (c) the scientific research process. These three foci constitute the overarching goals. Students learn the elements, boundaries, inputs, and outputs as well as interactions of selected systems, and how science systems interact with real world social, political, and economic systems. Students engage in a scientific research process that leads them to create their own experiments and design their own solutions to each unit's central problem. The units encourage in-depth study, and content areas cover a breadth of scientific subject matter drawn from the physical, life, and earth sciences. Each unit constitutes approximately 30 hours of instruction, with students typically receiving two units within an academic year. Major components of the program include a curriculum framework that contains goals and learning outcomes linked to individual lesson plans; embedded and post assessments that focus on science content, concept, and process learning; 25 lesson plans that address these goals and outcomes with relatively equal emphasis on each of the goals; and a real world problem that serves as the catalyst for subsequent learning in the unit.
Professional Development Resources and Program Costs. The program offers a full menu of training workshops and institutes of varying duration and maintains a national network of school districts actively using the science materials at multiple grade levels. The training model is integrative, problem-based, and hands-on. Each training module provides three segments: (a) introduction of the strategy to be employed with appropriate theoretical framing, (b) participant practice in the strategy in dyads or small groups, and (c) whole group debriefing of the strategy and its use in the units. A teacher's guide provides readings and illustrations of curriculum and instructional approaches central to implementing the units. Each unit contains teacher material, such as lesson plans with notes to the teacher and a special section devoted to instructional issues.
Implementation cost is approximately $3000. The cost estimate for a two-day, on-site training for five teachers (N=35) from grades 2-8 is $8885, which covers the training consultant, teacher release time, materials, and supplies. The cost estimate for a classroom of 20 students is $254 per teacher or $12.70 per student.
Program Quality. Reviewers found that the program is challenging and does an excellent job of presenting inquiry as a process used by scientists and modeled by students to learn new information rather than to verify something already known. The effort the program makes to provide students with a genuine connectedness to their learning and opportunities to reflect on their learning is commendable. The problem-solving format and metacognitive strategies contribute to student success. The program promotes thinking through frequent discussions, allowing students the opportunity to revise and restructure their ideas. It centers on the interests of students, places the teacher in a supporting role, and uses authentic assessment.
The instructional design integrates both process and content in a format that is appropriate, engaging, and motivating. Reviewers noted that the program has particular strength in unifying concepts and rigorous inquiry. The unit assessments are consistently designed to measure student achievement in both process and content and relate directly to real world problems. Students have multiple opportunities and ways to demonstrate proficiency and understanding.
Usefulness to Others. Reviewers concluded that the program's organizational structure and comprehensive training program lead to successful implementation in multiple educational settings. Implementation cost is reasonable, and the program does not require special room settings or equipment. The teacher's guide and other support materials are comprehensive.
Educational Significance. Reviewers indicated that the program has the potential to affect the way science is delivered in both self-contained or pull-out gifted programs and regular classrooms because of its alignment with national science education standards. This program serves as an excellent model of an instructional program that has gone beyond alignment and demonstrates the successful integration of teaching, assessment, and content standards. The program's focus on unifying concepts and processes, important science content, and scientific inquiry serves as an exceptional model for program developers as they make the transition to reform-driven curricula and for teachers as they look for guidance in meeting rigorous state and national science standards.
Program Effectiveness and Success. Reviewers reported that the National Science Curriculum Project has evidence showing that students gain an understanding of how to design experiments. Students demonstrated statistically significant gains in science learning in four curriculum units. Reviewers found that the evaluation design was well conceived, data analysis was appropriate, and the sample sizes were adequate. They noted that the instrument, Fowler Diet Cola Test, had high reliability and content validity and was appropriate for measuring student ability to apply the scientific method and demonstrate scientific reasoning skills through the open-ended opportunity to design an experiment.
Two curriculum units were evaluated using a quasi-experimental design with pre- and post-tests administered to students in both experimental and comparison classrooms in a large number of settings. One of the unit evaluations compared 45 experimental classrooms from 15 school districts in seven states, with 17 comparison classrooms from the same school districts; and the other unit evaluation compared 27 experimental classrooms from districts in five states with three comparison classrooms in two states. Data were analyzed using analysis of covariance and results yielded gains in favor of the students in the experimental classrooms that were statistically significant, at the p<.001 level. Two additional units were tested using pre- and post-tests administered only to project implementation classrooms, 16 classrooms from three states for one unit and 12 classrooms from three states for the other unit. Data were analyzed using t-test analysis of classroom means and results yielded statistically significant student gains at the p<.001 level.
Results of a teacher survey of program implementation demonstrated high effectiveness ratings for the three units tested and consistently positive teacher responses. The teacher evaluation forms were balanced with positively and negatively worded items to control for response bias.
For Further Information Contact:
Joyce VanTassel-Baska
Center for Gifted Education, College of William and Mary
232 Jamestown Road, Williamsburg, VA 23185
Telephone: (757) 221-2362
Fax: (757) 221-2184
E-mail: jlvant@wm.edu
Web site: http://cfge.wm.edu
This page last modified January 8, 2001 (tca)