About the Project
The program proposes to develop Science initiatives, which will augment learning progressions to support the new Arkansas K-12 Science Standards to improve grade K-4 science instruction. The goal is to enhance teacher content knowledge and teaching skills that prepare students for success through developing a vertical team to integrate science, mathematics, literacy, technology and embracing project-based learning. The EESS project will provide a long-term sustained high quality professional development, which includes four one-day sessions during 2015-2016 academic year, two one-week summer institutes, and two classroom visits to observe and/or mentor teacher, for 30 grade K-4 teachers for a minimum of 100 contact hours during each year of the project. Teachers will develop lesson plans and share via Google Drive. Based on the needs assessment data, concepts of specific domains of Arkansas K-12 Science Standards (primary focus) and the most effective ways to teach them (secondary focus) will be thoroughly explored.
Goals and Objectives based on the needs assessment:
Goal #1: Increase teachers’ level of science content knowledge and teaching skills through incorporation of science practices by the use of Arkansas’ new K-4 Science Standards and integrating Common Core State Standards in significant depths.
Objective #1: Statistically significant improvement in teachers’ content knowledge as evidenced by pre-/post- test.
Objective #2: Development of an ability to integrate science with math and literacy so as to increase the probability of academic success for all students and as demonstrated by a statistically significant increase in the number of students scoring above proficient levels in the adopted pre-/post- test scores.
Goal #2: Establish a K-4 team, composed of one teacher from each grade from each school district for the vertical and horizontal alignment of the content.
Objective #3: Create a vertical alignment of concepts with progressions for the grades K-4 to increase academic achievement of all students as evidenced by document analysis of the lesson plans and classroom observations using RTOP instrument.
Partners
Mathematics and Science Partnership
List of School Partners
Role/responsibilities: School district administrators agreed to recruit participants, and assist teachers to actively involve and engage in project activities. The data provider (in small school districts it was the principal) agreed to provide requested data for the evaluation of the grant.
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Name
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Title
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Organization
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| 1 | Ms. Diane Gross | Elementary school Principal | Academic Plus Charter school |
| 2. | Ms. Debbie Miller and Dr. Charlotte Green | Directors of
Instructional services and GT/AP |
Conway School
District |
| 3. | Ms. Vernell Bowen | Superintendent Diocese of Little Rock | Catholic School of Arkansas |
| 4. | Mr. Josh Daniels and Ms. Bonita Pearson | Elementary school principal and Literacy resource | Dover School District |
| 5. | Mr. Brian Cossey and Karen Hoskins | Superintendent and Elementary school Principal | Guy-Perkins School District |
| 6. | Mr. Shawn Halbrook | Superintendent | South Conway County School District |
List of IHE, and other Partners
| Name | Title | Organization |
Role/responsibilities
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| 1. | Dr. Umadevi
Garimella |
Director | UCA/STEM
Institute |
Project Director
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| 2. | Dr. Haihong (Helen) Hu | Assistant Professor | UCA/ Leadership Studies Department | Co-Project Director
|
| 3. | Dr. Joy Jackson | Assistant
Professor |
UAPB | External Evaluator
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| 4. | Ms. Lenett Thrasher | Teacher Center
Coordinator |
Arch Ford Education
Cooperative |
Partner, assist with recruitment and advertisement; of comparison group participants
|
| 5. | Dr. Linda Griffith | Professor | UCA/Dept.
Mathematics |
Instructor of the course
|
| 6. | Ms. Michelle Buchanan | UCASTEMteach Master teacher | UCA/College of Education | Instructor of the course
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| 7. | Audie Alumbaugh | UCASTEMteach Master teacher | UCA/College of Education | Instructor of the course
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| 8. | Jerry Mimms | Lecturer II | UCA/CNS | Instructor of the course
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| 9. | Dr. Kathy Sweeri | Director GT, math & science Coach | Conway School district | Will be consultants and co-presenters for the program
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| 10. | Sharon McKinney | Science Specialist | UCA/CNSM | Science Facilitator |
| 11. | Cara Cates | Math Specialist | UCA/CNSM | Math Facilitator |