Scott Foresman ResearchScience Companion Base TABLE OF CONTENTS Scott Foresman ResearchScience Companion Base Research Topics Aligning Science Companion to NCLB 3 Bibliography of Research Articles 9 ALIGNING SCIENCE COMPANION TO NCLB Scott Foresman AligningScience Companion Science Companion to NCLB A white paper compiled for Chicago Educational Publishing by Educational Systemics—March 2003 The No Child Left Behind (NCLB) legislation is broad based and the requirements for compliance are numerous. Reading through the legislation, there are clearly areas that do not apply to Science Companion and other areas that do. Title I of NCLB “Improving the Academic Achievement of the Disadvantaged” and more specifically Part F, “Comprehensive School Reform” contain the bulk of information and requirements that apply to Science Companion. We have reviewed some of the requirements of NCLB to demonstrate how Science Companion meets or surpasses many of these requirements. Our findings follow. Key Requirements from NCLB Legislation: Title I: Improving the Academic Achievement of the Disadvantaged Part F: Comprehensive School Reform http://www.ed.gov/legislation/ESEA02/pg13.html NCLB Sec. 1606 (a)(1) Employs proven strategies and proven methods for student learning, teaching, and school management that are based on scientifi cally based research and effective practices and have been replicated successfully in schools. Scott Foresman/Science Companion: Research Based A critical component of NCLB is that classroom materials must be research based. Science Companion fi ts in well with this requirement since it was developed by content and pedagogical experts and is based on the best research available today. Science Companion is a complete elementary basal curriculum that is results based, standards based, and research based. The educational research that supports and guides the approaches of Science Companion are well documented. It was also designed with the understanding that math and reading are the foremost instructional priorities for early elementary classrooms. Math and reading also happen to be top priorities under NCLB. Furthermore, all lessons have been extensively reviewed by qualifi ed scientists for accuracy and by teachers for usability. 3 ALIGNING SCIENCE COMPANION TO NCLB Adequate Yearly Progress (Sec. 111(b)2(B)) As NCLB stipulates, schools and school districts must make adequate yearly progress (AYP) toward statewide profi ciency goals (http://www.ed.gov/admins/lead/account/ayp/edlite- index.html). Science Companion can be easily correlated to state and local standards. Furthermore, the ongoing mission of Chicago Science Group is studying the short- and long-term impact of Science Companion on student achievement so that adequate yearly progress can be demonstrated. Field Tested To ensure its effectiveness, Science Companion has been and continues to be tested in dozens of classrooms throughout the United States with revisions based on actual classroom situations that refl ect the experience of teachers who have taught the material. It combines the latest research (a key component of NCLB) with a multiyear formative evaluation process to assure an implementation of the curriculum that works well across a wide range of actual classroom situations and across subject areas. NCLB Sec. 1606 (a) 2 Integrates a comprehensive design for effective school functioning, including instruction, assessment, classroom management, professional development, parental involvement, and school management, that aligns the school’s curriculum, technology, and professional development into a comprehensive school reform plan for schoolwide change designed to enable all students to meet challenging state content and student academic achievement standards and addresses needs identifi ed through a school needs assessment; Scott Foresman/Science Companion: Instruction Integrating Science Companion with classroom instruction is easy because units are paced to support a core science program with a commitment of as little as 45 minutes per week of dedicated science time at kindergarten, two 45-minute periods weekly at grades one and two, and two to fi ve daily 45-minute periods at grades three through fi ve. This provides for a solid core science experience that is manageable within the time constraints and commitments of most teachers. The units support fl exible implementation of the curriculum, advancing teachers and students from wherever they are, making it easy to connect Science Companion with the school’s overall classroom instructional design. Classroom Management Science Companion offers a fl exible and scalable implementation approach, taking into account the busy schedule of teachers. Unit modules can be mixed and matched to meet varying needs of states, districts, schools, or classrooms. A typical full-year confi guration consists of one or more units in each strand (life science, physical science, and earth science). Units are largely self-contained so they can also be purchased separately for building a customized science program. Each unit is suitable for teaching across a two- grade-level span, depending on the underlying mathematics and language skills of students in a given classroom situation. With additional design work from Chicago Science Group, unit sequencing can be adjusted to meet state standards while maintaining the integrity of the overall Science Companion sequence. 4 ALIGNING SCIENCE COMPANION TO NCLB Professional Development Science Companion offers extensive teacher support designed to promote elementary science literacy for all teachers, including beginning teachers and teachers with non-science backgrounds. Each unit contains background information so teachers understand the main concept of each lesson unit. All lessons include pedagogic and classroom management suggestions, strategies to enrich teaching, and guides to interactive online resources. Each comprehensive unit of study contains a robust teacher manual and teacher reference materials that provide professional development support. They include an overview of the curriculum and underlying pedagogy, along with fi eld-tested strategies for preparing, teaching, and assessing the results of classroom activities. Standards Based Under NCLB, science standards for each state must be in place for the 2005 – 2006 school year. The content addressed in this curriculum is based on the American Association for the Advancement of Science Benchmarks (AAAS, 1993) and is consistent with the National Science Education Standards (NRC, 1996). Science Companion has been designed to align to emerging national standards. Since state frameworks and evolving state assessments are often based on national standards, unit modules can be sequenced to adapt to emerging state and district standards easily so schools can assure compliance with these new standards. NCLB Sec. 1606 (a)3 Provides high-quality and continuous teacher and staff professional development and provides support for teachers, principals, administrators, and other school staff; Scott Foresman/Science Companion: Teachers, Principals, and Administrators ... will benefi t from the design of Science Companion since it has been set up for use by both the experienced and inexperienced science teacher. The materials provide embedded professional development to support teachers at all levels so that new teachers with limited time can provide a rich introduction to science and simultaneously improve their confi dence, understanding, and teaching skills. Teachers with strong science backgrounds can use the extensions in Science Companion to deepen and broaden student understanding. Since the extensive teacher support materials benefi t teachers at all levels, principals and administrators can be confi dent that their teachers are developing their skills and are actually spending more class time devoted to the teaching of science. NCLB Sec. 1606(a)(11a-11b) Has been found, through scientifi cally based research, to signifi cantly improve the academic achievement of students participating in such program as compared to students in schools who have not participated in such program; or has been found to have strong evidence that such program will signifi cantly improve the academic achievement of participating children. Science Companion is a complete elementary basal curriculum that is results based, standards based, and research based (all requirements of NCLB). The educational research that supports and guides the approaches used in Science Companion are well documented. In turn, implementation of Science Companion will advance research on further improving science education. 5 ALIGNING SCIENCE COMPANION TO NCLB Scott Foresman/Science Companion: Science Companion was designed based on the latest research in mathematics and science education and focuses on critical concepts, methods, and processes, emphasizing depth of widely applicable skills and concepts. The curriculum uses focused science content to generate guided explorations (rather than stressing content) as educational goals in and of themselves. This approach is consistent with both national standards and recent discussions on “best-practice” approaches to elementary school science teaching. It is effective independent of the unresolved research question of the ultimate abstract learning capacity of young children. Prior to large-scale research on the mathematics capacity of young children performed at the University of Chicago (Bell and Bell, 1988), the same situation existed in elementary