E.N.V.I.S.I.O.N.S.E.N.V.I.S.I.O.N.S.Educational Network Venture into Science/Math
Instruction, Outreach, and North Carolina Standards
Ken Reddic, Grant DirectorMichael Elder, Teacher-Coach
NC State University --- Onslow County Public Schools East Main Educational Consulting --- NC Department of Public Instruction
ENVISIONS History• Conducted Needs’ Assessments
– Used school and district data as well as surveys of individual teachers
– Specific Items noted:• In grades 5-8, twenty math and science teachers were
not “highly qualified.” These teachers were charged with teaching over 1100 students.
• The majority of teachers did not feel comfortable teaching any science strand and they have not updated their content training in some time.
• 30% of teachers felt the least comfortable teaching physical science.
• 67% reported science equipment availability as “Poor.”• 77% of teachers indicated that there was no science
safety plan in place.• 89% had not attended a science lab safety workshop in
the past 5 years and 78% indicated a lack of basic safety equipment.
– ENVISIONS is a 3-Year, $1.1 million grant
ENVISIONS Key Features• Courses with NC State Faculty
– Face-to-face and On-line sessions
• Partnerships– Between and among teachers, county level
personnel, and NC State University faculty
• Teacher led Educator Inquiry Groups (EIGs)– Groups that evaluate instructional needs and
build content knowledge– Creating professional learning communities– An atmosphere of collaborative learning and
planning
PartnershipPartnershipCoursework• Face to Face and On-Line Formats
• 2007: Physical Science
• 2008: Earth/Environmental Science
• 2009: Possible Life Science
University Partner – The Science House at North Carolina State University
Evaluation Partner – East Main Educational Consulting
Quarterly Meetings
• Include all partners
•Evaluation Team
•NC State
•Central Office Administration
•Coach and Director
Kick-Off Sessions and Sharing Sessions
•Partners help in planning and sharing information
University PartnershipUniversity Partnership
• Variety of viewpoints
• Key to planning
• Sharing of resources– Personnel resources- faculty– Material resources-
Science House technology (Vernier)
Course FeedbackCourse Feedback
Most valuable aspect of the course
Discuss and Teach Physical Science (including forces, motion, light, and sound)
I am now better prepared to…
Now I plan to…
Best part of the course…
The content and deeper thinking
Learning the content and increased knowledge
Use more activities that are hands-on; Do more learning labs
Self-Efficacy ReportingSelf-Efficacy Reporting
Face to Face Delivery
On-Line Delivery
The course stimulated my
thinking about the content in Physical
Science.
4.73 3.76
Interaction with classmates assisted my
learning.
4.73 3.06
I was encouraged to take
responsibility for my own learning.
4.60 4.24
Teacher Content Knowledge GrowthTeacher Content Knowledge GrowthPhysical SciencePhysical Science
0
10
20
30
Raw
Sco
re
Delivery Method
Physical Science Course
Pre-Test
Post-Test
Pre-Test 21.8 20.1
Post-Test 26.9 27.1
Face to Face On Line
Teacher Content Growth: Notebooks
Teacher Content Growth: Notebooks
Student GrowthStudent Growth
State Science
Test Scores
Documenting Student Growth
TEXT
ObservationsReformed Observation
Teaching Protocol (RTOP)
Teacher Reports of
Student Performance
PLCs (EIGs)Educator Inquiry Groups
PLCs (EIGs)Educator Inquiry Groups
Self Efficacy Survey Data (most agreed upon statements from Likert Scale survey)
• “Efforts were made to combine 5th grade teachers with middle school teachers in your EIG.”
• “The ENVISIONS coach modeled how to conduct an Educator Inquiry Session in the first meeting, teaching our EIG how to run sessions in the future.”
• “Combining 5th grade teachers with middle school teachers helped in my understanding of K-12 mathematics and science curriculum.”
Open-ended responses indicated that respondents planned to continue with ENVISIONS due to the project’s ability to:
• improve teaching styles and knowledge• generate student interest in science• encourage professional growth and networking
Contact InformationContact Information• Ken Reddic, Grant Director
[email protected]• Michael Elder, Teacher-Coach
[email protected]• Sharon Schulze,
Director- NC State Science [email protected]
• Shawn Reintjes, Outreach Coordinator, NC State Science [email protected]
• Barbara Heath and Aaron PerlmutterEast Main Educational [email protected]@bizec.rr.com
• Betty Brummett, Educational ConsultantNC Department of Public [email protected]
DisclaimerDisclaimer
The instructional practices and assessments discussed or shown in this presentation are not intended as an endorsement by the U.S. Department of Education.