March 2008

Greetings!,

Welcome to the first Washington State LASER eNewsletter. This takes the place of the periodic "LASER updates" posted by me in the past. I especially want to thank Washington Mutual, which provides the support to make this newsletter possible.

We appreciate your ongoing interest, collaboration, and support for Washington State LASER, which has built a shared vision and statewide infrastructure to assist teachers and administrators in their efforts to benefit today's students, so that we have a scientifically literate society and workforce in the future.

I hope you enjoy reading about the latest Washington State LASER updates. I look forward to any comments you have or suggestions for items to include in future eNewsletters.

Dennis Schatz

WA State LASER Recognized as a National Model

In addition to being recognized

in the National Research Council report,

Rising Above the Gathering Storm,

Washington State LASER recently

received recognition as a national model

to emulate from the following organizations:

· The National Governors Association Center for Best Practices

· The Council of Chief School Officers (CCSSO)/James B. Hunt Jr. Institute for Educational Leadership and Policy (Hunt Institute)/National Science Resources Center (NSRC)

· The National Science Resources

· The National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) identified Washington State LASER as one of 17 exemplary science education programs across the country. A lengthy article about Washington State LASER was featured in the new NATA Monograph, Exemplary Science In Informal Settings.

Latest Evaluation Results Using WASL Data

RMC Corporation (LASER's external evaluator) analyzed 5^th grade science WASL data for 2007 and found that the number of hours of LASER professional development per FTE in a school over a two-year period prior to the students taking the WASL is a significant predictor of student achievement on the Grade 5 science WASL. This is above and beyond what can be explained by the number of students who qualify for free or reduced price lunch, class size, or student skills. See results below:

RMC Evaluation

We are encouraged by these results, which indicate that LASER-led professional development can have a significant impact on improving student achievement. At the same time, our efforts and funding level since the inception of the LASER effort have allowed us to reach less than 10% of the K-8 teachers in the state. The fourfold increase in funding for the 2007/2009 biennium will allow us to significantly increase the number of teachers reached. Evaluation of Washington LASER activities during the upcoming biennium will continue to look at the impact of initial-use professional development on WASL scores (at both 5^th and 8^th grade). For additional information related to the evaluation of the LASER project, see the LASER website under News & Evaluations or click here.

New LASER Staff

Mark Cheney and Lonnie Keown joined the Washington State LASER statewide staff this year. Both provide program and technical support to the ten LASER Regional Alliances and other projects funded by Washington State LASER funds received from the state.

Lonnie is known well by people who have been in science education for many years. She was Director of School Improvement at the NW ESD 189 until moving to Eastern Washington in 2001. She is now back on the west side of the state and bringing her many years of expertise and talents to bear on the activities of Washington State LASER. Lonnie works mostly with the projects in the NW part of the state, including the activities at the North Sound, South Sound, Mountain to Harbor and Olympic Alliances, plus the project at the Nooksack School District.

Mark works with the projects at the other Alliances. He also leads the planning and facilitation of LASER Alliance Directors' meetings and overseas the development and implementation of statewide professional development efforts, such as the upcoming events with Dr. Klentschy (see below). Mark is located at ESD 105 in Yakima and spends part of his time working on South Central Alliance activities. He has been involved with Washington State LASER since its inception. He led science and math efforts in the Yakima Schools District and was the South Central LASER Alliance Co-Director before beginning his work on the LASER statewide staff last August.

National Academy for Curriculum Leadership (NACL) Cohort #2 Begins

The NACL is a partnership between the BSCS Center for Professional Development and Washington LASER. It has been made possible through grants from Agilent Technologies Foundation, Battelle, and Intel. Pacific Northwest National Laboratory provides on-site support. Cohort #1 ended in May 2007, and Cohort #2 was launched in August 2007.

Cohort #1 (2004-07) Fourteen participating district teams completed the last of nine professional development workshops in May 2007. Those completing the program included: East Valley (Yakima), Everett, Hockinson, Kennewick, La Center, Newark (CA), North Thurston, Pasco, Puyallup, Richland, Selah, Sunnyside, West Valley (Yakima), and Yakima.
Cohort #2 was launched in August 2007. The program will run through March 2010. Anchorage (AK), Colville, Everett, Highline, Highland, Issaquah, Mabton, North Franklin, Richland, South Kitsap, Tumwater, Walla Walla, Wapato, and a LASER Alliance Directors Team will participate.

LASER Partners with Washington Science Teachers Association (WSTA) at Annual Conference

Washington State LASER partnered with the WSTA to host Dr. Mike Klentschy's "Inquiry in Action" event during the 2007 WSTA Conference. This one-day professional development event for school administrators focused on current research (related to high performing schools that Dr. Klentschy works with in California and North Carolina) and shared strategies for a school administrator's perspective on how to be an instructional leader in science within the school and district settings.

South Central Alliance Buses Administrators to Mike Klentschy Event

Recognizing the important role that building and district administrators play in the on-going success of a LASER Alliance, Co-Director Mike Brown of the South Central Washington LASER Alliance went to great lengths to assist area administrators to attend the Mike Klentschy event in Tacoma. Brown chartered a bus allowing regional administrators to travel together to the event. Twenty-three administrators were able to make the trip. "Traveling together on the bus allowed us to discuss our science education reform efforts on the way over, and then on the return trip, we discussed how to apply the new information that Mike Klentschy shared." For more information related to this event, contact Mike Brown: mikeb@esd105.wednet.edu.

North East Alliance Hosts Principals' Symposium at Spokane Club

NE Principal's Symposium The Northeast Alliance (located in the Spokane region) hosted a Principals' Symposium held at the Spokane Club on October 16, 2007. Twenty-three area administrators explored the importance of science education in the K-12 classrooms. Through hands-on activities and video, administrators discovered what inquiry-centered science looks like in the K-8 classroom. They discussed how principals can serve as the science instructional leaders at their buildings and learned about the ESD 101 Science Cooperative including its state and national partners. For more information related to this event, contact Jon Hanson: jhanson@esd101.net.

Mike Klentschy State-wide PD Event

Because the "Inquiry in Action" event at the WSTA Conference was so well received, LASER is bringing Dr. Klentschy back to the state of Washington for four days with administrators across the state:

April 9th in Moses Lake
April 10th in Prosser
May 14th in Kelso
May 15th in Seattle

For more information, click here.

South Sound Alliance Hosts Principals' Symposium with Dr. Ramon Lopez

The South Sound Alliance also hosted a Principals' Symposium for district administrators on December 7, 2007. Dr. Ramon Lopez from the Florida Institute of Technology was the featured speaker for the day. Dr. Lopez presented findings related to the importance of implementing science instructional materials with fidelity to the story line of the unit. The thirty-five administrators experienced hands-on science activities and discussed the importance of science education to today's students. For more information related to this event, contact Andrew Schwebke: aschwebke@puyallup.k12.wa.us.

Special thanks to Washington Mutual for their ongoing support of Washington State LASER, including this newsletter.

Dennis Schatz
Washington State LASER