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Greetings!
The 2007/2008 Evaluation
Results for Washington State LASER are now
available. The key successes and learnings have provided
critical input for our plans during the coming biennium. Be
sure to see the summary below and get more details by going to
the LASER website as indicated below.
The 2009 Instructional Material Showcase is
coming up in January. It makes for a great "one-stop-shopping"
experience to see the latest K-12 instructional material. We
hope to see you there. Get more information below.
We hope your fall is off to a good start and that you enjoy
the following updates of LASER activities, including the
request for some of our teacher leaders to train educators in
China. I especially enjoy the photo of science kits being
transported on a rickshaw.
Dennis
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Coming Soon: 2009 Instructional Materials Showcase |
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  Each
year, Washington State LASER sponsors an Instructional Materials
Showcase--a one-day event that provides an opportunity for
teachers, administrators, and curriculum directors to participate
in interactive sessions designed to evaluate new science
instructional materials. In these sessions, exemplary elementary,
middle, and high school inquiry-centered science instruction
materials are reviewed through a systematic process known as The
AIMs (Analyzing Instructional Materials) process. All materials
reviewed are research-based and promote
scientific thinking. Don't miss this great opportunity to interact
with this year's materials on Wednesday,
January 7, 2009, at the Washington Convention Center in
Seattle. (This year's showcase occurs the first day of the OSPI
winter conference.) For more information regarding how to
register,
click here.
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Washington State LASER Evaluation Update |
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Three major studies were done with positive results:
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Analysis of Student 2007 Science WASL Results
RMC found that the amount of professional development for the
teacher is a predictor of student performance on the science
WASL.
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Module-Level Assessment of Students' Content Knowledge
Students in a study of 53 classrooms across the state
demonstrated significant improvement in their knowledge of key
science concepts covered in a number of science instructional
modules.
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In-depth Study of 34 Schools to Determine the
Characteristics of Science Successful Schools
Schools of grade 5 students with increased science WASL
scores have:
▪ Greater participation in professional learning communities
▪ Time during the work day for school-based professional
development
▪ More evidence of positive parent/community support
▪ Greater evidence of teachers integrating literacy into science
Schools of grade 8 students with increased science
WASL scores have:
▪ Time during the work day for school-based
professional development
▪ Greater participation in professional development that
involves examining
student work
▪ Lessons with content that is more significant, accurate,
and worthwhile
▪ Lessons that more often build on prior ideas and
experiences
▪ Lessons where content is more closely connected to
activities
▪ Lessons that are better at developing student
understanding
▪ Lessons that help students make sense of the concepts
These findings, along with the research results from the ASK-IT
project described below, are providing major input into LASER's
plans for 2009/2011. Look for more information in our next
eNewsletter. For a summary of the RMC Corp report,
click here.
For the full report, located on the RMC website,
click here.
Research Results from ESD 112 ASK-IT Project
The ASK-IT Project (Assessing Science Knowledge-Implementation
through Teacher-research) is a two-year research project in ESD
112 involving six schools. Three schools received 42 hours of
professional development--12 hours in workshops learning how to
make the most effective use of professional learning communities
(PLC) and then 30 hours in PLCs. The PLCS investigated how the
intentional use of assessment tools and strategies affects
students' gains in science knowledge. The Year 1 results are
encouraging:
▪ Teachers in the treatment group demonstrated more use of
formative assessment for classroom decision-making, and they
were more likely to complete teaching the entire instructional
unit.
▪ Students of teachers who participate in the treatment had
greater learning gains than students of teachers who did not
participate, with significant gains in 5 modules.
Gloria Ferguson serves as the Principal Investigator/Project
Director, science facilitator and math concept expert for this
project. She says, "What is so exciting about this project is
that students have learned about self-assessment, and we're
getting to the point where students understand how they learn
and it's not just about a grade."
For the first-year research report,
click here.
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WA State LASER Teachers Invited to be Trainers in China |
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 This
past June two Washington State LASER teacher trainers,
Mechelle LaLanne and Dawn Sparks, were
invited by the National Science Resource Center to travel to
Wenzhou, China to train Chinese science teachers. Here is Dawn's
story:
What an amazing trip! It is one of the highlights of my
life. Mechelle LaLanne and I were in China to do science kit
training, and we were introduced as being science experts
representing the National Science Resource Center, as well as
Washington State LASER. We were treated as dignitaries with the
utmost respect. It was very humbling to be standing in the room
knowing that all the people back home were also being
represented in that room. Needless to say, it was a very proud
moment in our teaching careers.
 The
training went very well. First, they asked if we needed to use
all the parts in the kits. When we said, "Yes," the kits were
moved from the hotel to the school by rickshaw! Before the
training, an opening ceremony was held which was very formal
with TV cameras capturing the whole event. The training was done
with the help of science teachers who served as interpreters. As
we did the training, we had 48 teachers with others looking on.
Not only were we able to go through the mechanical use of the
kit, we incorporated notebooks and the research behind the
creation of the units.
For the full story, click
here.
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News from the LASER Alliances |
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Mountain to Harbor LASER Alliance's SKILD Academy
 Mountain
to Harbor LASER Alliance conducted a five-day intensive, summer
experience for those wishing to become kit trainers within ESD
112 and ESD 113. The SKILD (Science Kit Instructional Leadership
Development) Academy took place during the last week of June at
Anderson Lodge near Cougar, Washington. Eighteen teachers, from
both ESD regions, took the first step in their preparation to
become FOSS kit trainers. (Their training covered nine FOSS kit
titles.) The teachers had the opportunity to experience,
first-hand, topics that included inquiry, working with adult
learners, linking to literacy, and familiarization with all of
the details of their specific kit. Not only were presentation
best-practices modeled, but participant-pairs had the
opportunity to present a portion
 of
their kit to the rest of the group. Their training didn't end
there. Since the academy, nearly all have had a chance to shadow
a master trainer of their kit. To further round out their
training, they will have the chance to co-lead a training and
then solo. Intermittent video-conferences and on-site support
will deepen their skills as they move through these stages.
Plans are currently underway for SKILD 2009!
Olympic Peninsula's "Assessment in Science" Workshop
August 26, 2008 was a great day! The Olympic Peninsula LASER
Alliance partnered with the Central Kitsap School District for a
marathon workshop day covering "Assessment in Science
Classrooms." Jeff Ryan and his team presented assessment for
learning and assessment of learning and formative assessments
for students prior to instruction. They introduced the Page
Keeley resources, Uncovering Student Ideas in Science, Volumes
1-3, and the "Powerful Classroom Assessments" which is available
on the OSPI website. Classroom use of these resources was their
main focus, and they also showed how these types of assessments
are invaluable in teacher collaborative work. This assessment
workshop is going to make a difference!
Alliances Collaborate Around the Development of
Professional Development Providers
In collaboration, the South Central LASER Alliance and the South
East LASER Alliance co-sponsored two summer leadership
institutes. The three-day professional development (PD)
institutes were designed for the development of PD providers.
The Leadership Institutes focused on development of a shared
vision for research-based PD, deepening participants'
understanding of the three key findings from the "How People
Learn Research," and developing an understanding of brain-based
strategies for adult-learning opportunities. The Elementary
Leadership Institute was held at Desert Winds Winery in Prosser
and had 45 teacher-leaders in attendance. The Secondary
Leadership Institute was held at the Yakima Valley Arboretum and
had 23 participants. Teachers from Easton to Pullman and Othello
to Prosser will benefit through the PD opportunities that will
be based on what was learned through these two institutes.
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New LASER Staff |
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We would like to introduce our newest staff members.
 Peggy
Willcutts is the Evaluation Manager, as well as the
Co-facilitator for BSCS National Academy for Curriculum
Leadership and the Co-Director of the South East LASER Alliance.
Jim Ohlsen joins the staff as the Washington
State LASER Program Manager.
 Julie
Vavricka
is a Washington State LASER Statewide Professional
Development Manager. She was formerly the Elementary Science
Specialist for the Yakima School District.
Sally
Luttrell is also a Statewide Professional Development
Manager.
Two LASER staff members have new titles and responsibilities.
 Sonia
Siegel Vexler is now the Washington State LASER
Program Director.
 Lonnie
Keown is the Technical and Program Assistance
Manager.
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Special thanks to
Washington Mutual for their ongoing support of Washington State
LASER, including this newsletter. |
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Dennis Schatz
Washington State LASER
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