Science and Mathematics Education Resource Center (SMERC) Alignment of Grade Level Expectations and FOSS K-5 Science Kits
When was the Alignment Completed?
Formal alignment of the FOSS instructional materials (pre-2001 kits) with the Washington State Science Essential Academic Learning Requirements (EALR) began in 1999. At that time no previous work on alignment had been done in the state. Over time, alignment documents have undergone several revisions for different purposes: release of modified EALR documents; revision of FOSS kits (2001); development of classroom based assessments (ongoing); and publication of Grade Level Expectations (2004). Funds from the National Science Foundation, Eisenhower (Title II) funds, Hewlett Packard, and Delta Education covered personnel costs for much of the alignment work.
Who Conducted the Alignment?
The instructional materials review required the expertise of Science Specialists and Teachers on Special Assignment (TOSA's) who knew the instructional materials (FOSS kits) quite well and had a deep understanding of the state standards (EALR's). Collectively, the team conducting the instructional materials review had the following expertise: extensive knowledge of kits and their use with students and teachers; content area knowledge at a masters level in biology, earth science, and general science; knowledge and experience of how to develop inquiry skills with students in elementary and middle school; appropriate use of classroom based assessments; participation on Science Curriculum Instructional Framework (SCIF) and Science Assessment Leadership (SALT) teams. Documents are also reviewed by teachers and other science experts around the state, and updated periodically.
What was the Process Used to Align Kits to the EALR's/GLE's?
Two Specialists/TOSA's were assigned to work on each kit. Each person did initial work on the kits assigned to him or her by identifying, to the best of their knowledge, the places within the investigations where the EALRs were directly met. The team met several times over a period of a few months. At each meeting, the pair working on the same kit would compare their work to see where there was agreement on the EALRs identified. If different EALRs were identified, the pair would revisit the investigations in the Teacher's guide and wrestle with ideas until consensus was reached. EALRs that were not met directly by the investigations, but could be targeted with intentional teaching of the skill/concept, were also identified. When the first draft of the physical science kits was completed, the team met several times to go through each draft as a whole team. This process was repeated for kits in the earth and life science strands.
The final drafts were made available to teachers by inserting them into the Teacher's Guide and Initial Use Kit Instructors were encouraged to use them in their workshops. Several workshops were also conducted as part of the kit implementation to familiarize teachers with the Science EALRs and how they are met in the FOSS kits. Based on feedback from teachers as they used the alignment documents, changes were made to the documents.
In 2001, revised editions of the FOSS guides were released and the team went through another round of revising the alignment document. Also, over the years, as the state document evolved, so did our alignment documents.
In 2002, FOSS staff at Lawrence Hall of Science (UC Berkeley), the Science and Math Education Resource Center (SMERC) at ESD 112, and 35 master teachers from across the state further aligned assessment pieces in the FOSS guides with the state's EALRs. This is often referred to as the WA Edition of the FOSS Assessments. Using the EALR alignment document as a guide, the EALR for each original assessment was identified, some assessment sheets were modified and new assessments were added.
What Documents are Available?
Currently there are two kinds of alignment documents available: Grade Level Expectation Documents, and At-a-Glance charts. These documents have been developed to help teachers and district personnel make instructional decisions about the most important concepts and principles to focus on in specific kits, as well as across the grades. In many cases, additional GLE's can be found in kits listed on the charts, but they are not identified because they have been targeted in other units, or because they were part of a GLE at a grade level higher or lower than the kit was designed for. This documents will be updated periodically as new assessment materials become available. Separate documents are available for WASL vocabulary and reading lists, these will be incorporated into LASER documents as time and funding allow.
Grade Level Expectation Documents. Twenty individual documents have been created for FOSS Elementary Kits. These documents are intended for classroom teachers to aid them in planning their science program. Each document specifically identifies the GLEs and Evidences of Learning that are targeted for that kit. GLEs marked with an asterisk (*) include assessment opportunities that can be found in the Washington Edition of FOSS Assessments. Grade level expectations that are not embedded in the unit but could be met with intentional input by the teacher are indicated in italics. The latest editions of GLE alignment documents for all 20 kits have been scrutinized and reviewed by other alliances and teachers around the country. For a sample of these documents go to http://www.esd112.org/smerc/smc_k-8.html.
At-a-Glance charts: This document is designed for use by grade level teams, or for planning at the building or district level. It is organized with GLEs down one side of the table, and kits across the top. The chart can be customized to include the kits actually used by a district. Gaps and overlaps in the instructional sequence can then be identified. The following coding system is useful in interpreting the chart quickly and easily. To download the chart click here.
Special thanks to the southwest Washington LASER Alliance Alignment Team:
Teachers on Special Assignment, Evergreen Public Schools
Tom Archer, Teresa Berry, Melina Dyer, Emily Hopple, Jane Wilson, and Scott Ziglinski
Science Specialists, Educational Service District 112
Gloria Ferguson, Mathieu Jazbinschek, Lean-Gaik LaRowe, and Lindy Millman
Director, Science and Mathematics Education Resource Center
Anne Kennedy