Jerry was a life-long learner and student. He had an incredibly inquisitive mind and he enjoyed learning throughout his life. His thirst for knowledge was a gift, and he was able to convey the gift to the many the students he helped educate, encourage and inspire.

Last Friday (January 20) I heard C. Kirabo Jackson speak at the University of Texas at Dallas as part of the Texas Schools Project lecture series. Dr. Jackson, an assistant professor of human development and social policy at Northwestern University, studies labor economics and education.

The presentation Jackson gave covered his 2010 research looking at the effects of the Advanced Placement Incentive Program at schools in Texas. Schools selected to be part of APIP receive an equipment and supply stipend, funding to send teachers to LTF Training, and cash incentives for their 11th and 12th grade students and teachers for qualifying scores on Advanced Placement exams in math, science, and English.

Jackson’s research affirmed that students participating in an APIP program

Previous research from Jackson validated APIP is correlated with an increase in AP participation and improved SAT/ACT performance.

Additionally, the program effects continued to grow over time, suggesting that demonstrating that non-incentive aspects (increased teacher encouragement, better student information, changes in teacher and peer norms) of APIP were important to the overall effects of the program.

NMSI’s AP Training and Incentive Program (APTIP) is modeled on the program researched by Jackson and is producing similar results across the country. Laying the Foundation, a division of NMSI, contributes to the APTIP and the APIP Jackson studied by providing the teacher professional development for schools selected to be in the program.

Read Jackson’s reports here.

My guest post for NMSI’s blog about Jackson’s lecture can be found here.

The Christopher Columbus Fellowship Foundation, a Federal government agency, and the American Farm Bureau Federation, have formed a partnership to present four monetary awards and research funding to three groups representing new innovative approaches in the field of agriscience around the country.

Purpose:

The awards will honor one adult scientist, a high school educator, and two secondary school students who are judged to exemplify excellence in the agriscience field.


http://www.ed.gov/blog/2012/01/applications-for-2012-2013-teaching-ambassador-fellowship-now-open

US DOE has opened applications for their 2012-2013 Teaching Ambassador Fellowships

“We have a set of amazing teachers each year who spend a year with the Department and help drive our policy discussion…I have come to rely on the Teaching Ambassador Fellows for their invaluable feedback and their ability to facilitate dialogue with teachers across the country.” – Secretary Arne Duncan

The post below is a little long and comes from a one day meeting hosted by the College Board to bring STEM leaders together to talk about the dramatic shift in science education that will result from the AP exam changes and from the new Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). This shift in exams and standards will require a very different way of teaching.  We will continue to keep you informed – but know that LTF Science Teachers most assuredly have an edge in the new world of science education.

AP Exam Changes UPDATE

• Driven by the NSF 2002 critique of AP and IB. Students should develop a deeper understanding of the organizing concepts and principles. Curricula should be focused on a reasonable number of concepts that can be studied in depth.
• College Board feels like the changes will have a major impact student learning in science.
• Of female students who currently take AP Biology 20 percent major in biology, while only 6 percent who didn't take AP major in biology. The AP class is the capstone science for most students.
• New AP biology curriculum framework was released on Feb 1 2011 and provides teachers with clarity of focus, flexibility and reduced breadth
• The new AP focuses on merging content with the skills needed for college and career. Content plus skill equal learning objective. Content is transmission of the information. Skill is where the student can create representations and models of natural phenomena and systems. To meet the learning objective the student must be able to create a visual representation to describe it.
• Exam - students need to be able to demonstrate ability to do something with the knowledge, not just regurgitate it
• Framework gives teachers menus of examples of key concepts to teach in depth and also lets teachers know what will not be on exam.
• The new AP allows the practice of science skills.
• University response - this will really help science professors since it promotes deep understanding.  They love the movement towards big ideas  and it is changing the way introductory  science classes are taught.
• Teacher response –before the AP changes, 79 percent of teachers said AP Biology covered too much.  After the change, 92 percent say it covers right amount
• The big question; Will teachers be able to shift their practice? Teachers must shift from pronouncing content at the front of the classroom to focus on inquiry-based learning 
• May 2013 Biology changes, Chemistry 2014, Physics 2015.
• It will be impossible to pass AP bio without doing the "great 13" labs. The College Board is recommending that two labs per "big idea" be done. In addition, AP teachers are at liberty to substitute for these labs if they meet the objectives of the new labs.
• Every single question on an AP exam is submitted by a college professor.

Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS)   Achieve

• Two step process to develop framework of new standards and then create the new standards and public release.
• NGSS will affect assessment, curricula and instruction.
• Standards will be released by the end of 2012.
• They have learned a lot from the release of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) that they have applied to developing science standards.
• 26 states have signed on and will provide leadership to the writers and other states as they consider adoption of NGSS as presented. The 26 states account for 58 percent of the students.
• There is NO option to change the standards – states must accept as is or nothing (CCSS had a 15 percent waiver.) This is going to make it very difficult for Intelligent Design states (the evolution battle returns).
• 41 member writing team creating based on NRCs framework.
• Critical stakeholders will review as they go.
• Open for two rounds of public feedback. The first public release date is scheduled for the first quarter of 2012 and will be on their website nextgenscience.org
• There will be issues in getting these adopted and there is a coalition of supporters working hard to make sure they can get adopted in states. Business and science community have to stand up and be ready to get things done.
• Defining science college and career readiness is another issue - not a lot of science remediation at the college level so definition of college ready has to change. Also trying to decide if “ready” means ready for a first college science course or is it ready to be in science major. Never had a conversation of what this means.  Also must decide what it means to be STEM capable since there are so many levels.
• Standards will push the need to have three years of science in high school.  
• Other questions:  Should there be a K-5 science policy? Should there be assessments? (there is no money while CCSS had $350 million to develop standards.) Will teachers change if assessments don't change?
• Implementation timelines are being discussed and disseminated online.
• Three dimensions -  disciplinary core ideas, cross cutting concepts, and science and engineering practices.
• Middle school - still a big issue and no resolution on testing. Assessment discussion has not gone far due to how different states are. Not a place where we can say everyone needs to be discrete or needs to have integrated science in middle school.

NAS  

• Science panels for AP redesign - big ideas and unifying themes, competencies, enduring understandings. Evidence models - formative assessments.
• Evidence of learning - student can use representations and models to communicate scientific phone omens and solve scientific problems, student can use math appropriately, student can engage in scientific questioning, student can perform data analysis, student can work with scientific theory and explanations the student is able to transfer knowledge across various scales.
• AP Biology change very aligned with vision and change in undergraduate biology education - much more conceptual.
• Shift away from rote memorization of facts to a dynamic set of competencies.
• ESEA house version does not include science  - can be a big issue - industry will have to step up to demand and fund science changes as it looks like the government is not.
• Just as important that prelaw, English, and other majors become STEM proficient at a higher level than before - we all live in a STEM pervasive world.
• http://www.Innovationportal.org
• Patrick Shields SRI study on California found that elementary students receive only one hour per week of science instruction and only about 10 percent is of any quality.

Science teachers need to know that there is a LOT going on that will affect the way you teach. You can and should have a voice so please make sure you take a look at the science standards when they are released. Also, you need to make sure you are ready to teach the NEW AP Biology class next semester.

Thoughts? Comments?