Global Center for Science and Technology to offer world-class opportunities for quality teacher training and student learning

February 9, 2009

Imagine a state-of-the-art facility where all FBISD students in grades 2-8 experience real-life science through interactive, hands-on learning stations customized for each grade level; a planetarium and sci-max theater that bring science to life in a way that a standard classroom never could; and, high-tech labs and a multi-purpose center where both teachers and students can experiment and learn about science at accelerated levels. And imagine that students and their teachers can access this one-of-a kind facility throughout the year without ever leaving the school district.

At Monday night's Board Meeting, that's exactly what district administrators asked the FBISD School Board to consider during a presentation to unveil a concept called the "Global Center for Science and Technology."

Dr. John Frossard, Chief Academic Officer, began the presentation by reminding the Board that at the January 12 Board Meeting, a report was presented that detailed the district's challenges with regard to teaching science, and unacceptable student test results on the science portion of the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) test. He noted that while the district has made significant gains on many areas of the TAKS tests in recent years, the science portion of the test is not producing the results that teachers and administrators believe that students are capable of achieving.

Frossard, along with Olwen Herron, Chief Accountability and Organizational Development Officer, and Melissa Stadtfeld, Secondary Science Coordinator, then presented details about the Global Center for Science and Technology, and how it would meet the needs of both students and teachers by bridging the divide between theory and practice. He also reported that other value added benefits to the Global Center would include the ability to:

• Utilize the resources of the entire community to help address the challenge by creating a number of unique district partnerships that would benefit all FBISD middle and elementary schools.
• Involve the community through guest lecturers, university partnerships, and extended relationships with community clubs and organizations.
• Extend the instructional program beyond the regular school year through summer enrichment programs and science mini-camps during the winter and spring breaks.
• Provide opportunities for teacher groups at particular grade levels or content areas to meet for specialized professional development, strengthening their knowledge and expertise while also strengthening FBISD's professional learning community framework. This would naturally lead to increased job satisfaction and higher teacher retention rates.
• Provide the district with a centralized location for special presentations and events such as science expos, awards presentations, recognition programs, and banquets.
• And, support the district's teacher recruitment and retention plan to attract and retain outstanding teachers by providing unique training opportunities at the Global Center.

According to the research, Stadtfeld said it is only through this type of approach to science that students can develop a deep understanding of concepts and higher order thinking skills.

She said that in a place such as the Global Center for Science and Technology for example, student teams would be able to work in specially equipped labs where they could design and build structures for a seismic wave experiment that would simulate a real earthquake. Experiments such as this one would allow students to experience phenomena that cannot be replicated in a traditional classroom environment. The increased level of teamwork and collaboration between students and teachers offered in such a learning environment would also more accurately reflect real world approaches to learning and problem solving.

After Stadtfeld presented details of the types of experiences that would strengthen science learning for students at the Global Center, Herron reviewed the need to strengthen professional development for teachers of science. She emphasized that research validates that the single most important influence on student learning is the "quality of teaching."

Following concerns about Science TAKS results, last fall the district conducted a comprehensive evaluation of all components of the Elementary Science Program in FBISD. Overall, the following areas were identified as needing focused attention to improve students' science knowledge:

• Professional development to build teachers' science content knowledge
• Professional development to build inquiry-based teaching strategies
• Professional development to integrate technology into science instruction
• Professional development to increase the rigor of science instruction
• Enhanced resources for science instruction

Also, the study showed that not enough time and/or resources are available for hands-on, inquiry-based activities, which research shows to be instrumental in developing real science understanding and knowledge so that students can be successful in science as they advance up and through grade levels.

Most teachers also said they need additional professional development to increase their teaching knowledge and skills in areas such as inquiry-based strategies, assessment skills, questioning strategies, and lesson-plan writing. They emphasized that more professional development is needed to increase the rigor of their science lessons and to integrate technology into science instruction.

Herron said that to improve teachers' knowledge of and ability to teach science, the district will use a model that first provides teachers with effective, researched-based professional development, including support from experts in the field. Their increased knowledge and skills would lead to improved classroom practice and student learning, and ultimately, to improved student achievement. A facility such as the Global Center for Science and Technology, said Herron, would give both teachers and students a major advantage in the district's goal to improve students' understanding and mastery of science concepts.

She also stressed that the Center would not simply be a place for taking students on a science field trip, but rather it would be a unique exploration and learning experience through scheduled, mandatory, and thoroughly planned world-class instruction provided each year from second to eighth grade.

The district will form a community-based exploratory committee in the near future to conduct a feasibility study. Recommendations regarding the concept for the Global Center will be made to the School Board after sufficient "due diligence" has occurred, including how it may be funded.

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