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Federal funding for MSPs is provided through Title II, Part B, of the No Child Left Behind Act. The purpose of the Washington MSP Program is to improve the content knowledge of mathematics and/or science teachers in order to increase the achievement of their students. These improvement efforts are designed, implemented, and evaluated by strong partnerships between college and university faculty, high-need school systems, and other qualifying partners.
Everett Science Partnership: Observing and Improving Student Learning
Math: Getting It
Mathematics Education Advancement Partnership (MEAP)
Mathematics and Science Teaching Project (MAST)
Mid-Columbia Math and Science Program
NWALPS
Olympic Mathematics and Science Partnership
Progress to Math and Science Proficiency: Reaching Out to Rural Schools
Science Alliance Project
STEM-IT Project
Sustaining Partnerships-Enhancing Collaboration (SPEC) K-8
The Everett Science Partnership: Observing and Improving Student Learning has been formed to implement an effective model for improving science instruction that will result in increased student science achievement for grades 6 – 12. The partnership includes the Everett School District, the Center for Inquiry Science at the Institute for Systems Biology, the University of Washington, and Seattle Pacific University. It will support all secondary science teachers and principals of the Everett school district. The core professional development strategy that will be employed in the project will be to implement the model Observing for Evidence of Learning in each middle and high school three times per year, as well as a summer institute each year.
There are four major goals for the Everett Science Partnership:
- Increase middle and high school students’ science achievement.
- Increase the preparedness of middle and high school science teachers in their teaching challenging science courses and curricula.
- Improve the practice of middle and high school science teachers in their teaching of challenging science courses and curricula.
- Enhance the infrastructure of schools to support and sustain the improved practices of middle and high school science teachers in their teaching challenging science courses and curricula.
Contact:
Caroline Kiehle
Institute for Systems Biology
1441 North 34th Street
Seattle WA 98103-8904
(206)-732-1458
The Math: Getting It Project addresses a troubling problem in mathematics education:
Students frequently do not ‘get it’ when they progress beyond 4th grade into fraction concepts, and later when they reach pre-algebra and higher mathematics courses. To address the Getting It problem, University Place, Fife, and Peninsula school districts in partnership with the University of Washington, Tacoma and the Pierce County Staff Development Consortium will work together to establish an integrated, multifaceted network of professional development, building-based teacher learning, and administrative support. The overarching goal of this project, which is to improve student achievement in mathematics, will be met when we address the Getting It problem by:
- improving teacher content knowledge;
- implementing instructional strategies designed to deeply embed core mathematical structures in student thinking;
- improving teacher and principal understanding of how students learn mathematics, including awareness of vertical alignment of standards and mathematical structure;
- improving teachers’ understanding of how students think about mathematics, specifically students from diverse economic, cultural, and experiential backgrounds; and,
- increasing productive principal-teacher and teacher-teacher dialogue about mathematical content and effective instructional strategies.
The Getting It Project action plan consists of five components:
- Intensive Summer Institutes, serving up to 260 K-12 math teachers and preservice teachers over three years.
- Pierce County Staff Development Consortium courses, serving up to 320 K-12 teachers and preservice teachers over three years.
- Building-based professional learning communities led by trained teacher cadre leaders, serving up to 150 K-12 math teachers and involving up to 20 K-12 cadre leaders over three years.
- Administrator observation training to increase principals’ knowledge and use of evidence of math content and effective strategies in observations, involving up to 60 building K-12 administrators.
- Preservice teachers’ participation in Institutes, Consortium courses, and student teaching in partner districts.
Contact:
Annette Holmstrom, Instructional Coordinator
University Place School District
3717 Grandview Drive West
University Place WA 98466
(253) 566-5600 ext. 3347
The Mathematics Education Advancement Partnership (MEAP) builds on an existing partnership between the Mathematics Education Collaborative (MEC), the University of Washington and Western Washington University Mathematics Departments and the Blaine, Burlington–Edison, Mt. Vernon and Sedro Woolley School Districts.
This partnership has four broad goals:
- increase mathematics teacher content knowledge and improve classroom practices
- increase mathematics leadership capacity, developing a cadre of embedded professional staff
- unite stakeholders in support of high-quality mathematics programs and
- increase achievement of all students in mathematics, particularly among high-risk learners.
MEAP will impact over 300 K-12 teachers, 20 paraprofessional, 45 administrators and hundreds of parents and community members annually. Through robust relationships with our two university partners, the project is also intended to influence teacher learning at the college and university level and develop a stronger regional interest in quality mathematics instruction.
Contact:
Blaine School District
Ruth Parker, CEO of Mathematics Education Collaborative
770 Mitchell Avenue, Blaine, WA 98230
(360) 384-1749
The Mathematics and Science Teaching (MAST) Project envisions a coordinated set of professional learning opportunities designed to improve 8th and 9th grade mathematics and science teachers’ content knowledge and their abilities to analyze student thinking in order to increase student learning and achievement of WA Standards for forty teachers within the region. Thirty-four middle school and high school teachers from
Battle Ground, Evergreen, Hochinson, Ridgefield, Vancouver, and Washougal school
districts, will work side-by-side six Clark Community College faculty to improve content knowledge, align pedagogy, and instructional practice. Over the course of three years, they will participate in 240 hours of professional development, focused on either physical science or algebra at the 8th and 9th grade level. As a result of this project, schools in Clark County will improve the student learning for over 10,000 students, and extend support to over one hundred other teachers. Partners were identified because of their commitment to improving leadership, communication, professional networks, and the alignment of practice and curricular goals across middle school, high school and community college. The proposed project also has the potential to reduce the number of students from participating schools that enter college unprepared for college-level mathematics and science.
Contact:
Gloria Ferguson
(360) 750-7500 ext. 301
The Mid-Columbia Math and Science Program consists of the Kiona-Benton,
Patterson, Prosser, and Finley school districts, as well as WSU Tri-Cities and Columbia Basin College. Smaller school districts often have little opportunity to collaborate outside of our singular schools. This grant should afford the Mid-Columbia Math and Science Program the benefit of working with a larger knowledge base similar to that which occurs in larger school districts. We hope to achieve this through the following goals.
- Increase the content knowledge in mathematics for K-5 teachers in all three districts by sponsoring a summer institute centered on the mathematic standards –
- numbers
- operations
- geometry/measurement
- algebra
- data analysis, statistics and probability
- processes
- Improve the ability of the K-5 teachers in all three districts to use the new Washington State standards in mathematics and provide instruction and practice in the effective use of content-specific pedagogical strategies
- Provide job-embedded professional development using a collaborative/coaching model by creating opportunities for enhanced and ongoing professional learning that improves K-5 teachers’ ability to analyze student thinking and make corresponding instructional decisions
- Improve student achievement scores in mathematics in all three school districts as a result of the above activities.
Contact:
Joe Lloyd
Kiona-Benton City School District
1107 Grace Ave
Benton City WA 99320
(509) 588-2077
The NW ALPS Partnership is made up of four high-needs school districts: Mount Vernon, Ferndale, Mount Baker and LaConner, along with two other school district partners Lakewood and Snohomish. Immaculate Conception Regional School has committed to our partnership and our Institution of Higher Education (IHE) partner is Skagit Valley College. Each partner contributed to the development of the NW ALPS vision and will be called upon throughout the project to contribute findings, learnings and expertise. Each partner school district will support the participation of Teacher Teams of 3-5 teachers all teaching the same grade and using the same set of science materials for two consecutive quarters.
Students and teachers alike will take pre and post science content assessments in order for NW ALPS to measure progress.
The NW ALPS project will include ESD Network support through the engagement of the state-wide ESD mathematics and science coordinators. The purpose of ESD Network inclusion is to extend the influence of the project to statewide audiences through network delivered extension trainings and other ESD supported activities. ESD leaders will be engaged through:
- Sharing of project aims, products, outcomes and key learning experiences during regular coordinator meetings.
- Inclusion of coordinators in professional development events sponsored by the project.
- Use of project products or project developed materials as appropriate through regional professional development cadres or PLC groups.
- As appropriate materials created by the project will be posted to the Washington ESD Mathematics and Science website.
Contact:
Joanne Johnson, NW LASER Alliance Director
1601 R Avenue
Anacortes, WA 98221
(360) 299-4046
The Olympic Mathematics Science Partnership (OMSP) consists of the Olympic Educational Service District (ESD 114), Western Washington University, Peninsula College, North Mason School District, Quillayute Valley School District, Sequim School District, Chimacum School District, Port Townsend School District, and the Bremerton School District. In order to increase student achievement in mathematics and science on the Olympic Peninsula, this partnership will work toward achieving three goals:
- Increase teacher knowledge and skills related to implementing high quality instruction and engaging in effective professional collaborations
- Build capacity and support for greater data literacy with an emphasis on the use of classroom-based formative assessment and
- Build greater capacity for leadership and collaboration among all participants in the K-16 system.
The primary focus of the partnership is promoting and sustaining high functioning Professional Learning Communities (PLCs). In partnership with Educational Service Districts throughout the state, the OMSP will connect district administrators to the Robert Marzano Washington initiative, “Getting Serious About School Reform, Three Critical Commitments.” Leadership Support Meetings will also be designed to develop teacher leadership skills for facilitating the PLCs working in the Professional Teaching and Learning Cycle. In addition, regional events will target the needs of PLC members to deepen their knowledge of assessment for learning and key findings from research on formative assessment as it relates to the work of the PTLC. Local visits will also provide support and expertise to teacher teams working through the PTLC and to increase principals’ knowledge and skills for supporting the work of the PLCs. OMSP staff and higher education faculty will visit partnership school districts to provide technical assistance to the PLCs. Finally, PLC members will engage in a five-day Content Immersion to deepen their knowledge of key findings from research on effective teaching and learning, science and mathematics content knowledge relevant to teaching, and instructional strategies that support student learning.
Contact:
James Hockstaff, PhD., Executive Director Instruction and Support, OESD 114
105 National Ave. N., Bremerton, WA 98312
(360) 405-5824
The over-arching objective of this project is to provide teachers and administrators with the tools and commitment needed for students, especially in high minority, low income, and isolated rural schools, to reach Washington State’s mathematics and science proficiency levels. This project states six major goals to reach this objective:
- Increase students’ opportunity to learn (OTL) by building teachers’ science and mathematics content and pedagogical content knowledge.
- Expand teachers’ pedagogical content knowledge to include research-based instructional practices recommended for English Language Learners (ELL).
- Establish a sustainable professional learning community (PLC) that is characterized by active cross-curricula collaboration within building site teams, between districts and among the higher education partners resulting in outcomes that exceed that which the individual partners can offer.
- Provide opportunities for teachers to participate and practice instructional modeling that is consistent with best practices that incorporate the formative assessment process.
- Build an infrastructure between mathematics and science in-service and pre-service teachers that fosters K-20 collaboration.
- Advance research in the area of science and mathematics education through the development of mathematics and science learning progressions (for NCW LASER supplied kits and the Mathematics Leadership Alliance regional mathematics power standards) that support growth especially in low proficiency and ELL students.
The partners include Eastmont, Waterville, Oroville, Pateros, Bridgeport, Tonasket, Brewster, Warden, Soap Lake, Quincy, Mansfield, Grand Coulee, Manson, and Nespelem school districts, Central Washington University (CWU), and Wenatchee Valley College (WVC). All 14 school districts are “high-need” districts and the project will impact over 70% of the eligible teachers in these districts. We will serve 96 teachers and 24 administrators through this project. In addition, we will provide enrollment for eight pre-service teachers from Central Washington University’s College of Education. To accomplish our goals, we will have three intensive Summer Institutes (5-day duration); one institute in each year of the grant. There will be nine (2-day duration) follow-up sessions; three sessions in each year of the grant. Excluding video and telephone conferencing, the total number of face-to-face contact hours for each participating teacher is 264 hours or 88 hours for each grant year. Excluding video and telephone conferencing, the total number of face-to-face contact hours for each participating administrator is 60 hours or 20 hours for each grant year.
Contact:
Jeff Bullock
430 Olds Station Road
Wenatchee WA 98801
509-665-2618
The Science Alliance Project will continue its successful MSP Program with strategic partners
to provide additional professional development for 60 additional teachers of science in two high need school districts. The partners include STEM and education faculty from Washington State University – Physics and Teaching and Learning Departments, Columbia Basin College Math/Science Division, Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO), and the Educational Service District (ESD) 123 Science and Math Coordinators. Dr. Morrison and Ms. Boatman are representatives to the MSP project from the Leadership and Assistance for Science Education Reform (LASER). Partner school districts include Pasco and Othello with 18 elementary and middle schools.
The Science Alliance Project will target teachers in grades 3 through 8 in 18 school buildings in
two school districts. The Science Alliance Project will increase content knowledge and
instructional capacity of teachers of science using scientific research-based teaching strategies.
The professional development will focus on Washington State Science Standards.
Contact:
Mark Muxen
3918 W. Court Street
Pasco, WA 99301
(509) 544-5741
The purpose of this STEM-IT Project is to:
- deepen STEM content knowledge of regionally identified Expert Teachers by immersion into the world of STEM through partnerships with scientists and engineers;
- create, pilot, and refine authentic and engaging STEM enhancements and formative assessment components for existing research-based instructional materials in science;
- develop STEM education awareness for principals of expert teachers;
- create professional development offerings, based on the STEM enhancements created in the STEM-IT Project and
- develop a web-based resource for this work.
The STEM-IT Project provides a professional development model to enhance existing science curricular materials with well integrated technology, engineering and mathematics opportunities, literacy connections and quality formative assessment processes. This model will be replicable throughout the state and provides for sustainability as it uses and enriches curricular materials that are already understood and in use.
Building from a strong foundation of regional professional development, long-held relationships with schools and school districts, and robust public/private partnerships, the STEM-IT Project emerges as a natural outgrowth of over 20 years of prior work in the southeast and in Washington State.
A two -part Needs Assessment, conducted in May 2011, using rubrics designed by the National Science Resources Center/Smithsonian (see Appendix) revealed that elementary principals found their elementary teachers were lacking in science content and pedagogical content knowledge. This information, coupled with that which was gathered at the 2010 SE LASER Alliance Board Retreat on regional and district specific needs indicated the Alliance felt we could work on together, and painted a clear picture that there is a region-wide need for professional development for elementary teachers in science.
Contact:
Georgia Boatman, Regional Science Coordinator
3918 W. Court St.
Pasco WA 99301
(509) 544-5738
The Sustaining Partnerships-Enhancing Collaboration (SPEC) K-8 project consists of the Concrete, La Conner, Nooksack Valley, and Sedro-Woolley school districts and Western Washington University. The primary goals of spec are to:
- Increase administrators’ knowledge, dispositions, and practices to create and sustain effective science PLCs.
- Increase teachers’ knowledge, skills, and dispositions needed to improve their instructional effectiveness and participate effectively in science PLCs.
- Increase all students’ science content knowledge and decrease the achievement gap.
In order to achieve these goals, the project will consist of the following activities:
- Three six-day summer academies that contain science content immersion experiences led by well prepared Science Technology Education Mathematics (STEM) faculty from Western Washington University, Everett Community College, Skagit Valley College, or Whatcom Community College. The academics also will contain sessions on research-based instructional and assessment tools, professional learning communities, differentiation of instruction for all students, and leadership for student success.
- Eight two-hour professional learning community meetings in each building facilitated by Teacher Leaders trained in PLC facilitation and supported by the building administrator. These sessions will help teachers use tools to improve instruction based on their students’ performance.
- Two full day professional development sessions. One just prior to the school year to set the plan for the year, and one joint session mid-year to allow all of the partners to interact.
- Project oversight and guidance by an inclusive Leadership team representing all of the stakeholders.
Contact:
Dr. George Nelson, Director SMATE
516 High Street
Bellingham WA 98225
(360) 650-3637
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