Districts go exploring

Improving the science curriculum is a major initiative for two of Valley Stream’s elementary school districts this year. Districts 13 and 30 officials are hoping to unveil enhanced programs in September in a subject that often receives less attention than English Language Arts and math.

This month, District 13 begins a pilot of a science program from Houghton-Mifflin that will continue through the end of the school year. District 30 is still narrowing down potential programs, but officials say they are looking to greatly expand on what is currently taught in the schools.

Linda Roth, assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction in District 13, said they currently use a kit-based program that allows students the opportunity to do hands-on science exploration. However, Roth said the district is looking for something that has more reading components. A team of teachers and administrators studied several programs and chose the Houghton-Mifflin program to pilot in 16 classrooms throughout the district.

Roth said that in searching for a new program, it is important to select one that has leveled textbooks. That means that books for each grade are available on a variety of different reading levels. She said if a child takes home their textbook and doesn’t understand what they are reading, they are likely to get frustrated and won’t complete the assignment. Houghton-Mifflin offers this feature.

Like the current program, Houghton-Mifflin offers kits so children may conduct experiments.

District 30 teachers Ronni Horowitz and Ralph Laudano are leading a committee to find a science program to pilot later this school year. During a recent strategic planning survey in the district, 81 percent of respondents said that improving science was a priority. Parents cited the need for more lab experiments in the classroom and more instruction on the subject in general.

Horowitz said with whatever new program the district chooses, the goal will be to teach children to be problem solvers. She also wants them to learn to work together to find the answer to a question, which is exactly what scientific exploration is. “We don’t want to have a textbook in front of the kids,” she said. “If they’re not touching it, they’re not really learning it.”

Currently, students in grades K-2 use science kits provided by BOCES. Laudano leads science instruction in grades 3-4 and sixth-graders participate in an annual science fair.

There is no continuous program in District 30. Gerard Poole, the director of curriculum and instruction, said there are some older science textbooks in the schools but nothing that meets the current needs and are only used to reference some tables and charts.

District officials want to move to a kit-based program, Poole said, similar to what District 13 uses now. He said the committee will develop a framework for a science curriculum and find the right program to suit it. Later this year, the district will have several companies come in and present potential programs to the public, much like what was done during last year’s search for a new math program.

There was one area of the current program that did get good reviews from parents. “We will definitely keep the science fair,” Poole said, “and possibly look to expand it to other grades.”

Roth said that the program currently being piloted in District 13 has a strong technology component. She noted that if there is a major change in science, it would be reflected in the online resources.

Horowitz noted there is a concern in District 30 with buying a textbook series that could become outdated. That’s why they are exploring the possibility of leasing science experiment kits. “We like not having something that we have to buy forever,” she said, “because science changes constantly and rapidly.”

It is likely that a new science program won’t be implemented entirely next year, Horowitz said, but rather over time. “We are hoping to bring at least something new into each classroom by September, even if it’s one unit,” she said.

Teachers in District 13 want more resources to go along with the experiments. Roth said that they need reading material to be able to support the hands-on exploration.

It is that feedback from the faculty that has shaped the decisions to this point in the district’s efforts to enhance the science curriculum. With a considerable expense to purchase a new math program two years ago, science had to wait to until now, and Roth is hoping the Houghton-Mifflin pilot works out.

In District 30, the time was right to enhance the curriculum. “It hasn’t been looked at,” Horowitz said. “We really haven’t addressed science in a long time.”