K-L District Recommends New Science Curriculum

The Katonah Lewisboro school district has proposed the adoption of a new elementary science curriculum that administrators say is aligned with national and state standards and provides student experiences that mirror that of real-life scientists.

The new curriculum would replace "Discovery Works," the elementary science curriculum in place for the past 15 years.

"The program is inquiry based," said Kerry Ford, principal at , who presented the recommendation along with Alice Cronin, assistant superintendent of curriculum and instruction and Carolann Castellano, principal of at a recent school board meeting. 

"That means that students construct meaning through hands-on investigations as opposed to teacher-directed lessons; they ask questions, make predictions, record observations, develop hypotheses, draw conclusions and reflect on their findings," Ford said.

The recommendation follows a pilot in Katonah Lewisboro of science curricula: Science 21, developed by Putnam Northern Westchester BOCES, and the recommended program, called Science and Technology Concepts, developed by the National Science Resources Center.

It's also on the heels of a visit to the district by the Tri-State Consortium, an independent group of educators who help member districts assess and enhance student performance. The visit took place last year and included interviews with teachers, parents and students. In addition, faculty and staff met several times in the last year and received input from a science consultant prior to recommending STC, according to Castellano.

Tri-state consortium members commended the district for its articulate students, parental support and innovative sustainability curriculum. At the same time, they recommended that the district better align their science curriculum across buildings and grade levels to provide a more consistent experience, Cronin said.

"We were not surprised to find out alignment is an issue for us—students are not graduating with the same experience," she said. "The school that you're in, the teacher that you have, it matters. And we want to give our students common experiences that they can rely on."

Key features of the curriculum that made it attractive to the district included integrating technology with hands-on opportunities, multiple forms of assessment, and extensive background material for teachers.

"Students will not be passive recipients," said Ford. "They'll have ownership by carrying out tasks. I'm confident it will engage students in meaningful learning and get them excited about science."

The administrators recommended a gradual implementation and money is included in the 2012-13 budget to implement one unit per each grade level next year. Discussions with middle school teachers are planned to identify transition needs and changes in science curriculum through eighth grade.

Board member Warren Schloat asked whether the curriculum would help K-L students compete, given that American students "don't do well worldwide" in math and science. 

Castellano said the National Academy of Science credentials behind the program gave her confidence that it would provide competitive skills to students.

"My background is math and science—in my previous life I was a radiological physicist. What I would say is that this will help our kids think like scientists and act like scientists. I feel confident it will give our kids skills to be competitive in international science."

Board member Michael Gordon asked what other programs the district had considered that focused on scientific fundamentals.

Cronin replied that they looked at another popular program in Westchester County called FOSS (Full Option Science System) but teachers in the district rated STC as more rigorous.

Student board member Jeremy Sabath commented that he had limited exposure to science in elementary school and this seemed like a step in the right direction.

"I didn't find any passion for science until the ninth grade," he said. "Moving toward a more common curriculum that gets kids excited is a good thing."

Meadow Pond parent Lisa Valdes spoke during public forum and praised STC, which her son experienced as part of the pilot.

"My son is comes home so excited about the science of motion and making a car," she said. "To start out at this level for elementary school kids is phenomenal—I look forward to this program growing."