NWO TEAMS: Science Instruction For All

NWO TEAMS Project
(Teachers Enhancing Achievement
in Mathematics and Science)
Ohio Math Science Partnership Grant

Partners:

• High-needs school districts in northwest Ohio:
• Toledo Public Schools
• Lima City Public Schools
• Fostoria Public schools
• Bowling Green State University
• University of Toledo
• Toledo Zoo

Budget:

• $1,850,281 requested through the Ohio Department of Education.  
• Bowling Green State University has provided $442,077
• Total amount of project =  $2,293,358
• The money was used to pay for:
• Personnel, participant costs, travel costs, materials and supplies

Duration:

• July 1, 2006-September 30, 2009
  

The goals of the grant include:

• Provide effective and sustained research-based science professional development for 3rd-6th grade teachers in northwest Ohio.
• Promote the use of research-based best practices in science and special education teaching in northwest Ohio classrooms consistent with local, state, and national standards.
• Create effective and powerful science learning environments to improve student achievement in state assessments.
• Utilize community resources to enhance teaching and learning throughout northwest Ohio.
• Develop a cadre of science and teacher-leaders to serve as coaches in northwest Ohio schools.
• Improve student inquiry science process skills and science achievement.

Core Strategies:

• Provided grade specific content for teachers in grades 3-6.
• Professional development was implemented in 3 phases per year: a two-week Summer Institute I, the monthly Academic Year, and a one-week Summer Institute 2.
• Content topics each year included:
• Grade 3: Animal Studies & Fossils
• Grade 4: Physical/Chemical Properties & Fossils
• Grade 5: Earth, Moon, and Sun
• Grade 6: Diversity of Life

• Curriculum: Teachers used leased kits from FOSS, Carolina Biological, and/or STC to implement the hands-on activities learned during the professional development into their classroom.
• In year 3, a special education expert was included in each grade level classroom to aid teachers in differentiated instruction.
• Total professional development hours provided in the 3-year project: 345 (115 per year).

Project Achievements during the 3 years:

• Provided professional development to over 250 teachers, reaching approximately 9,000 students.
• Teachers significantly increased attitudes toward the use of inquiry-based teaching strategies and science content knowledge.
• Students significantly increased achievement as documented in the results of the science content tests that were implemented.

Evaluation:

• Consistently resulted in significant increases in teachers’ science content knowledge, as well as teachers’ attitude towards and use of inquiry-based teaching strategies.
• The students of the participating teachers made significant gains in student achievement, as measured by the NWO TEAMS student content tests.

For more information contact:

Funding provided by the Ohio Department of Education: Math & Science Partnership Program