Hillsborough County Public Schools Curriculum and Instruction
Action Item

DATE: Tuesday, July 15, 2008
TO: School Board Members
FROM: MaryEllen Elia, Superintendent

SUBJECT / RECOMMENDATIONS

Approve Agreement for Technical Services with Technical Education, Inc. for Leadership for Integrated Middle School Science (LIMSS) Grant Training - $5,000 (Curriculum and Instruction Division)

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

We request approval of the Agreement for Technical Services with Technology Educators, Inc., for the services of Larry Chew to plan, conduct, and evaluate a Science Inquiry in Middle Grades Workshop at Jennings Middle School, July 29-31, 2008, and at Nature’s Classroom, November 6 and December 11, 2008. This workshop is open to all Leadership for Integrated Middle School Science (LIMSS) Grant participants. The flat rate includes workshop materials and travel.

Inquiry is the method used to help teachers attain a deeper content understanding which enables them to construct the learning process themselves. Training content includes demonstrations of hands-on activities to ensure lessons qualify as inquiry, instruction in how to ask leading questions, and instruction on how to relate inquiry to grade level content. Participants will conduct presentations, cookbook labs, guided inquiry, and open-ended inquiry in order to examine the differences. Participants will be trained to teach specific benchmarks using inquiry pedagogy. Having learned inquiry and how to conduct inquiry activities in the classroom, the next step for teachers is how to take existing textbook labs and activities and modify them to be inquiry based. The train-the-trainer model will be used so participating teachers can provide this training to teachers in the future.

ANNUAL DISTRICT GOAL(S) AND CRITICAL SUCCESS FACTOR(S)

Goal 3 - Student performance on FCAT science will increase a minimum of 5%.

FINANCIAL IMPACT (Budgeted: Yes)

Funds of $5,000 are available through the LIMSS Grant, Project 1442.

EVALUATION

2009 FCAT science scores for students of participants will be analyzed to determine effectiveness of training.

SUBMITTED BY: Josie Sanders, General Director, Middle School Education
 Andi Ringer, Supervisor, Middle School Science

Wynne A. Tye
Assistant Superintendent, Curriculum and Instruction
(813) 272-4221
Gretchen Saunders
Chief Business Officer
(813) 272-4270
A 5.31
Hillsborough County Public Schools (Florida) * Mtg.#20080715_295 * Section A Item# 5.31