This document describes Project A+, a cooperative school and privately funded program designed to assist the Austin Independent School District (AISD) in becoming an exemplary school district by the year 2000. The project is divided into four components. The curriculum development component presents three new curricula piloted in AISD schools in…

This paper discusses a model of integrated instruction and assessment called SMART (Special Multimedia Arenas for Refining Thinking). SMART involves interactive use of the Internet and multimedia software. The Internet serves three important functions: it acts as a formative assessment tool by providing individualized feedback to students, creates…

The purpose of the Model Academic Curriculum Project was to assess and define the most effective components of the curriculum for Massachusetts vocational-technical schools that would be reflective of current academic demands and employment needs. Eight study goals were implemented: establish statewide meetings; identify/select study groups;…

This publication supports the implementation of science, technology, and society education in schools, as well as news of the nationwide network. Volume 1 includes: "The Present Opportunity in Education," a position paper of the Triangle Coalition for Science and Technology Education; "An STS Learning Cycle for Middle School Students" (Peter…

As students observe plant growth, the questions that naturally arise can provide opportunities for student exploration and discovery. This guide presents a collection of activities for students in grades K-8 that turn students' questions into life sciences learning experiences. The guide contains four chapters, each with background information and…

Assessment of student performance is emerging as a crucial ingredient in the recipe for ongoing improvement of school science. This digest focuses on assessment in the service of instruction, for helping students, teachers, and parents monitor learning. According to M. Jorgensen, performance-based assessment requires that the student demonstrate,…

This curriculum module, one of seven developed by the "Infusion Project," offers information and lessons on drug use prevention for integration into an existing seventh-grade exceptional education middle school curriculum for social skills, mathematics, science and language arts. The module, based on a type of interactive learning called…

The resource persons and program descriptions in this directory came from answers supplied in a 1988 survey mailed to 135 entities having some relationship to or interest in promoting the distribution of water education materials suitable for use in Texas elementary or secondary schools. This directory includes an update on the programs submitted…

A summary is provided of the goals, objectives, activities, and findings of Hudson County Community College's (HCCC's) comprehensive science evaluation project. After introductory material outlines the status of science education at HCCC, the project's objectives are presented; i.e., to analyze the college's science courses and their ability to…

Virtually every aspect of chemistry education was examined to determine changes needed to improve public understanding of science in general and chemistry in particular, and to improve the effectiveness of chemistry education. Among the findings reported are those indicating that: misunderstanding of science is widespread and public understanding…

This document lists science objectives for Boston elementary and middle school students. All objectives are presented in two columns. The left-hand column states each objective in general terms and gives an idea of its scope. The right-hand column, giving a specific example of what students should be able to do when the objective is achieved,…

This seven-part guide is intended for use in defining curricula for a wide clientele of adult learners in British Columbia who want to improve their knowledge, skills, and understanding in science. Part 1 explains the guide's place in the provincial curriculum development and articulation processes, defines the three purposes of the guide,…

The way in which science teachers use innovation and the implications for curriculum policy making are addressed in five articles. In "Classroom Knowledge and Curriculum Change: An Introduction," John Olson proposes a humanistic framework for curricular change. Rob Walker's "The School, the Community, and the Outsider: Case Study of…

A major effort of Project Synthesis was the analysis of written reports, problem statements, new foundation programs, and current research that provided clues as to ideal state conditions in science teaching. A classification scheme that included five focal areas was used in the Project (elementary science, biology, physical science, inquiry, and…

The first (exploratory) phase of the Learning in Science Project focused on science teaching/learning in the Form 1 to 4 level (ages 10 to 14) and sought to identify problems and difficulties in several areas. Provided in this paper are comments obtained during structured/unstructured interviews (from students, ex-students, teachers, headmasters,…