Parents and community members are invited to become scientists for an evening during a Showcase of Student Learning to be held June, 1, 2011 from 6:00pm to 7:30pm at West Branch Elementary School. The Showcase is an opportunity for the community to learn how teachers and students at West Branch have been learning hands-on science through the statewide Science: It’s Elementary (SIE) initiative.
Specific details on the event…
The ASSET and Scienc: It’s Elementary programs go beyond traditional textbook instruction, allowing elementary students to learn by doing. Classrooms are provided with science modules that enable children to experiment and understand the “big picture” of how science affects our lives. This approach allows children to not only observe the practical aspects of science, but also to experiment, interpret, propose solutions and test their theories.
Since SIE’s inception in 2006, Governor Ed Rendell and the previous Pennsylvania Legislature have invested more than $50 million in this program. It has now grown to impact 143 schools, reaching approximately 2,800 teachers and nearly 68,000 students across 52 Pennsylvania counties.
A nationally respected educational evaluation firm found that Science: It’s Elementary changes school district culture resulting in more frequent science lessons being taught in classrooms; leads to significant improvements in student achievement; and teachers who engage in rigorous, ongoing professional development increase their science content knowledge and confidence in teaching science.
A separate study from February 2010 shows that students in ASSET school districts significantly outperform their peers from demographically similar comparison schools on Science, Mathematics, and Reading PSSAs.
SIE is designed, managed, and coordinated by ASSET (Achieving Student Success through Excellence in Teaching) Inc. in partnership with the Pennsylvania Department of Education. ASSET is a nonprofit education improvement organization with a 15-year track record of success in improving the teaching and learning of science in the classroom across Pennsylvania. For more information, visit www.assetinc.org.
For more information on the Showcase of Student Learning, please call West Branch Elementary School at 814-345-5627.