K-6 Teachers and Classrooms Need Stronger Focus on Science
April 5, 2010
California's elementary school teachers feel much less confident in
teaching science than reading or math, and there is both the need and
the potential for significant improvement in elementary school teacher
preparation, according to a new report by the California Council on
Science and Technology (CCST).
Currently, 50% of California's students score at or below basic
proficiency in science, with only Mississippi having a higher percentage
of students below basic proficiency. Little science is taught in the
state's elementary schools: in one recent survey, 80% of K-6 teachers
reported spending 60 minutes or less per week on science; and 16%
indicated they spend no time at all on science.
The Preparation of Elementary School Teachers to Teach Science in
California: Challenges and Opportunities Impacting Teaching and Learning
Science is an eighteen-month study funded by the S.D. Bechtel, Jr.
Foundation. The report examines the state's process for preparing
elementary school teachers to teach science.
Unlike secondary school teachers, who hold credentials that prepare
them specifically to teach science or math, K-6 teachers hold a multiple
subject credential, designed to equip them to teach all subject areas,
including science, in their classrooms.
To complete the new study, CCST worked with the California State
University Center for Teacher Quality (CTQ), which has conducted annual
surveys of first-year teachers and their Principals/supervisors since
2001. The CTQ data over eight years indicate that K-6 teachers rate
themselves as substantially less prepared to teach science than
mathematics or reading.
It is notable that the Principals/supervisors give more positive
ratings to the teachers. In the 2008 survey data, the difference between
new teacher and Principal/supervisor assessment reached 20%. The
findings are consistent with other research indicating that elementary
teachers have an initial and persistent lack of confidence about science
instruction.
"The fact is that despite a general rise in student science
proficiency scores, and considerable focus on science and math teacher
preparation at the secondary level, elementary school teachers have not
shown a rise in confidence over the course of the study, suggesting that
significant work remains to be done," said CCST Education Committee
Chair Stephen Rockwood.
In addition to assessing the preparedness of elementary school
teachers, the study also profiles nine teacher preparation programs
identified by a working group of educational experts as having
initiatives reflecting promising approaches to improving the preparation
of elementary teachers to teach science.
The report includes five principal recommendations:
- Share and disseminate information on existing promising programs
and infrastructure proactively, including convening of a "best
practices" symposium
- Adapt existing statewide teacher preparation policies to enhance K-6
science teaching, including aligning community college lower division
science instruction with teacher preparation programs
- Take a leadership role in the discussion of science standards
nationally and remain proactively engaged in this discussion
- Follow the recommendations for building a statewide K-8 science
reform coalition that were offered by participants during the "Building
a Village" Convocation from April 2009 that was organized by the
National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering.
- Use new data to guide policy and systematically collect such data
from across California's teacher preparation programs.
The report is available at http://ccst.us/publications/2010/2010K-6.pdf.
The California State University (CSU) System, the single largest
teacher preparation system in the state, has increased its preparation
of secondary science and mathematics teachers by more than 85% in the
past five years. It is responding to the report with several initiatives
that address its recommendations. It is planning a meeting on best
practices in teacher preparation that will include an elementary science
teacher preparation symposium. Its campuses are developing new
Foundational Level General Science credential programs that include
community college pathways. It will make available tools used by the
Center for Teacher Quality to facilitate other institutions' collecting
and using data on the preparation of elementary teachers in science.
"Top leaders on this campus and across the CSU are committed to
addressing this problem," said Warren Baker, President of Cal Poly, San
Luis Obispo, and co-chair of the national Business Higher Education
Forum initiative, Securing America's Leadership in Science, Technology,
Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). In a statement on behalf of the CSU
system and five CSU Presidents who have followed the work of the CCST
closely and all strongly support its recommendations, he said "We have a
deep shared concern about these issues, and a number of exemplary
programs have been or are being developed on CSU campuses that we can
build upon to help ensure elementary teachers across California are
well-prepared in science."
The work of the five campuses reflects examples of the approaches
that are being taken across the CSU system. One example is development
of a new K-8 Foundational Level General Science credential and
certificate at CSU East Bay. A second, at CSU Fullerton, includes
integration of kit-based science resources in developing high level
expertise in science among K-6 teachers, and also features a range of
internship experiences in informal science institutions.
A third example, at CSU Los Angeles, includes a collaborative
initiative with the David and Lucile Packard Foundation involving ten
CSU campuses. On each, future elementary teachers will engage with
elementary children in active, hands-on science in after-school
programs.
A fourth example involves elementary teacher pathways in liberal
studies and child development at Humboldt State. Future elementary
teachers will learn inquiry-based science methods and practice them in
museum settings. Another example, at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, includes
early field experiences in inquiry-based science at local elementary
schools. It is part of a recently awarded federal Teacher Quality
Partnership grant with CSU Bakersfield and Monterey Bay.
Click here for a summary of these campus initiatives.
Contact:
Susan Hackwood, Executive Director
California Council on Science and Technology
(951) 682-8701
http://www.ccst.us
