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Improving Teacher Quality

Advancing Collaboration for Equity in Science (ACES)

Grant Number: 08-534

Grant Award: $960,143

Duration of Project: Wednesday, October 01, 2008 - Sunday, September 30, 2012

Project Subject Areas: Science and Writing

Grade Band: K-5

Institutes of Higher Education:

  • University of California, Berkeley, Lawrence Hall of Science

Local Education Agencies:

  • Oakland Unified, Oakland

Partners:

  • California State University, East Bay, Hayward

Number of teachers/principals/highly qualified paraprofessionals participating in the project:

49

Goals:

For students:
  • improve science content knowledge and science thinking process skills
  • improve writing skills
  • increase student engagement in science learning

For teachers:

  • develop science content and pedagogical knowledge
  • acquire skills necessary to work effectively with students of diverse languages and cultures and
  • develop teacher leaders as curriculum presenters, coaches, and facilitators for PLC’s

School-wide:

  • provide teacher support and improved confidence through a collaborative school environment
  • provide more opportunities for science teaching and learning
  • create meaningful home/school partnerships

Activities:

The ACES professional development model consists of a 72-hour content institute, 40 hours during the summer followed by 32-hours during the academic year, a 16-hour facilitator’s institute for Teacher Leaders, and 16 hours of PLC meetings at grade-level; in addition, project coaches will provide weekly content-based classroom support to project teachers.

Anticipated Outcomes:

Students will increase their achievement in standards-based science content learning, expository writing skills, and engagement in science. Teachers will be proficient in implementing FOSS as they develop their own science content knowledge and pedagogical skills; use effective writing strategies and methodologies to improve science learning as well as strengthen writing instruction; integrate into their practice the use of strategies that validate and build upon students’ home language and culture.

Teacher Leaders will lead curriculum workshops, coach teachers on site, and act as PLC facilitators. All teachers will be skilled at using protocols for analyzing student work and collaborating with their peers. Schools will create and maintain structures and procedures that foster strong and effective school/family partnerships that extend student learning both inside and outside the classroom.

Contacts:

Institute of Higher Education: Carol Tateishi, Co-Director, tateishi@berkeley.edu
Institute of Higher Education: Claudio Vargas, Project Director, cvargasb@berkeley.edu
Local Education Agency: Heidi Boley, LEA Co-Director, heidi.boley@ousd.k12.ca.us

Questions, Comments, Corrections?

Send an e-mail to Teacher_Quality@cpec.ca.gov .