Compliance hearing exhibits, ''Mathematics/Science''

MATHEMATICS/SCIENCE0-1 ozm5 zmmTo1 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. Mathematics/Science Memorandum from Dennis Glasgow to secondary science teachers, Jan. 11, 1999, on ninth grade physics implementation. Memorandum from Dennis Glasgow to principals, Aug. 25, 1999, on the deployment of mathematics/science lead teachers. Mathematics Program Descriptiondocument prepared to submit to the National Science Foundation in April 2000. Science Program Descriptiondocument prepared to submit to the National Science Foundation in April 2000. K-12 Currie ilum Implementation Plandocument prepared to submit to the National Sen ace Foundation in April 2000. CPMSA Staffingdocument prepared to submit to the National Science Foundation in April 2000. Professional Development Plan for Mathematics and Sciencedocument prepared to submit to the National Science Foundation in April 2000. Little Rock CPMSA Strategic Plan, September 2000February 2002document prepared to submit to the National Science Foundation in April 2000. Memorandum from Vanessa Cleaver to eighth grade mathematics teachers. May 9, 2000, on the extended-year Algebra I program. 10. E-mail from Dennis Glasgow to a parent, Mar. 23, 2000, providing research base for the middle school mathematics program, the Connected Mathematics Project (CMP). 11. Memorandum from Bonnie Lesley to elementary and middle school principals in June 14, 2000, Learning Links on the research and theory behind new mathematics curricula
attached article, Wheres the Balance in Math Instruction? 12. E-mail from Dennis Glasgow to parents, Nov. 9, 2000, with information about research behind LRSDs adoption of the elementary mathematics program. 13. E-mail from Debbie Berry to Bonnie Lesley, Nov. 17, 2000, expressing appreciation for attendance at a national conference on new mathematics curriculum. 14. Memorandum from Bonnie Lesley in Feb. 14, 2000, Learning Links on national study on how best to teach mathematics
attached article from Education Week, Forget Math Feud, Take Broader View, NRC Panel Urges. -/o/ 'Vy -V/-515. Memorandum from Bonnie Lesley in Aug. 23, 2000, Learning Links on standards- based mathematics
attached article, Spread the Word by Lee Stiff. 16. Research Report on new mathematics curriculum used in decision-making: Preliminary Comparison of Michigan State Wide Testing
Results in STC Adopted Districts, June 18, 1998. 17. Research Report on Exemplary Promising Mathematics Programs, Eisenhower National Clearinghouse. 18. Research Report on Connected Mathematics as one of the Exemplary Promising Mathematics Programs, Eisenhower National Cleaminghouse 19. Research Report, Middle Grades Mathematics Textbooks: A Benchmarks-Based Evaluation, Project 2061. 20. Research Report, Investigations in Numbers, Data and Space: Validation Study- - Pretest and Posttest Results, Scott Foresman, Jan. 12, 2001.1 LITTLE ROCK SCHOOL DISTRICl INSTRUCTIONAL RESOURCE CENTER 3001 S. PULASKI STREET LITTLE ROCK, AR 72206 January 11, 1999 TO: FROM: SUBJECT: Secondary Science Teachers (ennis Glasgow, Director of Mathematics and Science Informational Meeting about Ninth Grade Physics i i 5 1 1 ! The Board has approved high school course offerings for 1999-2000 that include physics as a required course for all ninth grade students. An informational meeting about ninth grade physics including certification and training issues for teachers will be held at 4:00p.m. in room 18 at the IRC on Wednesday, January 13. I know ninth grade physics seems like a drastic move to the casual observer, however, it is based on sound logic. Physics is the most fundamental of all science disciplines. Physics serves as the foundation for learning much of biology, chemistry, and earth science. The reason that physics has traditionally been a senior level course is the high level and amount of mathematics required of students to learn traditional high school physics. Since only 17% of our student population take physics now, some strategy was needed to serve a greater percentage of our students. A committee of teachers discussed the issue and recommended that a new NSF funded program. Active Physics, be used as the first year physics curriculum resource for most students and that the course be moved to the ninth grade. i 1 Active Physics was developed in association with the American Association of Physics Teachers and the American Institute of Physics. The program is designed to be used by students as early as the ninth grade and focuses on the beauty, excitement, and usefulness of physics. It doesnt contain so much math and reading. Each chapter of Active Physics begins with a challenge-develop a sport that can be played on the Moon
build a home for people with a housing crisis
persuade your parents to lend you the family car
and so on. The course focuses on physics that is relevant to students everyday life. Everyone should be able to successfully learn physics concepts presented in this manner. I i i 2 Not only should Active Physics be fun for students, it should be exciting and fun to teach. Extensive training and materials and supplies will be provided for each teacher. Since physics teachers are in short supply, the District plans to help existing science teachers gain the twelve hours of physics needed for certification. The courses that will be offered will be tailored to our teachers needs-they wont be regular college engineering physics courses or courses that required trig or calculus. Teachers with 8 hours of physics will need just one four hour course, teachers with 4 hours will need two courses, and teachers with no hours will need to take three physics courses. Stipends will be paid for your 1 summer time to take the courses, and the District will offer tuition reimbursement for the course!s). Teachers who need to take more than one course can be placed on a deficiency removal plan (DRP) and have up to two years to take the courses. Active Physics should be no more difficult to teach than physical science. In fact with the training planned, it should be easier to teach. I would like for present junior high science teachers, high school Science Technology teachers, and any other interested science and/or math teachers to come to the informational meeting to find out about the course, the certification process, and ask any questions that might come to mind. Ninth grade physics should be a great niche for those of you who want to become part of this exciting effort to better serve our high school students. If you cant come to the meeting but know that you want to move to the high school ninth grade physics slot or just need more information, please call and let me know (324-0518). I am getting a head count. CC: Dr. Bonnie Lesley Dr. Richard Hurley Brady Gadberry High School Principals ii i i I I J I! ii2L- LITTLE ROCK SCHOOL DISTRICT INSTRUCTIONAL RESOURCE CENTER 3001 SOUTHPULASKI ST. LIITLE ROCK, AR 72206 August 25, 1999 TO: Principals FROM: SUBJECT: Dennis Glasgow, Director of Mathematics and Science Deployment of Math/Science Lead Teachers I 1 am pleased to announce that the District has just employed/assigned a number of lead teachers to help facilitate the implementation of standards-based mathematics and science curricula in our classrooms. Six (6) elementary math/science lead teachers are on board as well as a middle school math, a middle school science, and a high school math lead teacher. Each elementary lead teacher has been assigned a cluster of about 5 elementary schools from those that do not currently have a science, math, or curriculum specialist. The cluster assignments are included after this memo. The lead teacher assigned to your school will develop a schedule so that she will be in your school one day each week. The primary job goal of each elementary lead teacher is to help your teachers implement Investigations in grades 4-5 and Science and Technology for Children for grades 1 -5. Trish Killingsworth and Lola Perritt will work through the math, science, or curriculum specialist at the six elementary schools that already have specialists. The middle school math lead teacher will help teachers with implementation of the Connected Mathematics Project in grades 6-8. The middle school science lead teacher will work with sixth grade teachers implementing Science and Technology for Children and with 7*' and 8* grade teachers in moving toward standards- based instruction. The high school math lead teacher will help teachers prepare students for the algebra and geometry end of course exams and will facilitate the use of a more standards- based approach in our high school math classrooms. The objectives for the lead teachers are included in a three-page document that follows. Also included in this document is a compilation of the ideas that the Campus Leadership Teams generated during the Institute to help gain parental support for our new standards- based mathematics and science programs. Perhaps your school can use some of these ideas. I am confident that the new standards-based mathematics and science programs, if they are implemented as intended, will increase student achievement and help us meet our NSF performance targets. The lead teachers will help this happen in your school. Your lead teacher will be in your school soon, if she hasnt already been there, to talk with you about her plans. _ Please call me if you need more information. II Math/Science Lead Teacher Assignments 1 I ELEMENTARY MATH/SCIENCE Cassandra Harding Antonette Finney Terry - 20 Mabelvale -16 Meadowcliff -13 Franklin -10 (Math focus) Fair Park - 9 Forest Park -17 Pulaski Hts. -17 Baseline -14 Rightsell -11 Dodd - 11 Annita Paul Renee Kovach Fulbright - 20 Mitchell -12 Cloverdale -19 Chicot -18 Jefferson -18 Wakefield -15 Wilson -13 Woodruff -12 Geyer Springs -11 Paula Smith Rockefeller -18 Otter Creek -12 Badgett - 9 Bale -13 Brady -15 Trish and Lola Carver Booker Gibbs Williams Washington King HIGH SCHOOL MATH Marcelline Carr Daryl Newcomb McDermott -18 Western Hills -12 Garland -12 Romine - 7 (Science focus) Watson -18 MIDDLE SCHOOL MATH Docia Jones All middle schools MIDDLE SCHOOL SCIENCE Rene Carson All middle schools All High Schools INFRASTRUCTURE FOR MATHEMATICS AND SCIENCE The current infrastructure for mathematics and science is inadequate to provide sustained professional development and classroom support for teachers as they implement standards-based mathematics and science curricula. Presently, one elementary mathematics specialist, one secondary science specialist, and two elementary math/science specialists provide the training and support for all teachers. I To improve the infrastructure for mathematics and science, the 50 schools in the District will be divided into clusters that are each assigned a specialist. Five of the thirty-five elementary schools already have school-based math and/or science specialists. The other thirty schools will be divided into 6 clusters with 5 schools each. The 8 middle schools will make a cluster and the 5 high schools will make a cluster. An elementary lead teacher for mathematics and science support will be assigned to each of the 6 elementary clusters, a mathematics lead teacher and a science lead teacher will serve the cluster of middle schools, and a mathematics lead teacher and a science lead teacher will serve the five high schools. These ten lead teachers plus the specialists already based at individual schools will provide professional development and classroom level support for the mathematics and science teachers in their cluster. 3 The ten lead teachers will be funded in the following manner: I 4 - National Science Foundation Grant 1 - Title VI ft 3 s i 2.5 - Class-size Reduction Allocation 2.5 - District-funded or other funds to be sought 1 a The goal, objectives, and activities for the lead teachers aie as follows: 9 i S f -3 Goal: To facilitate the change from a traditional mathematics and science curriculum to a standards-based curriculum for the purpose of increasing the enrollment and achievement of students in mathematics and science. Objective 1: Provide professional development for mathematics and/or science teachers in the assigned cluster on District adopted standards-based math and science curricula and related topics such as cooperative learning, constructivist approach, inquiry learning, and problem solving strategies that are integral to standards-based pedagogy. Activities: 1. Receive training at the District-level to become proficient irf all the standards- based mathematics and science modules that are used in the cluster schools. 2. Identify first hand, through classroom visitations, the critical professional development needs of teachers in cluster schools.3. Schedule time for cluster teachers to participate in professional development to address the identified needs. 4. Identify highly successful teachers who can serve as models for other teachers and facilitate the visitation process. Objective 2: Provide weekly classroom support for teachers who are implementing standards-based curricula. This support will include encouragement, extra hands, mini-teaching, material resources, trouble shooting, and other technical support deemed necessary. Activities: 1. Schedule visitations to the schools so that each school is visited about once a 5 i ! 2. 3. 4. week. During each school visitation work with as many teachers as can be productively included. During the school visitations, provide immediate teachers with as much immediate technical assistance and support as possible and catalogue other needs for later attention or for referral to the District level. Visit with the principal of the school each time it is visited to keep him/her up to date on successes and needs. ) Objective 3: Provide opportunities for teachers to dialogue about experiences in implementing the standards-based curricula and provide follow-up professional development for cluster teachers to address observed/identified needs. Activities: i i ! t 1. 2. 3. 4. Schedule user conferences for teachers at cluster schools to share information about successes and concerns about the implementation of standards-based curricula. Identify successful implementers for other cluster teachers to visit to get ideas and information about effective implementation strategies. Identify needs for follow-up professional development and provide it for cluster teachers. Facilitate meetings between teachers with the same interest or concern to promote dialogue and problem solving. I ! i I Objective 4: Assess the implementation success of the teachers/schools in the cluster and evaluate the effectiveness of the standards-based programs in achieving desired student results._ Activities: - 1. Help implement District approved assessment tools in cluster schools. 2. Receive training on alternative assessment methods. 3. Assist teachers in cluster schools in embedding authentic assessment into their classroom teaching: 4. Gather data as requested/needed by the District. 5. Assess on a quarterly basis the degree to which the cluster schools are meeting District evaluation criteria.Objective 5: Serve as a liaison to the District Mathematics and Science Office and CPMSA Office for the purpose of aligning District resources and technical provided to the schools and providing additional District-level training. Activities
support 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Attend District-level meetings to help determine needs for professional development or other support across the District. Receive training on all District standards-based curricula adopted for the levels of the assigned cluster schools. Report successes/concems to the District Math/Science and NSF Offices. Communicate to parents and the community about the systemic changes in mathematics and science iiicluding the standards-based curricular implementation. Provide information to the District Communications Office about cluster activities to be included in District publications. i ! !Elementary Schools Gain parental/community support for standards-based mathematics and science. Workshops for teachers to get on board Student demo program for parents Class observations Newsletters Take-home games Sell the teachers Flyers to parents at registration Home videos Homework packets Information at Open House Publicize results of schools that have tried it Use parent coordinators Family Math & Science night Parent information meetings, i.e., Muffins for Mom, Doughnuts for Dad Research - Proof of success locally and nationally Partner Participation Parenting classes Media exposure Parent committee to learn curriculum and teach other parents Background on why we are changing General meeting provided by math department on research Individual student/staff/parent testimonials Explain grading structure Homework center Parent mentors Parent conference script for teachers Web Site (Math page, science page) Team competitions Parent work sessions Exhibition Day(Products, Projects) Math section in Parent Handbook Math/science fair Awards assembly per semester Training of tutors in new programs Examples in parent center Develop parent manual Celebrate results Check-out activities 5 S.MIDDLE SCHOOLS Gain-parentai/community support for standards-based mathematics and science. Family Math & Science Night Involve neighborhood businesses in incorporating math/science in the work - Invite parents Involve untapped resources, i.e., retired teachers, community stakeholders Involve PARK, Learning Clubs, etc with new ways of teaching math and science Offer training sessions for parents Compose letter explaining changes and data that supports that change. Insure every math teacher has been inserviced Parent observation/participation should be encouraged Strong teacher support outside of school Access to research for parents Multi-lingual communication Main channels on T.V., coverage on Community Service Math department information session Discuss with parents during orientation Teachers explain to students Teacher newsletter to parents prior to new unit Open House presentation/demonstration Target commimity churches to provide tutoring at their sites Provide training/workshops for potential tutors in standards-based mathematics Target neighborhood associations to enlist their support Teachers go into community and teach parents new approaches Pre/Post Growth assessment Tri-fold information handout Media blitz for school newspaper/newsletter and district newsletter LRSD Website Town Hall information meetings Math teachers motivate kids to share methods with parents on the first night 'ft J I -"3 - V aHigh Schools Gain parental/community support for standards-based mathematics and science and Active Physics. Family math and science night with physics activities included. Printed media campaign to educate parents (orientation, registration, newsletters, school newspaper, etc) 9 weeks syllabus sent home to parents Student journals to be shared with parents Demonstrations during Open House Research data on ACT/SAT after higher math and science Task force to disseminate infomation to parents/community Staff development for teachers Parent observation of classrooms Student competitions similar to science fairs- Recruit elementary students/parents to shadow physics students Target/Market plan to minority parents Host Informational (Q & A) session for parents/community (Town Hall Meeting) Media coverage on television, district channel Sell the students: incentives Science Homework Center hotline Science Lab in community centers Change course name3 h ^,\>C Mathematics Program Description Little Rock School District General Program Components The K-12 mathematics program in the Little Rock School District, as are all LRSD curriculum programs, is designed according to the following components: 1. Curriculum Content and Skills Standards that are aligned with the national curriculum standards and the Arkansas Mathematics Curriculum Frameworks. Board policy lA states that Academic content standards will be developed, with grade- and course-level benchmarks, in reading/language arts, mathematics, science, and social studies. The regulations also require that each curriculum program reflect the following exit standards
> Adequately master reading, writing, speaking, listening (communication), critical and creative thinking, and mathematical skills sufficient for effective, efficient functioning. Locate and use needed information from printed materials and/or other resources. Identify problems and needs, apply problem-solving strategies, and analyze information for meaning and/or action. Use tools of technology at an effective, efficient, flexible, and adaptable level. Have knowledge of basic historical, geographic, political, literary, and scientific information, and use such knowledge in day-to-day decisions. Appreciate and understand cultural differences, the arts and humanities, current happenings, and ways to predict or influence future events. Establish and maintain effective and supportive intrapersonal, interpersonal, and cooperative relationships, and civic and social responsibility. Demonstrate self-direction as an active life-long learner and demonstrate self-respect, self-esteem, self-understanding, and a physically and mentally balanced healthy life. Policy IG further requires that the curriculum at all levels of its development in the Little Rock School District will be standards-based and define what students should know and be able to do at the conclusion of each grade level or course. To ensure that the curriculum standards apply to all students and that high expectations are in place for all. Policy IGA requires the following: The staff responsible for the design and/or delivery of all special programs, including but not limited to, special education. Title I, English-as-a-Second Language, migrant education, gifted and talented education, 504 programs, alternative 1education programs, etc. are to ensure that their programs reflect the district- adopted grade-level/course standards and benchmarks and are coordinated with the overall curriculum plan. Special programs will adapt instruction, pacing, materials and assessments, as appropriate, to meet the unique needs of the students served. Policy IGE requires that all curriculum guides be aligned with the Arkansas curriculum frameworks, the LRSD academic content standards and benchmarks, and the assessments administered by LRSD and the State of Arkansas, including College Board Advanced Placement examinations and the ACT. tl Cumculum documents that describe the Little Rock School District mathematics program are as follows: K-12 Mathematics Standards/Benchmarks K-8 Benchmarks (publication for parents) A Parent and Student Guide to Learning in Middle School, 2000-01 (publication for students and parents) A High School Student and Parent Guide to Course Selection and Graduation Requirements, 2000-01 (publication for students and parents) Middle School Curriculum Catalog (publication for school-level staff) High School Curriculum Catalog (publication for school-level staff) 2. Assessments to measure student progress toward achievement of the challenging mathematics content and skills standards. These assessments include all those in the Districts formal assessment program, as well as those that are teacher created and embedded in instruction. As teacher skills improve, they are moving more and more toward seamless instruction and assessment. Student assessments provide teachers frequent data to evaluate not only how individual students are performing, but also how they may need to modify their instructional strategies to create more student success. 3. Effective teaching strategies that are research-based or best practice. Such strategies are those that are constructivist in nature, that lead to student understanding of complex concepts and their applications, and that lead to student success in demonstrating successful performance relating to the achievement of the content and skills standards for the course. 4. Selection and use of materials (such as software, textbooks, manipulatives, calculators, etc.) that assist both in teaching and in learning and that lead to student success in achieving the curriculum content and skills standards. 5. Professional development that supports teachers in their understanding of the grade-level or course standards, in the design of appropriate assessments to measure student success, in the design of rubrics or scoring guides, in the acquisition of the skills and understandings necessary to develop effective 2teaching strategies, and in the use of appropriate materials (software, textbooks, manipulatives, calculators, etc.). The districts professional development program includes both in-classroom coaching and follow-up training. New topics for training are determined based upon interpretations of student achievement data and on the demonstrated needs of teachers (as determined through classroom observations and teacher surveys). 6. Program evaluations that are conducted in year 2 of the curriculum guide development cycle. The regulations in IGE-Rl require that program evaluations for each curriculum program be conducted prior to the revision of new curriculum guides and that the recommendations be used in the design of the guide. Program Definition in Revised Desegregation and Education Plan The Districts revised plan, approved by the federal court in spring 1998, included several obligations for the reform of the Districts mathematics program. They are as follows: Section 5.3: Mathematics. LRSD shall implement the following strategies to improve mathematics instruction. Section 5.3.1: Revise the mathematics curriculum to include a smaller number of concepts at each level, the use of manipulatives, and problem solving and critical thinking, and train teachers on its implementation. Section 5.3.2
Develop appropriate assessment devices for measuring individual student achievement and the success of the revised curriculum. Section 5.3.3: Provide resources for early intervention with students with mathematical problems and for training teachers on early intervention
and Section 5.3.4: Revise mathematics curriculum to increase the number of students successfully completing Algebra I and higher-level mathematics courses. Section 5.3.5. Adopt as a goal that all students in regular classes will complete Algebra and Geometry by the end of their eleventh grade year and that students will be proficient in mathematics by graduation. LRSD shall provide assistance to those students experiencing difficulty with Algebra and Geometry. A copy from the Districts Interim Compliance Report as of March 15, 2000, relating to these obligations is attached in the appendix to this section. Magnet Programs The Little Rock School District has made a major investment over the years in several magnet schools and magnet programs within schools to further its desegregation efforts and to provide special programming for students with specialized interests. The following schools feature magnets in the area of mathematics and science: 3Carver I Jementary SchoolScience and Mathematics Magnet School An extra hour of science per week is provided by the Science Specialist, her assistant, and the classroom teacher in a fully equipped state-of-the-art science laboratory. The students work in small groups to discover solutions to challenging problems through hands-on experiments. Every other week the science specialist plans with each grade level to implement the District curriculum intergrated with literacy instruction. Each child in grades 3-4-5 participates in a choice of science fairs, which include Science, Mathematics, and Invent America. All classrooms have their choice of animals to study and care for throughout the year. Students are encouraged to house them at the homes during summer and all vacations. Science becomes real life at Carver. Williams Elementary SchoolBasic Skills Magnet School A full-time curriculum specialist provides support for science and mathematics through school-wide activities, such as the science/ mathematics fair, demonstrations, experiments, and a continuous search for professional development activities that are aligned with the school improvement plan. She has also created a science/mathematics laboratory where she schedules more complex experiments than can be done in the regular classroom. In addition, she schedules resource speakers and field trips that support the standards-based curricula in mathematics and science. She shares her expertise with all teachers in planning for the delivery of each instructional module and in assessing student understanding and progress. Washington Elementary Magnet School and King Elementary Interdistrict School both have science and mathematics labs and full-time curriculum specialists who support teachers in the implementation of high quality science and mathematics instruction. Maim Middle SchoolScience Magnet School Each student in this school takes a second science course each year in grades 6-8Science Lab 6, Science Lab 7, and Science Lab 8. Students at Mann participate in a wide variety of co/extra-curricular activities related to their specialization area of science and mathematics. Henderson Middle SchoolHealth Sciences Magnet Program Each student in this program (school within a school) takes a second science course: Health Science 6, Health Science 7, and Health Science 8. Henderson is also one of the original technology schools in the District, with computers in every classroom and a virtual classroom established in partnership with the University of Arkansas for Medical Science (UAMS). 4Parkview High SchoolScience Magnet School Students at Parkview High School must five units in a Career Focus: Two units of biology beyond Biology I
and One semester of chemistry beyond Chemistry I
and Two units of German or Latin
and One semester of Applied Statistics and Technical Writing
and Yearly Project. Science courses that are unique to Parkview High School are as follows: Microbiology (1/2) Qualitative Analysis (1/2) Applied Statistics/Technical Writing (1/2) Environmental Health (1/2) Human Anatomy and Physiology (1/2) Organic Chemistry (1/2) Students specializing in science and mathematics at Parkview also participate in a wide variety of related co/extracurricular activities. University Studies Program Hall High School began in fall 1999 a partnership with the University of Arkansas at Little Rock (UALR). A university professor and a high school teacher co-teach designated courses through which students at grades 11-12 may earn dual creditboth high school credit toward graduation and college hours. In fall 2000 the first mathematics course will be offered: Pre-Calculus A and B (high school credit) and UALRs College Algebra (college credit) Lab Schools Throughout 1999-2000 some of the staff have worked with teams of staff and parents at each of four secondary schools in southwest Little Rock to design plans for curriculum enhancements and the improvement of student achievement. Those four schools are Mablevale Middle, Cloverdale Middle, McClellan High, and Fair High. The plans that are emerging (and for which external funding will be sought to supplement district funds in support of implementation) all involve emphases on science and technology-related programs. By the end of summer 2000 more definitive information will be available on these plans, and they will become another major component in the Districts agenda for the next several years. As an example, Mablevale Middle is proposing an emphasis on Environmental Science. And Fair High School has already developed a partnership with the University of Arkansas at Little Rock (UALR) to feed students from Fair directly to the new Information Technology program at UALR. Two new courses will be offered at Fair in 2000-2001: Applications of Mathematicsa web-based pre-calculus course
and Enterprise Information Sciencea project-oriented laboratory course in information technology. A summer program on the UALR campus has also been developed to 5provide Fair High students with mathematics and science knowledge and skill development. Two elementary schools were added to this study and planning initiative, Fair Park Elementary and Stephens Elementary (to open in fall 2000). Fair Park Elementarys plan includes an emphasis in Environmental Studies
and Stephens Elementary will include major emphases in technology applications and economics. Graduation Requirements-Mathematics Students in the Little Rock School School District may earn diplomas in one of four ways
1. Students may graduate from the Accelerated Learning Center with a total of 21 units, including three units of mathematics: Algebra I or Algebra I Pre-AP Concepts of Geometry or Geometry or Geometry Pre-AP Algebra II or Algebra II Pre-AP or Statistics or Statistics AP Students may take Algebra I Pre-AP for high school credit in grade 8. The Accelerated Learning Center (ACC) is an alternative high school for over-age, credit-deficient students. The curriculum is technologically supported and competency based so that students can move to the next course as soon as they complete the previous one. The required 21 units for graduation are the minimum required by the State of Arkansas. 2. Students may graduate from any of the five comprehensive high schools with a total of 24 units of credit, including at least three units of mathematics: Algebra I or Algebra I Pre-AP Concepts of Geoemtry or Geometry or Geometry Pre-AP Algebra II or Algebra II Pre-AP or Statistics or Statistics AP Students may take Algebra I Pre-AP for high school credit in grade 8. Some few advanced or gifted students also take Geometry Pre-AP and/or Algebra II Pre-AP during middle school, but the State of Arkansas allows only one credit in mathematics taken in middle school to count toward high school graduation. 3. To encourage as many students as possible to pursue a more rigorous and challenging high school program, the Board of Education also established a recommended curriculum for high school graduation. It includes 27 units of credit, including four units of mathematics
Algebra I or Algebra I Pre-AP Geometry or Geometry Pre-AP Algebra II or Algebra II Pre-AP One additional unit of advanced mathematics Students may take Algebra I Pre-AP for high school credit in grade 8. Some few advanced or gifted students also take Geometry Pre-AP and/or Algebra II Pre-AP during middle school, but the State of Arkansas allows only one credit 6in mathematics taken in middle school to count toward high school graduation. 4. Students who have identified learning disabilities may graduate under a plan designed by their lEP committees. These plans generally track the Districts requirements for all students, except that some courses may be adapted courses for students in the Resource Room or in Self-Contained settings. Career Focus Arkansas requires each graduate to have earned a minimum of three units in one area of Career Focus. Students who wish to complete their Career Focus in science and/or mathematics will complete the following: Two units of one foreign language
and One additional unit beyond Common Core requirements in science or mathematics
or Three units beyond the Common Core requirements from upper-level mathematics and/or science courses. Students who pursue the recommended graduation plan must complete a minimum of four units in the Career Focus. Pre-Advanced Placement CoursesMathematics The Little Rock School District has long offered advanced,' honors, or enriched courses in the core curriculum areas for advanced students. Effective fall 1999, the District standardized those courses and named them all as Pre-Advanced Placement, grades 6-10 or 6-11. The regulations in IGE-Rl state the following: Pre-Advanced Placement courses, beginning in grade 6, will reflect LRSD standards and benchmarks and shall be aligned with the College Boards syllabus requirements for Advanced Placement courses, incrementally building in students the knowledge and skills necessary to be successful in Advanced Placement courses and examinations. ... Curriculum program staff are responsible for ensuring that the curricula for Pre-AP and AP courses are qualitatively different from the curricula of parallel regular-level courses. The regulations in IHBB-R state that identified gifted/talented students are to be placed in Pre-Advanced Placement courses at the middle school level. At the high school level, students who are gifted/talented in mathematics are placed in Pre-Advanced Placement and Advanced Placement courses. Other options include seminars, mentorships, dualenrollment (with concurrent university credit) and/or independent study. These courses are not, however, limited to gifted/talented students. 7Policy IHCC establishes the Pre-Advanced Placement and Advanced Placement program for the Little Rock School District as a vehicle for providing quality educational opportunities for all its students through a rigorous, challenging curriculum. Importantly, the policy also mandates that there be no barriers to participation in Pre- Advanced Placement and Advanced Placement courses due to ethnicity, race, gender, national origin, creed, socioeconomic level, or handicapping condition. Further, District staff are required to include in its professional development program for teachers and counselors training in identifying and encouraging increasing percentages of students to participate in Pre-Advanced Placement and Advanced Placement courses. The following Pre-Advanced Placement mathematics courses are offered in the Little Rock School District: Mathematics 6 Pre-AP Mathematics 7 Pre-AP Mathematics 8 Pre-AP Algebra I Pre-AP (grade 8) Algebra II Pre-AP Geometry Pre-AP Trigonometry and Advanced Algebra Pre-AP Desegregation Compliance One of the major issues in the Districts 1998 Revised Desegregation and Education Plan relates to African-American enrollment in Pre-Advanced Placement and Advanced Placement courses. The obligations are as follows: Section 2.6: LRSD shall implement programs, polices, and/or procedures designed to promote participation and to ensure that there are no barriers to participation by qualified Afidcan-Americans in ... advanced placement courses ... and the gifted and talented program. Section 2.6.1: LRSD shall implement a training program during each of the next three years designed to assist teachers and counselors in identifying and encouraging Afidcan-American students to participate in honors and enriched courses and advanced placement courses. Section 2.6.2: LRSD shall implement programs to assist Afidcan-American students in being successful in honors and enriched courses and advanced placement courses. In the appendix attached to this section is the text from a document filed on March 15, 2000, with the federal court in Little Rockthe Interim Compliance Report, which includes details of the activities that have been completed in response to the above-stated obligations. These pages document the Districts efforts to ensure that students are not tracked academically and that increasing percentages of Afidcan-Americans emoll in both Pre-Advanced Placement and Advanced Placement courses. 8Also attached in the appendix for this section is a recent report published by the Division of Instruction that documents progress to date in increasing enrollment and success of African-American students in Pre-Advanced Placement and Advanced Placement courses. A summary of the findings follows: The total enrollment of African-American students in AP courses has increased from 471 in 1997-98 to 695 in 1999-2000a 48 percent increase. The total eiuolhnent in AP courses for all students has increased from 1435 in 1997-98 to 1791 in 1999-2000a 25 percent increase. Improvements are the result of the following: Improved recruitment of students by teachers and counselors for AP course enrollment. Addition of several new AP courses to the LRSD curriculum. The Boards decision in December 1998 to make all AP courses available in all five high schools. Inclusion of enrollment in AP courses as one of the Quality Index indicators (the LRSD school accountability system). Change in regulations so that students may now enroll in a Pre-AP or AP course if they earned at least a C in the previous course. Increased awareness of goals through the Revised Desegregation and Education Plan, NSF Project, policies and regulations adoption, and professional development. National Origin Issues In March 1999 the Office of Civil Rights conducted a routine compliance review of the programs for second-language students in the Little Rock School District. They found the District out of compliance in several areas. Rather than endure the expense and time for lengthy litigation, the District voluntarily entered into a Commitment to Resolve agreement with OCR. One of the obligations in that agreement relates to this issue of student access to special opportunity programswhich include the Pre-Advanced Placement and Advanced Placement mathematics courses and the University Studies program at Hall High School. The policy regulations in IHBEA-R state the following: The District will ensure that LEP students have equal access to the Gifted and Talented programs and Pre-AP and AP couses at the secondary level throughout the District and to the University Studies program at Hall High School. The District will provide parents of LEP students information about any opporfimities, requirements, selection criteria, or general information regarding the G/T program, Pre-AP and AP courses, and the University Studies program that is provided to the parents of non-LEP students. 9Screening tests should be in the language of the students, if at all practicable. If nonverbal tests are adminstered, the instrucnons should be in the language of the students. Staff who administer GT screening tests to LEP students must have received training on addressing the needs of LEP students. Elementary Mathematics (K-5) Courses The adopted curriculum standards and grade-level benchmarks define the curriculum for grades K-5. The formal assessment program (described elsewhere in section 6 of this Update to the Annual Report) provides measurements of student progress. In addition, teachers use the released items from the State Benchmark Examinations and the sample Gateway assessment items that are provided through the states Smart Start program to assess student growth. They also use teacher-created assessments, including observations of student performance to determine progress. The District has adopted Investigations in Number, Data, and Space to support its K-5 curriculum. This program is a complete K-5 mathematics curriculum that supports all students as they learn to think mathematically. Investigations has been carefully designed to engage students in key mathematical content as they develop number sense, learn to visualize and describe geometrical relationships, and collect and analyze real data. As they explore mathematical problems in depth, students work together, use a variety of concrete materials and appropriate technology, and express their mathematical thinking through talking, drawing, and writing. The first four curriculum standards for mathematics are embedded throughout the Investigations curriculum as noted below: Standard 1: Mathematics as Problem Solving. In each investigation, students consider problems, develop a variety of strategies to solve them, and share their solutions. Standard 2: Mathematics as Communication. Students are involved in building, drawing, representing, writing, and talking as part of their mathematics work. They develop their own strategies for representing and recording and are introduced to a repertoire of useful ways of utilizing concrete materials, pictures, tables, graphs, and charts. Standards. Mathematics as Reasoning. Units of study are designed to support teachers and students as they move away from a view of mathematics as a series of facts and procedures to be memorized toward a view of mathematics as a discipline in which one can use all the resources at at hand to reason about mathematical problems. Standard 4. Mathematical Connections. Most units are structured around connected mathematical ideas: addition and subtraction always appear together, as do multiplication and division. The connection is also made between the 10 conventional mathematical symbols, terms and notation, and the MEANING of mathematical operations and relationships. The following Investigations modules address the curriculum standards as noted: Grade 1 Modules Mathematical Thinking at Grade 1 (Introduction) Standards 1-4 Standard 6. Standard 7. Standard 8. Standard 9. Standard 11. Standard 13. (See above.) Number Sense and Numeration Concepts of Whole Number Operations Whole Number Computation Geometry and Spatial Sense Statistics and Probability Patterns and Relationships Building Number Sense (The Number System) Standards 1-4 Standard 5. Standard 6. Standard 7. Standard 8. Standard 9. Standard 10. Standard 13. (See above.) Estimation Number Sense and Numeration Concepts of Whole Number Operations Whole Number Computation Geometry and Spatial Sense Measurement Patterns and Relationships Survey Questions and Secret Rules (Collecting and Sorting Data) Standards 1-4 Standard 6. Standard 7. Standard 8. Standard 9. Standard 11. Standard 13. (See above.) Number Sense and Numeration Concepts of Whole Number Operations Whole Number Computation Geometry and Spatial Sense Statistics and Probability Patterns and Relationships Quilt Squares and Block Towns (2-D and 3-D Geometry) Standards 1-4 Standard 5. Standard 6. Standard 7. Standard 8. Standard 9. Standard 11. Standard 13. (See above.) Estimation Number Sense and Numeration Concepts of Whole Number Operations Whole Number Computation Geometry and Spatial Statistics and Probability Patterns and Relationships 11 Number Games and Story Problems (Addition and Subtraction) Standards 1-4 Standard 6. Standard 7. Standard 8. Standard 9. Standard 13. (See above.) Number Sense and Numeration Concepts of Whole Number Operations Whole Number Computation Geometry and Spatial Patterns and Relationships Grade 2 Modules Mathematical Thinking at Grade 2 (Introduction) Standards 1-4 Standard 5. Standard 6. Standard 7. Standard 8. Standard 9. Standard 11. Standard 13. (See above.) Estimation Number Sense and Numeration Concepts of Whole Number Operations Whole Number Computation Geometry and Spatial Sense Statistics and Probability Patterns and Relationships Coins, Coupons, and Combinations (The Number System) Standards 1-4 Standard 6. Standard 7. Standard 8. Standard 11. Standard 13. (See above.) Number Sense and Numeration Concepts of Whole Number Operations Whole Number Computation Statistics and Probability Patterns and Relationships Does It Walk, Crawl, or Swim? (Sorting and Classifying Data) Standards 1-4 (See above.) Standard 11. Statistics and Probability Shapes, Halves, and Symmetry (Geometry and Fractions) Standards 1-4 Standard 5. Standard 6. Standard 9. Standard 10. Standard 12. Standard 13. (See above.) Estimation Number Sense and Numeration Geometry and Spatial Sense Measurement Fractions and Decimals Patterns and Relationships 12 Putting Together and Taking Apart (Addition and Subtraction) Standards 1-4 Standard 6. Standard 7. Standard 8. Standard 13. (See above.) Number Sense and Numeration Concepts of Whole Number Operations Whole Number Computation Patterns and Relationships How Long? How Far? (Measuring) Standards 1-4 Standard 5. Standard 6. Standard 7. Standard 8. Standard 9. Standard 10. Standard 13. (See above.) Estimation Number Sense and Numeration Concepts of Whole Number Operations Whole Number Computation Geometry and Spatial Sense Measurement Patterns and Relationships Grade 3 Modules Mathematical Thinking at Grade 3 (Introduction) Standards 1-4 Standard 6. Standard 7. Standard 8. Standard 9. Standard 13. (See above.) Number Sense and Numeration Concepts of Whole Number Operations Whole Number Computation Geometry and Spatial Sense Patterns and Relationships Things That Come in Groups (Multiplication and Division) Standards 1-4 Standard 6. Standard 7. Standard 8. Standard 9. Standard 13. (See above.) Number Sense and Numeration Concepts of Whole Number Operations Whole Number Computation Geometry and Spatial Sense Patterns and Relationships Flips, Turns, and Area (2-D Geometry) Standards 1-4 Standard 9. Standard 10. (See above.) Geometry and Spatial Sense Measurement Standard 13. Patterns and Relationships From Paces to Feet (Measuring and Data) Standards 1-4 Standard 5. Standard 9. Standard 10. (See above.) Estimation Geometry and Spatial Sense Measurement 13 Standard 11. Statistics and Probability Standard 13. Patterns and Relationships Landmarks in the Hundreds (The Number System) Standards 1-4 Standard 6. Standard 7. Standard 8. Standard 9. Standard 13. (See above.) Number Sense and Numeration Concepts of Whole Number Operations Whole Number Computation Geometry and Spatial Sense Patterns and Relationships Combining and Comparing (Addition and Subtraction) Standards 1-4 Standard 5. Standard 6. Standard 7. Standard 8. Standard 10. Standard 11. Standard 13. (See above.) Estimation Number Sense and Numeration Concepts of Whole Number Operations Whole Number Computation Measurement Statistics and Probability Patterns and Relationships Fair Shares (Fractions) Standards 1-4 Standard 9. Standard 12. Standard 13. (See above.) Geometry and Spatial Sense Fractions and Decimals Patterns and Relationships Exploring Solids and Boxes (3-D Geometry) Standards 1-4 Standard 5. Standard 6. Standard 9. Standard 13. (See above.) Estimation Number Sense and Numeration Geometry and Spatial Sense Patterns and Relationships Grade 4 Modules Mathematical Thinking at Grade 4 (Introduction) Standards 1-4 Standard 5. Standard 6. Standard 1. Standard 8. Standard 9. Standard 13. (See above.) Estimation Number Sense and Numeration Concepts of Whole Number Operations Whole Number Computation Geometry and Spatial Sense Patterns and Relationships 14 Arrays and Shares (Multiplication and Division) Standards 1-4 Standard 6. Standard 7. Standard 8. Standard 9. Standard 13. (See above.) Number Sense and Numeration Concepts of Whole Number Operations Whole Number Computation Geometry and Spatial Sense Patterns and Relationships Seeing Solids and Silhouettes (3-D Geometry) Standards 1-4 (See above.) Standard 9. Geometry and Spatial Sense Landmarks in the Thousands (The Number System) Standards 1-4 Standard 6. Standard 7. Standard 8. Standard 13. (See above.) Number Sense and Numeration Concepts of Whole Number Operations Whole Number Computation Patterns and Relationships Different Shapes, Equal Pieces (Fractions and Area) Standards 1-4 Standard 6. Standard 9. Standard 10. Standard 12. Standard 13. (See above.) Number Sense and Numeration Geometry and Spatial Sense Measurement Fractions and Decimals Patterns and Relationships Money, Miles, and Large Numbers (Addition and Subtraction) Standards 1-4 Standard 5. Standard 6. Standard 7. Standard 8. Standard 10. Standard 12. (See above.) Estimation Number Sense and Numeration Concepts of Whole Number Operations Whole Number Computation Measurement Fractions and Decimals Packages and Groups (Multiplication and Division) Standards 1-4 Standard 6. Standard 7. Standard 8. Standard 13. (See above.) Number Sense and Numeration Concepts of Whole Number Operations Whole Number Computation Patterns and Relationships 15 Grade 5 Modules Mathematical Thinking at Grade 5 (Introduction) Standards 1-4 Standard 5. Standard 6. Standard 7. Standard 8. Standard 12. (See above.) Number and Number Relationships Number Systems and Number Theory Computation and Estimation Patterns and Functions Geometry Picturing Polygons (2-D Geometry) Standards 1-4 Standard 5. Standard 6. Standard 1. Standard 8. Standard 13. (See above.) Number and Number Relationships Number Systems and Number Theory Computation and Estimation Patterns and Functions Measurement Name that Portion (Fractions, Percents, and Decimals) Standards 1-4 Standard 5. Standard 6. Standard 1. Standard 8. Standard 10. (See above.) Number and Number Relationships Number Systems and Number Theory Computation and Estimation Patterns and Functions Statistics Between Never and Always (Probability) Standards 1-4 Standard 5. Standard 6. Standard 7. Standard 10. Standard 11. (See above.) Number and Number Relationships Number Systems and Number Theory Computation and Estimation Statistics Probability Building on Numbers You Know (Computation and Estimation Strategies) Standards 1-4 Standard 5. Standard 6. Standard 7. Standard 9. (See above.) Number and Number Relationships Number Systems and Number Theory Computation and Estimation Algebra 16 Containers and Cubes (3-D Geometry: Volume) Standards 1-4 Standard 5. Standard 7. Standard 12. Standard 13. (See above.) Number and Number Relationship Computation and Estimati Geometry Measurement Middle Schools (Grades 6-81 Mathematics Courses The adopted curriculum standards and course benchmarks define the curriculum for grades 6-8. The formal assessment program (described elsewhere in section 6 of this Update to the Annual Report) provides measurements of student progress. In addition, teachers use the released items from the State Benchmark Examinations and the sample Gateway assessment items that are provided through the states Middle Start program to assess student growth. They also use teacher-created assessments, including observations of student performance to determine progress. The District has adopted the Connected Mathematics Program to support its grades 6-8 curriculum. This curriculum is devoted to developing student knowledge and understanding of mathematics that are rich in connections- :onnections among core ideas in mathematics, connections between mathematics and its applications in other school subjects, connections between the planned teaching/leaming activities and interests of middle school students, and connections with the applications of mathematical ideas in the world outside school. The curriculum is organized around interesting problem settingsreal situations, whimsical situations, or interesting mathematical situations. Students explore problems, work in cooperative groups, use a variety of concrete materials and appropriate technology to conjecture, test, and generalize their mathematical thinking through writing, drawing, and talking. Computation skills are embedded and reinforced in each unit. The following four curriculum content standards are embedded in all CMP units
Standard 1. Mathematics as Problem Solving. All the CMP units are divided into investigations which present problems for the students to solve. The entire curriculum is built around these problems in contexts that are interesting to the students. Many of the contexts have validity in the real world. Others use fantasy of mathematics as a context. Standard 2. Mathematics as Communications. Emphasis is placed on the students discussing the problems in class, talking through their solutions, and learning how to communicate their solutions to a more general audience. They learn how to communicate by using different kinds of representations such as graphs, tables, formulas, or written explanations of arguments. 17Standard 3. Mathematics as Reasoning Through discussing the problems and solutions, the students learn to reason about the mathematics. They leam that mathematics is man-made, that it is arbitrary, and good solutions are arrived at by consensus among those who are considered expert. Standard 4. Mathematics as Connections Each unit connects the mathematics to other areas of mathematics and to applications of mathematics in the real world. All the investigation problems are set in contexts with opportunity provided to reflect on the connections. Standards 5-13 are emphasized in the curriculum units of each grade level. A correlation of the standards within each module are displayed in an attached in the appendix to this section of the Update to the Annual Report. High School (Grades 9-12) Mathematics Courses The adopted curriculum standards and course benchmarks define the curriculum for grades 9-12. The formal assessment program (described elsewhere in section 6 of this Update to the Annual Report) provides measurements of student progress. In addition, teachers will use the released items from the State Benchmark Examinations to assess student growth. They also use teacher-created assessments, including observations of student performance to determine progress. The courses listed below have been standards-based for several years. District leaders have concentrated on providing appropriate teacher training to support teachers in understanding the standards, in developing their content knowledge, in adopting effective teaching strategies, in creating assessments, and in the appropriate use of materials (calculators, software, Internet resources, textbooks, manipulatives, etc.). Curriculum maps for each course have been developed so that teachers can see the correlations between the standards and the assessments and between the standards and the materials that have been adopted. Courses offered for high school credit include the following: Algebra I Algebra I Pre-AP Concepts of Geometry Geometry Geometry Pre-AP Algebra II Algebra II Pre-AP Trigonometry and Advanced Algebra (Effective fall 2001, this course will be dropped from the curriculum. Students completing Algebra I-II and Geometry who wish to enroll in a fourth year of mathematics will take Pre-Calculus Pacesetter Mathematics
those who want a fifth year will take Calculus.) 18 Trigonometry and Advanced Algebra Pre-AP (Students taking this course will be prepared to take an AP Calculus course or to take college-level calculus.,* Pre-Calculus (dual credit with UALR at Hall High only) Pre-Calculus Pacesetter Mathematics (to be offered in all five high schools in 2000-01) Applications of Mathematics (a web-based pre-calculus course to be piloted at Fair High only, in collaboration with UALR, in 2000-01) Statistics Statistics AP ACT Preparation: Mathematics (a one-semester review of the mathematics that is tested on the ACT/SAT examinations) Calculus Calculus AB Advanced Placement Calculus BC Advanced Placement All below-level or remedial mathematics courses were dropped from the curriculum, effective fall 1999. If schools offer remedial courses, they are not allowed to grant high school credit for them. All regular-level courses are taught according to the adopted standards and course-level benchmarks. These courses are taught at grade-level. The District is considering the adoption of the I Can Learn Algebra I laboratories to support the curriculum for this course. A decision will be made by the Board of Education on April 27, 2000, regarding this adoption. This software was developed, according to the information provided by the ERL Enterprises, to assist teachers in implementing the National Content Standards and attaining Goals 2000. It achieves this technological breakthrough by elevating classroom computers from enrichment and remediation to create the first full-time, self-paced curriculum teaching tool. I Can Learn Algebra is a comprehensive mathematics curriculum meeting NCTM standards with algebraic content relevant to real-world applications. More work is in progress to identify the teaching strategies and appropriate instructional materials to renew the Algebra I-II and Geoemtry curricula. To date, the Districts focus has been on professional developmentespecially in the delivery of more effective teaching strategies. Pre-Calculus Pacesetter Mathematics is taught according to the syllabus and standards provided by the College Board for this program. Pacesetter Mathematics teaches precalculus through modeling. It incorporates curriculum and assessment standards of NCTM. It is based on the premise that all students should aspire to and can achieve excellence. It presents students with real-world problem-solving tasks from the economy, growth, pricing, interest, inventory, scheduling, seasonality, and production. 19 It promotes conceptual learning through mathematical modeling
asks students to generate experimental data and develop mathematical models to reach solutions to problems. It provides structure for student-centered problem solving. It makes extensive use of graphing calculators as a technological tool. It specifies course standards and objectives. It uses assessments based on standards and objectives. It provides structured ongoing student assessment plus end-of-year assessment. It is an instrument for expanding and deepening students knowledge, application skills, and communication in the language of mathematics. Pacesetter Mathematics offers summer institutes, electronic communication links, and inservice training for mathematics teachers. As noted above in the course list, Pacesetter Mathematics will become the regular-level fourth-year mathematics course no later than fall 2001. Students now taking Trigonometry and Advanced Algebra will take Pacesetter Mathematics. All Pre-AP courses are taught above grade-level and must be qualitatively differentiated from the regular-level curriculum and aligned both with the AP courses to which they lead and the ACT transition documents. All AP courses are taught according to the College Board syllabi provided for Advanced Placement courses. Improvement of African-American Student Achievement Section 2.7 of the Districts Revised Desegregation and Education Plan states the following: LRSD shall implement programs, policies, and/or procedures designed to improve and remediate the academic achievement of African-American students. Attached in the appendix to this section are the pages from the Interim Compliance Report that was filed with the federal court on March 15, 2000, that discuss the Districts efforts thus far in this area of critical importance. These pages include the following topics: How LRSD aligned all its planning efforts to ensure coherence. An explanation of the LRSD Student Success Model. A list of the policies that have been approved to ensure high expectations for all students. A list of the administrative regulations that are now in place. A discussion of the curriculum content standards and grade-level and course benchmarks. A discussion of the work in progress to develop Instructional Standards with a list of the resources that have been consulted. 20 A list of the programs that have been created or refined to ensure student success. This section is not specifically about mathematics or science, but, rather, student achievement in general. 21 4Science Program Description Little Rock School District General Program Components The K-12 science program in the Little Rock School District, as are all LRSD curriculum programs, is designed according to the following components: 1. Curriculum Content and Skills Standards that are aligned with the national curriculum standards and the Arkansas Science Curriculum Frameworks. Board policy lA states that Academic content standards will be developed, with grade- and course-level benchmarks, in reading/language arts, mathematics, science, and social studies. The regulations also require that each curriculum program reflect the following exit standards: Adequately master reading, writing, speaking, listening (communication), critical and ci native thinking, and mathematical skills sufficient for effective, efficient functioning. Locate and use needed information from printed materials and/or other resources. Identify problems and needs, apply problem-solving strategies, and analyze information for meaning and/or action. Use tools of technology at an effective, efficient, flexible, and adaptable level. Have knowledge of basic historical, geographic, political, literary, and scientific information, and use such knowledge in day-to-day decisions. Appreciate and understand cultural differences, the arts and humanities, current happenings, and ways to predict or influence future events. Establish and maintain effective and supportive intrapersonal, interpersonal, and cooperative relationships, and civic and social responsibility. Demonstrate self-direction as an active life-long learner and demonstrate self-respect, self-esteem, self-understanding, and a physically and mentally balanced healthy life. Policy IG further requires that the curriculum at all levels of its development in the Little Rock School District will be standards-based and define what students should know and be able to do at the conclusion of each grade level or course. To ensure that the curriculum standards apply to all students and that high expectations are in place for all, Policy IGA requires the following
The staff responsible for the design and/or delivery of all special programs, including but not limited to, special education. Title I, English-as-a-Second Language, migrant education, gifted and talented education, 504 programs, alternative education programs, etc. are to ensure that their programs reflect the district- adopted grade-level/course standards and benchmarks and are coordinated with the overall curriculum plan. Special programs will adapt instruction, pacing, materials and assessments, as appropriate, to meet the unique needs of the students served. Policy IGE requires that all curriculum guides be aligned with the Arkansas curriculum frameworks, the LRSD academic content standards and benchmarks, and the assessments administered by LRSD and the State of Arkansas, including College Board Advanced Placement examinations and the ACT." Curriculum documents that describe the Little Rock School District mathematics program are as follows
K-12 Science Standards/Benchmarks K.-8 Benchmarks (publication for parents) A Parent and Student Guide to Learning in Middle School, 2000-01 (publication for students and parents) A High School Student and Parent Guide to Course Selection and Graduation Requirements, 2000-01 (publication for students and parents) Middle School Curriculum Catalog (publication for school-level staff) High School Curriculum Catalog (publication for school-level staff) 2, 3. 4. Assessments to measure student progress toward achievement of the challenging mathematics content and skills standards. These assessments include all those in the Districts formal assessment program, as well as those that are teacher created and embedded in instruction. As teacher skills improve, we are moving more and more toward seamless instruction and assessment. Student assessments provide teachers frequent data to evaluate not only how individual students are performing, but also how they may need to modify their instructional strategies to create more student success. Effective teaching strategies that are research-based or best practice. Such strategies are those that are constructivist in nature, that lead to student understanding of complex concepts and their applications, and that lead to student success in demonstrating successful performance relating to the achievement of the content and skills standards for the course. Selection and use of materials (such as software, textbooks, manipulatives, calculators, etc.) that assist both in teaching and in learning and that lead to student success in achieving the curriculum content and skills standards. 5. Professional development that supports teachers in their understanding of the grade-level or course standards, in the design of appropriate assessments to measure student success, in the design of rubrics or scoring guides, in the acquisition of the skills and understandings necessary to develop effective teaching strategies, and in the use of appropriate materials (software, textbooks, materials for scientific experiments, kits, etc.). The Districts professional development program includes both in-classroom coaching and follow-up training. New topics for training are determined based upon interpretations of student achievement data and on the demonstrated needs of teachers (as determined through classroom observations and teacher surveys). 6. Program evaluations that are conducted in year 2 of the curriculum guide development cycle. The regulations in IGE-Rl require that program evaluations for each curriculum program be conducted prior to the revision of new curriculum guides and that the recommendations be used in the design of the guide. Magnet Programs The Little Rock School District has made a major investment over the years in several magnet schools and magnet programs within schools to further its desegregation efforts and to provide special programming for students with specialized interests. The following schools feature magnets in the area of mathematics and science
Carver Elementary SchoolScience and Mathematics Magnet School An extra hour of science per week is provided by the Science Specialist, her assistant, and the classroom teacher in a fully equipped state-of-the-art science laboratory. The students work in small groups to discover solutions to challenging problems through hands-on experiments. Every other week the science specialist plans with each grade level to implement the District curriculum intergrated with literacy instruction. Each child in grades 3-4-5 participates in a choice of science fairs, which include Science, Mathematics, and Invent America. All classrooms have their choice of animals to study and care for throughout the year. Students are encouraged to house them at the homes during summer and all vacations. Science becomes real life at Carver. Williams Elementary SchoolBasic Skills Magnet School A full-time curriculum specialist provides support for science and mathematics through school-wide activities, such as the science/ mathematics fair, demonstrations, experiments, and a continuous search for professional development activities that are aligned with the school improvement plan. She has also created a science/mathematics laboratory where she schedules more complex experiments than can be done in the regular classroom. In addition, she schedules resource speakers and field trips that support the standards-based curricula in mathematics and science. She shares her expertise with all teachers in planning for the delivery of each instructional module and in assessing student understanding and progress.Washington Elementary Magnet School and King Elementary Interdistrict School both have science and mathematics labs and full-time curriculum specialists who support teachers in the implementation of high quality science and mathematics instruction. Mann Middle SchoolScience Magnet School Each student in this school takes a second science course each year in grades 6-8Science Lab 6, Science Lab 7, and Science Lab 8. Students at Mann participate in a wide variety of co/extra-curricular activities related to their specialization area of science and mathematics. Henderson Middle SchoolHealth Sciences Magnet Program Each student in this program (school within a school) takes a second science course: Health Science 6, Health Science 7, and Health Science 8. Henderson is also one of the original technology schools in the District, with computers in every classroom and a virtual classroom established in partnership with the University of Arkansas for Medical Science (UAMS). Parkview High SchoolScience Magnet School Students at Parkview High School must five units in a Career Focus: Two units of biology beyond Biology I
and One semester of chemistry beyond Chemistry I
and Two units of German or Latin
and One semester of Applied Statistics and Technical Writing
and Yearly Project. Science courses that are unique to Parkview High School are as follows: Microbiology (1/2) Qualitative Analysis (1/2) Applied Statistics/Technical Writing (1/2) Environmental Health (1/2) Human Anatomy and Physiology (1/2) Organic Chemistry (1/2) Students specializing in science and mathematics at Parkview also participate in a wide variety of related co/extracurricular activities. University Studies Program Hall High School began in fall 1999 a partnership with the University of Arkansas at Little Rock (UALR). A university professor and a high school teacher co-teach designated courses through which students at grades 11-12 may earn dual creditboth high school credit toward graduation and college hours. In fall 2000 the following science courses will be offered: Biology IIA (first semester of Biology II) and UALRs course: Science of Biology (3 hours) Physics I Pre-AP and UALRs course: Elementary Physics I-II (6 hours) Lab Schools Throughout 1999-2000 some of the staff have worked with teams of staff and parents at each of four secondary schools in southwest Little Rock to design plans for curriculum enhancements and the improvement of student achievement. Those four schools are Mablevale Middle, Cloverdale Middle, McClellan High, and Fair High. The plans that are emerging (and for which external funding will be sought to support implementation) all involve emphases on science and technology-related programs. By the end of summer 2000 more definitive information will be available on these plans, and they will become another major component in the Districts agenda for the next several years. As an example, Mablevale Middle is proposing an emphasis on Environmental Science. And Fair High School has already developed a partnership with the University of Arkansas at Little Rock (UALR) to feed students from Fair directly to the new Information Technology program at UALR. Two new courses will be offered at Fair in 2000-2001: Applications of Mathematicsa web-based pre-calculus course
and Enterprise Information Sciencea project-oriented laboratory course in information technology. Graduation Requirements-Science Students in the Little Rock School School District may earn diplomas in one of four ways
1. Students may graduate from the Accelerated Learning Center with a total of 21 units, including three units of science: Physical Science or Physics I Biology I One additional unit of science The Accelerated Learning Center (ACC) is an alternative high school for over-age, credit-deficient students. The curriculum is technologically supported and competency based so that students can move to the next course as soon as they complete the previous one. The required 21 units for graduation are the minimum required by the State of Arkansas. 2. Students may graduate from any of the five comprehensive high schools with a total of 24 units of credit, including at least three units of science: Physics I (Active Physics) or Physics I Pre-AP Biology I or Biology I Pre-AP Chemistry I or Chemistry I Pre-AP 3. To encourage as many students as possible to pursue a more rigorous and challenging high school program, the Board of Education also established a recommended curriculum for high school graduation. It includes 27 units of credit, including four units of science: Physics 1 (Active Physics) or Physics I Pre-AP Biology I or Biology I Pre-AP Chemistry I or Chemistry I Pre-AP One additional unit of science 4. Students who have identified learning disabilities may graduate under a plan designed by their lEP committees. These plans generally track the Districts requirements for all students, except that some courses may be adapted courses for students in the Resource Room or in Self-Contained settings. Career Focus Arkansas requires each graduate to have earned a minimum of three units in one area of Career Focus. Students who wish to complete their Career Focus in science and/or mathematics will complete the following: Two units of one foreign language
and One additional unit beyond Common Core requirements in science or mathematics
or Three units beyond the Common Core requirements from upper-level mathematics and/or science courses. Students who pursue the recommended graduation plan must complete a minimum of four units in the Career Focus. Pre-Advanced Placement CoursesScience The Little Rock School District has long offered advanced,' honors, or enriched courses in the core curriculum areas for advanced students. Effective fall 1999, the District standardized those courses and named them all as Pre-Advanced Placement, grades 6-10 or 6-11. The regulations in IGE-Rl state the following: Pre-Advanced Placement courses, beginning in grade 6, will reflect LRSD standards and benchmarks and shall be aligned with the College Boards syllabus requirements for Advanced Placement courses, incrementally building in students the knowledge and skills necessary to be successful in Advanced Placement courses and examinations. ... Curriculum program staff are responsible for ensuring that the curricula for Pre-AP and AP courses are qualitatively different from the curricula of parallel regular-level courses. The regulations in IHBB-R state that identified gifted/talented students are to be placed in Pre-Advanced Placement courses at the middle school level. At the high school level, students who are gifted/talented in mathematics are placed in Pre-Advanced Placement and Advanced Placement courses. Other options include seminars, mentorships, dualenrollment (with concurrent university credit) and/or independent study. These courses are not, however, limited to gifted/talented students. Policy IHCC establishes the Pre-Advanced Placement and Advanced Placement program for the Little Rock School District as a vehicle for providing quality educational opportunities for all its students through a rigorous, challenging curriculum. Importantly, the policy also mandates that there be no barriers to participation in Pre- Advanced Placement and Advanced Placement courses due to ethnicity, race, gender, national origin, creed, socioeconomic level, or handicapping condition. Further, District staff are required to include in its professional development program for teachers and counselors training in identifying and encouraging increasing percentages of students to participate in Pre-Advanced Placement and Advanced Placement courses. The following Pre-Advanced Placement science courses are offered in the Little Rock School District: Science 6 Pre-AP Science 7 Pre-AP Science 8 Pre-AP Physics I Pre-AP Biology I Pre-AP Chemistry I Pre-AP Advanced Science/Theoretical Research Pre-AP Desegregation Compliance One of the major issues in the Districts 1998 Revised Desegregation and Education Plan relates to African-American enrollment in Pre-Advanced Placement and Advanced Placement courses. The obligations are as follows: Section 2.6: LRSD shall implement programs, polices, and/or procedures designed to promote participation and to ensure that there are no barriers to participation by qualified African-Americans in ... advanced placement courses ... and the gifted and talented program. Section 2.6.1: LRSD shall implement a training program during each of the next three years designed to assist teachers and counselors in identifying and encouraging African-American students to participate in honors and enriched courses and advanced placement courses. Section 2.6.2: LRSD shall implement programs to assist Afncan-American students in being successful in honors and enriched courses and advanced placement courses. In the appendix attached to this section is the text from a document filed on March 15, 2000, with the federal court in Little Rockour Interim Compliance Report, which includes details of the activities that we have completed in response to the above-stated obligations. These pages document the Districts efforts to ensure that students are not tracked academically and that increasing percentages of African-Americans emoll in both Pre-Advanced Placement and Advanced Placement courses. Also attached in the appendix for this section is a recent report published by the Division of Instruction that documents progress so far in increasing enrollment and success of African-American students in Pre-Advanced Placement and Advanced Placement courses. A summary of the findings follows: The total enrollment of African-American students in AP courses has increased from 471 in 1997-98 to 695 in 1999-2000a 48 percent increase. The total enrollment in AP courses for all students has increased from 1435 in 1997-98 to 1791 in 1999-2000a 25 percent increase. Improvements are the result of the following: Improved recruitment of students by teachers and counselors for AP course enrollment. Addition of several new AP cov 'ses to the LRSD curriculum. The Boards decision in Decern jer 1998 to make all AP courses available in all five high schools. Inclusion of enrollment in AP courses as one of the Quality Index indicators (the LRSD school accountability system). Change in regulations so that students may now enroll in a Pre-AP or AP course if they earned at least a C in the previous course. Increased awareness of goals through Revised Desegregation and Education Plan, NSF Project, policies and regulations adoption, and professional development. National Origin Issues In March 1999 the Office of Civil Rights conducted a routine compliance review of the programs for second-language students in the Little Rock School District. They found the District out of compliance in several areas. Rather than endure the expense and time for lengthy liltigation, the District voluntarily entered into a Commitment to Resolve agreement with OCR. One of the obligations in that agreement relates to this issue of student access to special opportunity programs. The policy regulations in IHBEA-R state the following: The District will ensure that LEP students have equal access to the Gifted and Talented programs and Pre-AP and AP couses at the secondary level throughout the District and to the University Studies program at Hall High School. The District will provide parents of LEP students information about any opportunities, requirements, selection criteria, or general information regarding the G/T program, Pre-AP and AP courses, and the University Studies program that is provided to the parents of non-LEP students. Screening tests should in the language of the students, if at all practicable. If nonverbal tests are adminstered, the instructions should be in the language of thestudents. Staff who administer GT screening tests to LEP students must have received training on addressing the needs of LEP students. Elementary Science (K-5) and Grade 6 (Middle School) Courses The adopted curriculum standards and grade-level benchmarks define the curriculum for grades K-6. The formal assessment program (described elsewhere in section 6 of this Update to the Annual Report) provides measurements of student progress. They also use teacher-created assessments, including observations of student performance to determine progress. The District has adopted Science and Technology for Children to support its K-6 science curriculum. Each of the four units in each grade level of STC provides students with an opportunity to explore science concepts and phenomena firsthand, to reflect on their observations, to share them with classmates, and to apply their learning in new situations. STC is fully aligned with the National Science Education Standards that were published by the National Research Council in 1996. The content standard. Unifying Concepts and Processes, is embedded throughout the K-6 curriculum modules: Systems, Order, and Organization. In each module, students learn to think and analyze in terms of systems. Evidence, Models, and Explanation. Using evidence to understand interactions, students learn to predict changes in natural and designed systems. Constancy, Change, and Measurement. Students learn that some systems remain constant, some systems change, and that different systems of measurement are used for different purposes. Evolution and Equilibrium. Throughout the modules, students learn that evolution is a series of changes that accounts for the present form and function of objects, organisms, and natural and designed systems. They also learn that equilibrium is a physical state in which forces and changes occur in opposite and off-setting directions. Form and Function. Students learn that form and function are complementary aspects of objects, organisms, and systems in the natural and designed world. The following is the display of the relationship between the instructional modules (units) for each grade levels and the other science curriculum standards that are being addressed. Grade 1 Weather Science as Inquiry Physical Science Earth and Space Science Science and Technology Science in Personal and Social Perspectives History and Nature of Science Unifying Concepts and Processes Solids and Liquids Science as Inquiry Physical Science Life Science Earth and Space Science Science and Technology Science in Personal and Social Perspectives History and Nature of Science Unifying Concepts and Processes Comparing and Measuring Science as Inquiry Physical Science Science and Technology History and Nature of Science Unifying Concepts and Processes Grade 2 The Life Cycle of Butterflies Science as Inquiry Life Science Science and Technology Science in Personal and Social Perspectives History and Nature of Science Unifying Concepts and Processes Soils Science as Inquiry Physical Science Life Science Earth and Space Science Science and Technology History and Nature of Science Unifying Concepts and Processes Changes Science as Inquiry Physical Science Earth and Space Science Science and Technology Science in Personal and Social Perspectives History and Nature of Science Unifying Concepts and Processes Balancing and Weighing Science as Inquiry Physical Science Science and Technology Science in Personal and Social Perspectives History and Nature of Science Unifying Concepts and Processes Grade 3 Plant Growth and Development Science as Inquiry Life Science Earth and Space Science Science and Technology Science in Personal and Social Perspectives History and Nature of Science Unifying Concepts and Processes Rocks and Minerals Science as Inquiry Physical Science Earth and Space Science Science and Technology Science in Personal and Social Perspectives History and Nature of Science Unifying Concepts and Processes Chemical Tests Science as Inquiry Physical Science Earth and Space Science Science and Technology Science in Personal and Social Perspectives History and Nature of Science Unifying Concepts and Processes Sound Science as Inquiry Physical Science Life Science Science and Technology Science in Personal and Social Perspectives History and Nature of Science Unifying Concepts and Processes Grade 4 Animal Studies Science as Inquiry Life Science Science and Technology Science in Personal and Social Perspectives History and Nature of Science Unifying Concepts and Processes Land and Water Science as Inquiry Physical Science Life Science Earth and Space Science Science and Technology Science in Personal and Social Perspectives History and Nature of Science Unifying Concepts and Processes Electric Circuits Science as Inquiry Physical Science Science and Technology Science in Personal and Social Perspectives History and Nature of Science Unifying Concepts and Processes Motion and Design Science as Inquiry Physical Science Science and Technology Science in Personal and Social Perspectives History and Nature of Science Unifying Concepts and Processes Grade 5 Microworlds Science as Inquiry Physical Science Life Science Science and Technology Science in Personal and Social Perspectives History and Nature of Science Unifying Concepts and Processes Ecosystems Science as Inquiry Physical Science Life Science Earth and Space Science Science and Technology Science in Personal and Social Perspectives History and Nature of Science Unifying Concepts and Processes Food Chemistry Science as Inquiry Physical Science Life Science Science and Technology Science in Personal and Social Perspectives History and Nature of Science Unifying Concepts and Processes Floating and Sinking Science as Inquiry Physical Science Science and Technology Science in Personal and Social Perspectives History and Nature of Science Unifying Concepts and Processes Grade 6 Experiments with Plants Science as Inquiry Life Science Earth and Space Science History and Nature of Science Unifying Concepts and Processes Measuring Time Science as Inquiry Physical Science Earth and Space Science Science and Technology Science in Personal and Social Perspectives History and Nature of Science Unifying Concepts and Processes Magnets and Motors Science as Inquiry Physical Science Life Science Science and Technology Science in Personal and Social Perspectives History and Nature of Science Unifying Concepts and Processes The Technology of Paper Science as Inquiry Physical Science Science and Technology Science in Personal and Social Perspectives History and Nature of Science Unifying Concepts and Processes Middle Schools (Grades 7-8) Science Courses (See Grade 6 above.) See the previous section for a discussion of grade 6 curriculum. The adopted curriculum standards and course benchmarks define the curriculum for grades 7-8. The formal assessment program (described elsewhere in section 6 of this Update to the Annual Report) provides measurements of student progress. They also use teacher-created assessments, including observations of student performance to determine progress. The District has adopted Science and Life Issues (SALI) to support its grade 7 curriculum, effective fall 2000. Science and Life Issues focuses on the life sciences and on personal decision-making. The program is divided into three thematic segments, each aligned with the national science standards and each intended to facilitate greater depth of understanding and to provide opportunities for students to link their learning on various topics. 1. 2. My Body and Me. Students investigate concepts and issues related to sustaining life. A major goal of this unit is to provide a sound foundation for rigorous, evidence-based decision making about health issues, such as the appropriate use of medication and nutritional requirements in the human diet. For example, students simulate the role of placebos in studies of medication for human use. After further investigating the range of human variability, students consider what types of personal health decisions they would make. Living Partnerships. Students investigate the relationships between humans and the physical and living environment. Evolution and ecosystems are the focus of this part of the course. Adaptations in human physiology are reconsidered in light of their evolutionary implications. Activities involve students in maintaining small ecosystems, such as terraria or aquaria, investigating local ecosystems, and exploring examples of the relationships between humans and other organisms. For example, students investigate the interaction between humans and dogs, including dogs behavior and other adaptations, the effect humans have had on dogs (through breeding), and the cultural effect their domestication has had on humans. 3. Using Tools luid Ideas. Students investigate the ways in which humans use tools and ideas to adapt their external environment. Such adaptation is examined in terms of the nervous system, behavior, and the unique ways in which people are able to modify their surroundings. They explore issues related to the wide variety of physical, linguistic, technological, and biotechnological adaptations that increasingly determine the nature and quality of human life. Human adaptations for communication, for example, range from the use of language and other symbolic systems to modem information technology
physical adaptations range from simple tools to robotics. Issues explored include the ethical implications of these rapid changes in technology. A copy of the conelation of the National Science Standards and the units in this program are attached in the appendix to this section. The District has adopted the Issues. Evidence, and You to support its grade 8 science curriculum, effective fall 2001. Issues, Evidence and You (lEY) is an integrated experience-based science course for grade 8. In addition to the la>oratory materials used in teaching this course, students are issued journals, in which they keep their writing relating to investigations, where they record the outcomes they obtain, and where they write up their analysis of the data they collect and the inferences and conclusions that data suggest. A copy of the correlation of the National Science Standards and the units in this program are attached in the appendix to this section. High School (Grades 9-121 Science Courses The adopted curriculum standards and course benchmarks define the curriculum for grades 9-12. The formal assessment program (described elsewhere in section 6 of this Update to the Annual Report) provides measurements of student progress. They also use teacher-created assessments, including observations of student performance to determine progress. The courses listed below have been standards-based for several years. District leaders have concentrated on providing appropriate teacher training to support teachers in understanding the standards, in developing their content knowledge, in adopting effective teaching strategies, in creating assessments, and in the appropriate use of materials (calculators, software, Internet resources, textbooks, manipulatives, etc.). Curriculum maps for each course have been developed so that teachers can see the correlations between the standards and the assessments and between the standards and the materials that have been adopted. Courses offered for high school credit include the following: Physics I (Active Physics) Physics I Pre-AP Biology I Biology I Pre-AP Chemistry I Chemistry I Pre-AP Physics II AP Human Anatomy and Physiology Biology IIA (first-semester course offered at Hall High only in the dual-credit program with UALR) Biology II AP Chemistry II AP Geology and Space Science Environmental Science AP Advanced Science and Theoretical Research Pre-AP Microbiology (one semester
Parkview Magnet only) Qualitative Analysis (one semester
Parkview Magnet only) Applied Statistics and Technical Writing (one semester
Parkview Magnet only) Environmental Health (one semester
Parkview Magnet only) Human Anatomy and Physiology (one semester
Parkview Magnet only) Organic Chemistry (one semester
Parkview Magnet only) All regular-level courses are taught according to the adopted standards and course-level benchmarks. These courses are taught at grade-level. Physics I (Active Physics) All regular-level freshman students in the Little Rock School District are required to take Physics I (Active Physics), effective fall 1999. From this course, they may also take Physics I Pre-AP, which is taught at a more theoretical level and will lead them to Physics II AP. Active Physics is a different species of physics course. It has the mechanics, optics, and electricity of traditional courses, but not where one would expect to find them. In a traditional physics course, forces are taught in the fall, waves in the winter, and solenoids in the spring. In Active Physics, students are introduced to physics concepts on a need- to-know basis as they explore issues in Sports, Medicine, Predictions, Communications, Transportation, and Home. The content of the course is carefully aligned with the following National Science Standards: Physical Science Unifying Concepts and Processes Science as Inquiry Science and TechnologyScience in Personal and Social Perspectives History and Nature of Science Biology I and Chemistry I The adopted curriculum standards and course benchmarks define the curriculum for Biology I and Chemistry I. The formal assessment program (described elsewhere in section 6 of this Update to the Annual Report) provides measurements of student progress. In addition, teachers will use the released items from the State Benchmark Examination in Biology I to assess student growth. They also use teacher-created assessments, including observations of student performance to determine progress. Biology I and Chemistry I have been standards-based for several years. District leaders have concentrated on providing appropriate teacher training to support teachers in understanding the standards, in developing their content knowledge, in adopting effective teaching strategies, in creating assessments, and in the appropriate use of materials (lab equipment, software, Internet resources, textbooks, etc.). Curriculum maps for Biology I and Chemistry I have been developed so that teachers can see the correlations between the standards and the assessments and between the standards and the materials that have been adopted. Program materials will be updated during the next regular adoption cycle for science, which is during the 2000-2001 school year. Biology I and Chemistry I both have Pre- Advanced Placement courses that uses the College Board Pre-AP materials. Eight biology and chemistry teachers attended the College Board sponsored AP/Pre-AP training in February 2000. The training focused on effective curriculum and teaching strategies to prepare students for enrollment and success in AP Biology II and AP Chemistry II. Regular-level Biology I and Chemistry I will adopt high quality programs and materials during the 2000-2001 school year, and all teachers will receive professional development related to those programs and materials. Chemistry in the Community (ChemCom) and Biology, a Community Context (BioCom) are resources that are currently being piloted in some schools. These or programs of similar quality will be adopted for use during the 2000-2001 school year. Pre-AP Science Courses All Pre-AP courses are taught above grade-level and must be qualitatively differentiated from the regular-level curriculum and aligned both with the AP courses to which they lead and the ACT transition documents. Advanced Placement Courses All AP courses are taught according to the College Board syllabi provided for Advanced Placement courses. Improvement of African-American Student Achievement Section 2.7 of the Districts Revised Desegregation and Education Plan states the following: LRSD shall implement programs, policies, and/or procedures designed to improve and remediate the academic achievement of Afncan-American students. Attached in the appendix to this section are the pages from the Interim Compliance Report that was filed with the federal court on March 15, 2000, that discuss the Districts efforts thus far in this area of critical importance. These pages include the following topics: How LRSD aligned all its planning efforts to ensure coherence. An explanation of the LRSD Student Success Model. A list of the policies that have been approved to ensure high expectations for all students. A list of the administrative regulations that are now in place. A discussion of the curriculum content standards and grade-level and course benchmarks. A discussion of the work in progress to develop Instructional Standards with a list of the resources that have been consulted. A list of the programs that have been created or refined to ensure student success. This section is not specifically about mathematics or science, but, rather, student achievement in general. 5 K-12 Curriculum Implenientation Plan The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics published Curriculum and Evaluation Standards for School Mathematics in March of 1989. The Little Rock School District and other school districts and institutions of higher education realized that math programs under implementation at the time didnt measure up to the standards. The District began steps to systemically move to a more effective mathematics and science program for all students as early as 1991. The University of Arkansas at Little Rock (UALR) organized a Deans Committee that included the Dean of the College of Education, the Dean of the College of Science and Mathematics along with faculty from those two colleges and elementary and secondary teachers from the central Arkansas area. The Deans Committee met monthly to discuss how UALR could change its mathematics courses to meet the needs of students and teachers in the public schools. From that beginning corporate support and Eisenhower funds were gained to fimd the first Math Crusade course. District teachers began taking the 3-hour Math Crusade course through UALR in 1991. Later, the Arkansas Department of Higher Education applied for and received funding from the National Science Foundation to fund the Arkansas Statewide Systemic Initiative (ASSI). Substantial involvement from higl,er education was realized when UALR faculty members worked alongside math and science leaders to become trainers for the Arkansas Crusades: K-4 Crusade, Math Crusade, Science Crusade. From 1991 to the end of ASSI in 1999 over 300 LRSD teachers participated in the six-hour graduate course known as K-4 Crusade. Most of these teachers took the course through UALR where it was team taught by College of Education faculty and public school teachers with masters degrees. About 60 science teachers participated in the three-hour graduate course known as the Science Crusade and about 80 teachers participated in Math Crusade. Science Crusade and Math Crusade were offered through UALR and other state institutions of higher education and were team-taught by university math and science faculty and public school teachers (adjunct professors). All three Crusade courses were organized around the national standards in mathematics (NCTM, 1989) and the draft standards for science which were published by the National Research Council in the National Science Education Standards (1996). The number of teachers who participated in Crusades training represented over 50% of all LRSD science and math instructors. The District embedded the national standards (and correlated state curriculum frameworks) in practice and policy. The LRSD Strategic Plan (1995) that was approved by the Board of Directors included the establishment of standards in the core curricular areas of math, science, reading/language arts, and social studies and stated that 9 out of 10 students would meet or exceed those standards. The Revised Desegregation and Education Plan (1998) included a goal to increase the number of students successfully completing algebra I and higher level mathematics courses and that all students would be proficient in mathematics by graduation. Board Policy lA (1999) required that curriculum standards be adopted in the core subject areas. Related policies require that professional development, adopted programs, and curriculum materials all address and support the Districts standards. The above background is given to illustrate that the District has been moving to standards-based math and science programming for about a decade now. Most of the normal professional development that math and science teachers have participated in over the past 10 years has been geared to helping students achieve the national standards. A renewed and intensified effort to become totally standards-based was undertaken with the awarding of the CPMSA grant from the National Science Foundation in 1998. Following is the year by year plan for curriculum implementation starting with 1998-99 and extending until 2002-2003. Year 1998-99 In 1998-99 the Board approved curriculum standards for mathematics and science for grades K- 12. Professional development for math and science teachers during that year informed teachers about the standards and how the existing resources could be used to address the standards. Over 50% of math and science teachers, grades K-12, had previously been participants in a sustained program of 45 clock-hours to 90 clock-hours of standards related training through the Arkansas Crusades. All teachers made some level of shift from what they were doing toward what they needed to do to address the Districts standards. Principals were inducted into the standards-based movement during a two-day Principals Institute Retreat held at the Clarion Resort in Hot Springs, Arkansas in 1997. The two-day retreat was focused on providing principals with knowledge and tools to start improving math and science programs in their schools. Partial funding from the Central Arkansas Math/Science Business Education Partnership was used to support the Institute. The Principals Institute of 1998-99 also focused on mathematics and science. All principals rotated through concurrent sessions where they participated in model standards-based activities presented by science and math specialists. The purpose of this experience was to show principals what standards-based math and science should look like in their schools. All school counselors attended a full day inservice entitled Raising the Bar in January of 1998. Topics on the agenda were TIMSS report. National Math and Science Standards, SAT-9 results, enrollment data for upper level math and science courses, and success rate for students in upper level courses. Frances Brown, Director of Academic Services for the College Board, presented on the role of counselors and teachers in getting students prepared for and enrolled in higher level courses. Counselors have had annual sessions related to progress in student enrollment and success in higher level math and science courses. Several teachers asked to pilot some standards-based math and science materials. A total of 18 teachers representing all teachers at Romine Elementary School and the fourth grade teachers at Jefferson piloted Investigations in Number. Data and Space and 6 teachers at Rockefeller and Chicot piloted Science and Technology for Children modules. Year 1999-2000 Benchmarks were developed by committees of teachers in math and science for each Board adopted curriculum standard. The benchmarks are knowledge, skills, and attitudes that students must gain along the way to ensure that students meet the grade level standards by the end of each year. Each teacher in the District attended professional development on the newly developed benchmarks aimed at aligning instruction with the benchmarks. Teachers spent time identifying the instructional content and strategies that they would use to address the benchmarks. All high school science teachers participated in a two-day professional development session coordinated by ACT, Inc. entitled The Instruction-Assessment Link. The activity required teachers to map their instruction in terms of ACT Assessment objectives. Science teachers worked in vertical teams to ensure that important content and skills were appropriately addressed in the 9-12 high school science sequence. Middle school and high school teachers of mathematics participated in professional development to further align the grades 6-12 mathematics sequence to make sure that the mathematics program at each step includes the important content/skills prerequisite to success at the next step in the sequence. The goal of the mathematics program is for all students to reach the grade-level standards and at the same time to be well prepared for entry in the next challenging mathematics course in the sequence leading to high school graduation. The Little Rock School Districts graduation requirements include rigorous and challenging mathematics requisites for all students such as algebra I for all students, geometry for all students, and a third algebra-based course for all students. The third course may be either algebra II or statistics. Increasing numbers of students are completing the recommended curriculum that includes a fourth unit of mathematics. Applied math, consumer math, basic math and other such courses have not been offered to district students for several years. In 1999-2000 the District established by Board Policy IGE Pre-Advanced Placement courses, beginning in grade 6, that will reflect LRSD standards and benchmarks and the College Boards syllabus requirements for Advanced Placement courses, incrementally building in students the knowledge and skills necessary to be successful in Advanced Placement courses and examinations. On February 25-26, 2000 one hundred and eleven (111) secondary mathematics and science teachers from the District attended a two-day AP/Pre-AP conference in Little Rock. The conference focused both on the content and skills that students need to be successful in AP math and science courses and the pedagogy teachers need to deliver the content and skills to students. The one-hundred and eleven math and science teachers who participated were out of a total to two-hundred-one (201) total teachers at the secondary level in math and science. In 1999-2000 the District began implementation of high quality mathematics and science programs with a significant number of teachers. A high quality mathematics or science program is one that addresses curriculum standards and benchmarks at each grade level or course that reflect district/state/national standards. Second, a high quality mathematics or science program includes classroom instruction that fully addresses those standards and embodies research-based teaching strategies and techniques that have proven successful in assuring that all children learn the standards. Third, a high quality math or science program has assessment embedded in instruction that determines on a day-to-day basis if students are learning the standards. Fourth, a high quality math or science program has adopted materials that support and facilitate teaching and assessing the standards. Fifth, a high quality math or science program includes intensive and sustained professional development that focuses on the standards for every teacherThe current year (1999-2000) implementation plan for high quality mathematics is summarized in the following chart. Grade Level/ Course Grade 3 Math Grade 4 Math Grade 5 Math Grade 6 Math Grade 7 Math Grade 8 Math High school Pre-calculus AP Calculus Number/% of Teachers 99/100% 92/100% 89/100% 19/100% 17/100% 18/100% 3/18% 6/100% Schools All 35 elementary schools All 35 elementary schools All 35 elementary schools All 8 middle schools All 8 middle schools All 8 middle schools 2 of 5 high schools All 5 high schools Adopted Program Investigations in Number, Data and Space__________________ Investigations in Number, Data and Space Investigations in Number, Data and Space__________________ Connected Math Project Connected Math Project Connected Math Project Pacesetter Pre-Calculus College Board AP Program Full implementation or Replacement module___________ Replacement module Full implementation Full implementation Full implementation Replacement Modules Replacement Modules Full implementation Full implementation The current year (1999-2000) implementation plan for high quality science is summarized in the following chart
Grade Level/ Course Grade 1 Science Grade 2 Science Grade 3 Science Grade 4 Science Grade 5 Science Grade 6 Science Grade 9 Physics AP Biology, Chemistry, Physics, and Environmental Science Number/ % of Teachers 104/100% 98/100% 99/100% 92/100% 89/100% 21/100% 19/83% 14/100% Schools All 35 elementary schools All 35 elementary schools All 35 elementary schools All 35 elementary schools All 35 elementary schools All 8 middle schools All 5 high schools All 5 high schools Adopted Program Science and Technology for Children________________ Science and Technology for Children_____________ Science and Technology for Children________________ Science and Technology for Children________________ Science and Technology for Children Science and Technology for Children________________ Active Physics College Board AP Program Full implementation or Replacement Module Replacement Module Replacement Module Replacement Module Replacement Module Replacement Module Full implementation Full implementation Full implementation Year 2000-2001 During 2000-2001 math and science teachers will work in vertical teams (College Board Vertical Teams) to refine the Pre-AP courses from grades 6-11 to make sure all participating students are being adequately prepared to enroll in and succeed in AP Courses in math and science. In addition science vertical teams will revisit the Curriculum Standards and Benchmarks for high school science to make doubly sure they are totally aligned with national/state standards for science and the districts assessment program. As all math and science courses are being strengthened and improved, additional high quality programs will be implemented across the K-12 spectrum. The 2000-2001 implementation plan for high quality mathematics programs is summarized in the following chart. Additions from the previous year are highlighted in red. Grade Level/ Course Grade 2 Math Grade 3 Matli Grade 4 Math Number/% of Teachers 98/100% 99/100% 92/100% Schools Adopted Program Grade 5 Math Grade 6 Math Grade 7 Math Grade 8 Matli *Grade 9 Algebra I High School Pre-Calculus AP Calculus 89/100% 19/100% 17/100% 18/100% 12/100% 10/59% 6/100% All 35 elementary schools All 35 elementary schools All 35 elementary schools All 35 elementary schools All 8 middle schools All 8 middle schools All 8 middle schools -All 5 high schools All 5 high schools All 5 high schools Investigations in Number. Data and Space Investigations in Number. Data and Space Investigations in Number, Data and Space Investigations in Number, Data and Space Connected Math Project Connected Math Project Connected Math Project I CAN Leant Algebra 1 computer course Pacesetter Pre-Calculus College Board AP Program Full implementation or Replacement module Full implementation Full implementation Full implementation Full implementation Full implementation Full implementation Full implementation Full implementation Full implementation Full implementation * Pending Board approval at the April 27 Board Meeting The 2000-2001 implementation schedule for high quality science programs is summarized in the following chart. The additions to the plan from the previous year are highlighted in red. Grade Level/ Course Number/ %of Teachers Schools Adopted Program Grade 1 Science 18/18% 7 elementary schools Science and Technology For Children Full implementation, Replacement Module(s), or Training Only Full implementation Grade 1 Science Grade 2 Science Grade 2 Science Grade 3 Science Grade 3 Science Grade 4 Science Grade 4 Science Grade 5 Science Grade 5 Science Grade 6 Science Grade 7 Science # Grade 8 Science Grade 9 Physics # Grade 10 Biology # Grade 11 Chemistry AP Biology, Chemistry, Physics, and Environmental Science 86/82% 34/35% 64/65% 20/20% 79/80% 35/38% 57/62% 23/26% 66/74% 21/100% 16/100% 16/100% 19/83% 20/100% 14/100% 14/100% 28 elementary schools 11 elementary schools 24 elementary schools 7 elementary schools 28 elementary schools 14 elementary schools 21 elementary schools 9 schools 26 elementary schools All 8 middle schools All 8 middle schools All 8 middle schools All 5 high schools All 5 high schools All 5 high schools All 5 high schools Science and Technology for Children Science and Technology for Children Science and Technology for Children Science and Technology for Children Science and Technology for Children Science and Technology for Children Science and Technology for Children Science and Technology for Children Science and Technology for Children Science and Technology for Children Science and Life Issues (SALT) - Lawrence Hall of Science Issues, Evidence and You (SEPUP)__________________ Active Physics Biology, A Community Context (BIOCOM) and otiier possible programs Chemistry in the Community (CHEMCOM) and other possible programs College Board AP Program 2 Replacement Modules Full implementation 2 Replacement Modules Full implementation 2 Replacement Modules Full implementation 2 Replacement Modules Full implementation 2 Replacement Modules_________ Full implementation Full implementation Training Only Full implementation Training Only Training Only Full implementation # Training for 2001-2002 implementation will be provided. Training will be provided on the named program as well as other possible programs for biology and chemistry in preparation for the normal State textbook/program adoption process during the 2000-2001 school year. Year 2001-2002 The 2001-2002 implementation schedule for high quality math programs is summarized in the following chart. Additions from the previous year are highlighted in red. Grade Level/ Course Number/% of Teachers Schools Adopted Program Grade K Math 109/100% All 35 elementai'y schools Investigations in Number, Data and Space Full implementation, Replacement module, or Training Only Full implementation Grade 1 Math 104/100% Grade 2 Math 98/100% Grade 3 Math 99/100% Grade 4 Math 92/100% Grade 5 Math 89/100% Grade 6 Math 19/100% Grade 7 Math 17/100% Grade 8 Math 18/100% All 35 elementary schools All 35 elementary schools All 35 elementary schools All 35 elementary schools All 35 elementary schools All 8 middle schools All 8 middle schools All 8 middle schools Investigations in Number. Data and Space Investigations in Number, Data and Space Investigations in Number, Data and Space Investigations in Number, Data and Space Investigations in Number, Data and Space Cormected Math Project Connected Math Project Full implementation Full implementation Full implementation Full implementation Full implementation Full implementation Full implementation * Grade 9 Algebra 1 Grade 9-10 Geometry Grade 9-11 Algebra 2 High School Pre-Calculus AP Calculus * 12/100% 22/100K. 30/100% 10/59% 6/100% All 5 high schools All 5 high schools All 5 high schools All 5 high schools All 5 high schools Pending Board approval on April 27, 2000 Connected Math Project
Pre- AP algebra 1 will use the College Board Pre-AP Program I CAN Learn Algebra 1 computer course To Be Selected Standards-based programs
Pre-AP geomeny will use the College Board Pre-AP Program To Be Selected Standards-based programs
Pre-AP algebra 2 will use the College Board Pre-AP Program Pacesetter Pre-Calculus College Board AP Program Full implementation Full implementation Training only Training only Full implementation Full implementation The 2001-2002 implementation schedule for high quality science programs is outlined in the following chart. Additions from the previous year are highlighted in red. Grade Level/ Course Grade 1 Science Grade 2 Science Grade 3 Science Number/ %of Teachers 104/100% 98/100% 99/100% Schools All 35 elementary schools All 35 elementary schools All 35 elementary schools Adopted Program Science and Technology for Children Science and Technology for Children Science and Technology for Children Full implementation or Replacement Module Full implementation Full implementation Full implementation Grade 4 Science Grade 5 Science Grade 6 Science Grade 9 Physics Grade 10 Biolog)' 92/100% 89/100% 21/100% 19/83% 20/100% Grade 11 Chemistry 14/100% AP Biology, Chemistry, Physics, and Environmental Science 14/100% Year 2002-2003 All 35 elementary schools All 35 elementary schools All 8 middle schools All 5 high schools All 5 high schools All 5 high schools All 5 high schools Science and Technology for Children Science and Technology for Children Science and Technology for Children Active Physics Biology, A Community Context or other appropriate program that teachers recommend
Pre-AP Biology will use the College Board Program Qiemistry in the Community or other appropriate program that teachers recommend
Pre-AP Chemistry will use the College Board Program College Board AP Program Full implementation Full implementation Full implementation Full implementation Full implementation Full implementation Full implementatio i The implementation schedule for high quality mathematics programs for 2002-2003 is summarized in the chart below. Additions from the previous year are highlighted in red. Grade Level/ Course Grade K Math Grade 1 Math Grade 2 Math Grade 3 Math Grade 4 Math Grade 5 Ma Grade 6 Math Grade 7 Math Grade 8 Math Number/% of Teachers 109/100% 104/100% 98/100% 99/100% 92/100% 89/100% 19/100% 17/100% 18/100% Schools Adopted Program All 35 elementary schools All 35 elementary schools All 35 elementary schools All 35 elementary schools All 35 elementary schools All 35 elementary schools All 8 middle schools All 8 middle schools All 8 middle schools Investigations in Number, Data and Space Investigations in Number, Data and Space Investigations in Number, Data and Space Investigations in Number, Data and Space Investigations in Number, Data and Space Investigations in Number, Data and Space Connected Math Project Connected Math Project Connected Math Project
Pre- I AP algebra 1 will use the Full implementation, Replacement module, or Training Only Full implementation Full implementation Full implementation Full implementation Full implementation Full implementation Full implementation Full implementation Full implementation *1Grade 9 Algebra 1 Grade 9-10 Geometry Grade 9-11 Algebra 2 High School Pre-Calculus AP Calculus * 12/100% 22/100% 30/100% 10/59% 6/100% All 5 high schools All 5 high sch<x)ls All 5 high schools All 5 high schools All 5 high schools Pending Board approval on April 27, 2000 College Board Program for Pre- AP________________________ I CAN Leam Algebra 1 computer course To Be Selected Standards-based programs
Pre-AP geometry will use the College Board Pre-AP Program To Be Selected Standards-based programs
Pre-AP algebra 2 will use the College Board Pre-AP Program Pacesetter Pre-Calculus College Board AP Program 1 Full implementation Full implementation Full implementation Full implementation Full implementation The 2002-2003 implementation schedule for high quality science programs is outlined in the following chart. Grade Level/ Course Grade 1 Science Grade 2 Science Grade 3 Science Grade 4 Science Grade 5 Science Grade 6 Science Grade 9 Physics Grade 10 Biology Grade 11 Chemistry Number/ %of Teachers 104/100% 98/100% 99/100% 92/100% 89/100% 21/100% 19/83% 20/100% 14/100% Schools All 35 elementary schools All 35 elementary schools All 35 elementary schools All 35 elementary schools All 35 elementary schools All 8 middle schools All 5 high schools All 5 high schools All 5 high schools Adopted Program Science and Technology for Children Science and Technology for Children Science and Technology for Children Science and Technology for Children Science and Technology for Children Science and Technology for Children Active Physics
Pre-AP physics will use the College Board Pre- AP Program Biology, A Community Context or other appropriate program that teachers recommend
Pre-AP Biology will use the College Board Pre- AP Program Chemistry in the Community or other appropriate program that teachers recommend
Pre-AP Chemistry will use the College Board Pre-AP Program Full implementation or Replacement Module Full implementation Full implementation Full implementation Full implementation Full implementation Full implementation Full implementation Full implementation Full implementation AP Biology, Chemistry, Physics, and Environmental Science 14/100% All 5 high schools College Board AP Program Full implementation By the end of year 2002-2003 all grade levels and courses at all schools will have high quality mathematics and science programs. Standards-Based Mathematics And Science Implementation Update The Little Rock School District is involved in a process of systematically moving toward full standards-based programming in mathematics and science at every grade level and in every course with all teachers at all schools. Full standards-based programming has several identifiable attributes. First, curriculum standards and benchmarks at each grade level or course that address district/state/national standards must be in place. Second, classroom instruction must fully address those standards and must embody research based teaching strategies and techniques that have proven successful in assuring that all children learn the standards. Third, assessment must be embedded in instruction that determines on a day-to-day basis if students are learn
This project was supported in part by a Digitizing Hidden Special Collections and Archives project grant from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and Council on Library and Information Resoources.