Promoting Science among English Language Learners (P-SELL) Scale-Up

这项为期四年的有效性研究的重点是扩大课程和教师专业发展干预模式的规模，旨在提高所有学生，特别是英语学习者的科学成就。该模式由三个基本组成部分组成：(a)探究性科学课程，(b)教师专业发展与这些学生进行科学教学，以及(c)学校科学教学资源。该项目的主要目标是：(1)评估干预对学生成绩的影响；(2)确定干预对教师知识、实践和学校资源的影响；(3)评估教师知识、实践和资源如何调节学生成绩。该项目是在佛罗里达州目前的科学教育政策和问责制的背景下进行的（例如，采用下一代阳光州科学标准，五年级科学评估，争创一流奖州）。该研究借鉴了先前由美国国家科学基金会资助的一项功效研究（035331）的研究结果，在该研究中，将扩大规模的模型在单个学区进行了测试。有效性研究包括三个（67个）学区作为关键合作伙伴，代表种族、民族、语言和社会经济不同的学生群体；64所小学，320名科学教师和24000名五年级学生在三年的时间里。科学学习是主要的主题，包括生命科学、物理科学和地球/空间科学。对应于三个研究领域的六个研究问题指导了拟议的工作范围。对于学生科学成就的研究领域，问题是：(1)与“一切照旧”相比，干预对五年级学生科学成就的影响是什么？(2)学生的英语作为第二语言（ESOL）水平、社会经济地位和种族/民族背景在多大程度上调节了干预的效果？以教师知识与实践为研究领域，问题是：(3)干预对教师科学知识和教学实践的影响是什么？(4)学校科学教学资源在多大程度上预测了学生的科学成就？对于学校科学资源，问题是：(5)干预对学校科学教学资源的影响是什么？(6)学校科学教学资源对学生成绩的预测程度如何？为了评估干预对学生和教师结果的影响，使用了一项集群随机对照试验，总共随机选择了64所学校（根据学校级别ESOL和免费减少午餐学生的百分比进行分层）。来自64所学校的所有科学教师和学生都参与了该项目：32名实验组（五年级项目课程，教师专业发展和教学资源），32名对照组（学区采用的五年级课程，没有教师专业发展，没有教学资源）。为了解决学生科学成就的研究领域，在每个课程单元结束时使用形成性评估项目，以及两种相等形式的项目开发的科学测试（用作前测试和后测试），包括实验组和对照组，以及佛罗里达州的综合评估测试-科学。本研究领域的数据解释采用了一套三级hlm（学生，嵌套在教室，嵌套在学校）。为了解决教师知识与实践和学校科学资源的研究领域，该项目使用了三种测量方法：(a)教师科学知识的两种相等形式的35项测试，(b)测量教师知识和教学实践的第三方评级的课堂观察仪器，以及(c)测量教师科学知识和教学实践自我报告的问卷。治疗组和对照组都采取了所有措施。数据解释策略包括一系列强调相关教师成果作为时间函数和学校水平中介变量的hlm。外部项目评估由同心研究和评估进行，采用定量和定性方法，解决形成性和总结性两个组成部分。项目研究成果有助于完善反映国家新科学标准和新兴国家科学标准的模型。这一努力的附加价值在于，它有可能为其他学习环境（包括ELLs和传统上被边缘化的小学学生群体）有效实施科学课程和教师专业发展提供信息。它实际上是唯一一项研究，主要关注这一学生群体中有效科学教育实践的规模扩大和可持续性问题，由于种族、民族和语言多样化的学龄人口的急剧增长，美国学生科学成就的低水平，以及科学和数学在当前全国责任体系中的作用，这一问题变得突出。

This four-year effectiveness study focuses on the scale-up of a model of curricular and teacher professional development intervention aimed at improving science achievement of all students, especially English language learners (ELLs). The model consists of three basic components: (a) inquiry-oriented science curriculum, (b) teacher professional development for science instruction with these students, and (c) school resources for science instruction. The project's main goals are: (1) to evaluate the effect of the intervention on student achievement, (2) to determine the effect of the intervention on teacher knowledge, practices, and school resources, and (3) to assess how teacher knowledge, practices, and resources mediate student achievement. The project is conducted in the context of the Florida current science education policies and accountability system (e.g., adoption of the Next Generation Sunshine State Standards in Science, assessment of science at the fifth grade, a Race to the Top award state). The study draws on findings from research on a previous NSF-funded efficacy study (035331) in which the model to be scaled-up was tested in a single school district. The effectiveness study includes three (of 67) school districts as key partners, representative of racially, ethnically, linguistically, and socioeconomically diverse student populations; 64 elementary schools, 320 science teachers, and 24,000 fifth-grade students over a three-year period. Science learning is the primary subject matter, inclusive of life, physical, and earth/space sciences. Six research questions corresponding to three research areas guide the proposed scope of work. For the research area of Student Science Achievement, questions are: (1) What is the effect of the intervention on fifth-grade students' science achievement, compared to "business as usual"?, and (2) To what extent are the effects of the intervention moderated by students' English as a Second Language (ESOL) level, SES status, and racial/ethnic backgrounds? For Teacher Knowledge and Practices as a research area, questions are: (3) What is the effect of the intervention on teachers' science knowledge and teaching practices?, and (4) To what extent is students' science achievement predicted by school resources for science instruction? For School Resources for Science, questions are: (5) What is the effect of the intervention on school resources for science instruction?, and (6) To what extent is student achievement predicted by school resources for science instruction? To assess the effect of the intervention on students' and teachers' outcomes, a cluster-randomized-control trial is used, resulting in a total of 64 randomly selected schools (after stratifying them by school-level percent of ESOL and Free Reduced Lunch students). All science teachers and students from the 64 schools participate in the project: 32 in the treatment group (project curriculum for fifth grade, teacher professional development, and instructional resources), and 32 in the control group (district-adopted fifth-grade curriculum, no teacher professional development, and no instructional resources). To address the research area of Student Science Achievement, formative assessment items are used at the end of each curriculum unit, along with two equated forms of a project-developed science test (to be used as pre-and posttests) with both treatment and control groups, in addition to the Florida's Comprehensive Assessment Tests-Science. Data interpretation for this research area employs a set of three-level HLMs (students, nested in classrooms, nested in schools). To address the research area of Teacher Knowledge and Practices and School Resources for Science, the project uses three measures: (a) two equated forms of a 35-items test of teacher science knowledge, (b) a classroom observation instrument measuring third-party ratings of teacher knowledge and teaching practices, and (c) a questionnaire measuring teachers' self-reports of science knowledge and teaching practices. All measures are administered to both treatment and control groups. Data interpretation strategies include a series of HLMs with emphasis on the relevant teacher outcomes as a function of time, and of school-level mediating variables. External project evaluation is conducted by Concentric Research and Evaluation using quantitative and qualitative methods and addressing both formative and summative components. Project research findings contribute to the refinement of a model reflective of the new science standards in the State and the emerging national science standards. The value added of this effort consists of its potential to inform effective implementation of science curricula and teacher professional development in other learning settings, including ELLs and traditionally marginalized student populations at the elementary school level. It constitutes practically the only research study focused on the issue of scale-up and sustainability of effective science education practices with this student subpopulation, which has become prominent due to the dramatic growth of a racially, ethnically, and linguistically diverse school-aged population, low levels of U.S. student science achievement, and the role of science and mathematics in current accountability systems nationwide.