Understanding the Results: SEC Scenarios
Connersville School District
Professional Development in Science
Maria, a professional development consultant hired by the Connersville School District, is working to find opportunities to expand the knowledge of middle school science teachers. The administration had seen a drop in test score gains in science after the students left elementary school. The district felt it was important to find areas of strengths and weaknesses for their middle school science teachers because of the new emphasis placed on science in NCLB legislation. Maria talked to the administration about using the SEC. The content surveys and standards maps would identify any gaps in content coverage. The practice surveys would provide information on past professional development, teacher opinions and beliefs, and classroom teaching practices. This would give Maria an even better chance of targeting the professional development to the needs of the teachers.
Knowing she needed to get support from leadership at the district level, as well as the middle school level, she came up with a plan for implementation of the SEC. Here is the simple plan she presented to the administration on rolling out the surveys out for the middle school.
Step One: Administering the Online Surveys
Maria decided for convenience that all the science teachers would take the online version of the SEC. They just didn't seem to have the time to take out a whole day, so instead she would set up various times over the span of two weeks in the computer lab for teachers to come in and take the surveys. In addition, they could take the survey in small increments, and even work on it at home if they so desired. She also planned for school leadership to introduce the surveys, the need for the school, and how the information gathered would be used.
