The United States is in the midst of a revolution in science education. Across the nation, the landscape of science education is changing through the implementation of new guidelines that fuse science with technology, engineering, and mathematics. With the addition of several new programs, courses, and electives, as well as the state-of-the-art High School science wing expected to be complete by September 2014, Rye is ahead of the curve.

 

By Dr. Frank Alvarez

 

The United States is in the midst of a revolution in science education. Across the nation, the landscape of science education is changing through the implementation of new guidelines that fuse science with technology, engineering, and mathematics. With the addition of several new programs, courses, and electives, as well as the state-of-the-art High School science wing expected to be complete by September 2014, Rye is ahead of the curve.

 

Two years ago the National Research Council unveiled “A Framework for K-12 Science Education” to support the creation of new standards. After extensive review, these standards have now been released. New York State has been a lead partner in the process of developing these standards, formally titled “Next Generation Science Standards,” and we anticipate that they will be adopted in the near future. The standards represent a number of conceptual shifts in science education K-12, linking it to “…the interconnected nature of science as it is practiced and experienced in the real world.”

 

The underlying theme for these new initiatives is to frame learning in a way that will prompt students to think more scientifically by providing them with challenging hands-on, inquiry-based instructional experiences. As a result, Rye will be poised and prepared to implement any changes needed to fully align our curriculum with new science standards.

 

Among the programs recently adopted by our Board of Education that will support the Next Generation Science Standards are the Robotics and Engineering elective for High School students, Canvas and Timber elective for Middle School students, and the Financial Algebra High School mathematics course.

 

The Canvas and Timber elective will be offered to seventh and eighth graders, providing options for them to explore interests in art and architectural history. The course will incorporate the technology and interactive approaches that are emphasized in the Next Generation standards, including a technology component through the use of Google SketchUp to create projects. This elective will help set the stage for students to participate in Robotics and Engineering once they reach the High School. Robotics and Engineering offers opportunities to design creative solutions to real and challenging problems.

 

Similarly, mathematics is becoming more and more closely correlated to science. In the next school year, Rye High School will introduce Financial Algebra as a way to teach students the skills they will need in order to become financially responsible adults. Integrating Algebra skills and concepts, the course will provide students with an understanding of how math applies to the real world.

 

In the next several weeks, the Board of Education will also consider the Science 21 elementary-level curriculum and a high school Project Lead the Way initiative. Science 21, a Putnam/Northern Westchester BOCES-developed program, was piloted this year in our schools. It focuses on hands-on learning, discovery, and inquiry, prompting students to make connections to science that go beyond the textbook. Project Lead the Way is designed to expand the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) component of the high school experience. It will offer students an introduction to the field of engineering through the Pathway to Engineering program.

 

All of these progressions will come to one meeting point at the High School, where we will soon have a new science wing that further supports the advancements of our program.

 

We are pleased with the evolution of our science program and will be in a strong place when the state adopts the new standards.