NJSELA NEWS
February 12, 2015
DISTRICT SCIENCE SURVEYS
The links to the survey results are below:
AP Physics Survey Information - there was a lot of discussion lately about AP Physics offerings. If you have information to add please do so by using the survey link. I did my best to pull the information from the Google Group thread and previous surveys - it is not nearly complete - so if you need to edit something please do so in the survey result link!
Thank you for taking the time!
SPRING 2016 MEMBER WORKSHOPS
Leading Curriculum Change in the NGSS
- This workshop will focus on the action plan for implementing NGSS. Many districts are well into their plans but attendees are encouraged to share their progress and identify areas for modifying implementation. Focus will be on curriculum development, teacher training, and moving towards mastery.
Chemical Inventory Oversight and Handling
- This workshop will focus on chemical management for the science supervisor. Teacher training, proper handling and storage practices, and chemical inventory maintenance and disposal will be the focus.
- This workshop is targeted towards the new science supervisor with 1-2 years experience. Topics will focus on defining a leadership direction for your science department and summarizing the scope of responsibilities for a science supervisor. Participants for this workshop will be encouraged to contribute specific topics.
Click here to register your interest for any of these workshops.
This information will be used to determine location and date information.
NJSELA SHARED FOLDER - UPDATES
The NJSELA shared folder is LIVE at this link.
RECENT ADDITIONS: (Contributing Districts in parenthesis)
- Elementary NGSS Introduction Presentation (Madison)
- NGSS Units 6th-12th (New Brunswick)
- Sample Project Scoring Guide (New Brunswick)
- PhET Simulation NGSS Alignment (Hillsborough)
- Science Practices and Verbs (Hillsborough)
- Grades 6-8 NGSS Curriculum Documents (Tom's River)
- QSAC Walkthrough Checklists (Madison)
Reminder, this folder is available to active members. Check to see if we have you current with your 2016 membership at this link. If you have not gotten to renewing your membership yet, please go to the NJSELA Membership sign up page and follow the instructions found there.
If you are listed as an active 2016 member and still have an issue please contact our membership chair Eric Siegal at eric.siegal@wmtps.org.
NSTA ADMINISTRATOR'S INSTITUTE
Register for NSTA’s Administrators Institute: Achieving Success with NGSS on March 18
Principals, department chairs, and curriculum coordinators—anyone who provides professional learning around science standards and needs to assess the current capabilities of science teachers—are encouraged to attend NSTA’s Administrator Institute: Achieving Success With Next Generation Science Standards on Friday, March 18. This one-day event takes place at the Liberty Science Center in Jersey City, New Jersey, and will showcase the use of a three-dimensional approach to science teaching and learning. This is the place to develop new designs for professional learning around science standards, ways to assess the current capabilities of teachers, fresh goals for professional learning, and an updated process for accomplishing those goals. Speakers include Joyce Tugel, a science project director for the Maine Mathematics and Science Alliance, and Ted Willard, director of NGSS@NSTA for the National Science Teachers Association. Learn more and register: http://www.nsta.org/conferences/ngss2.aspx.
METHYL ALCOHOL SAFETY REMINDER
This week Flinn Scientific sent out an email on the same subject:
"Together with the Joint Board-Council Committee on Chemical Safety (CCS) of the American Chemical Society (ACS), Flinn Scientific is committed to increasing outreach efforts that will raise awareness and advocate safety training to prevent accidents in school science laboratories."
This semester we encourage you to visit http://www.flinnsci.com/MethylSafety16 that provides access to essential safety training and procedures for working with methyl alcohol and other flammable liquids. Here you will also find a link to a bulletin by The United States Chemical Safety Board (CSB) entitled, "Key Lessons for Preventing Incidents from Flammable Chemicals in Educational Demonstration."
Please forward this information to your science teachers, especially those handling methanol. A little refresher information never hurts!
DELAWARE DELAYS SCIENCE TESTING EXPANSION
Delaware lawmakers were unable to override a veto of a bill aimed at allowing parents to opt-out of mandated district and state testing, and mandate "alternative learning activities" be given when other students are taking the tests.
Officials have pulled back from the increased testing plan citing not wanting to add to test burdens. The updated plan is to keep the testing in grades 5, 8, and 10 with an NGSS-aligned assessment field test in 2017-2018 - one year later than initially anticipated, and they don't have a test created yet. Lessons for NJ?
See the articles:
UPCOMING NJDOE SCIENCE PD WORKSHOPS
No additions since the last newsletter.
Go to: https://education.state.nj.us/events/?p=a for more information and to sign up.
Translating the Biology Model Science Curriculum Framework into Local Curriculum
February 29: Stockton University - Register by 2/15/16
May 5: East Orange - Register by 4/21/16
Translating the Chemistry Model Science Curriculum Framework into Local Curriculum
March 4: Trenton - Register by 2/19/16
March 11: Stockton University - Register by 2/26/16
May 12: East Orange - Register by 4/28/16
Translating the Physics Model Science Curriculum Framework into Local Curriculum
March 22: East Orange – Register by 3/8/16
May 6: Trenton - Register by 4/22/16
May 26: Stockton University - Register by 5/12/16
Translating Capstone Earth & Space Sciences Model Science Curriculum Framework into Local Curriculum
March 1: Trenton - Register by 2/16/16
March 10: Stockton University - Register by 2/25/16
Translating Middle School Earth&Space Sciences Model Sci Curriculum Framework into Local Curriculum
April 20: Stockton University - Register by 4/13/16
May 13: East Orange - Register by 4/29/16
Translating Middle School Life Science Model Science Curriculum Framework into Local Curriculum
April 15: Trenton - Register by 4/11/16
April 25: Stockton University - Register by 5/20/16
May 20: East Orange - Register by 5/6/16
Translating Middle School Physical Science Model Science Curriculum Framework into Local Curriculum
February 26: East Orange - Register by 2/12/16
May 3: Trenton - Register by 4/19/16
May 18: Stockton University - Register by 5/23/16
May 23: Trenton - Register by 5/9/16
Structure and Properties of Matter for teachers in grades 2 & 5
Inheritance and Variation of Traits for teachers in grade 3
Interdependent Relationships; & Matter and Energy in Organisms and Ecosystems for Grades K, 2, 3, &5
Structure, Function and Information Processing for teachers in grades 1 and 4
March 2: East Orange - Register by 2/16/16
March 8: Stockton University - Register by 2/23/16
March 21: Trenton - Register by 3/7/16
Weather and Climate for teachers in grades K and 3
March 15: Stockton University - Register by 3/1/16
April 5: Trenton - Register by 3/31/16
April 19: East Orange - Register by 4/13/16