Updates from the OHM Science Center
April 2023
Training Calendar and Quarter Four Trainings
Upcoming trainings hosted by the OHM Science Center are displayed in a Google calendar. Regional trainings available to teachers include training descriptions and MyLearningPlan links to enroll in the trainings. Districts can request support and custom trainings. Please have your administrator contact elemscienceteam@oneida-boces.org for details.
First-Grade After-School Science Training
Join this session to work with the OHM BOCES Science Center team, and at least one teacher that is instructing on the kit, to walk through kit highlights and any questions that you may have. Breakout sessions during the Zoom will allow you to work on the kit you have in your classroom.
- Animals and Survival
- Light, Sound and Communication
MLP Link
Second-Grade After-School Science Training
Join this session to work with the OHM BOCES Science Center team, and at least one teacher that is instructing on the kit, to walk through kit highlights and any questions that you may have. Breakout sessions during the Zoom will allow you to work on the kit you have in your classroom.
- The Dynamic Earth
- Plants
Kindergarten After-School Science Training
Join this session to work with the OHM BOCES Science Center team, and at least one teacher that is instructing on the kit, to walk through kit highlights and any questions that you may have. Breakout sessions during the Zoom will allow you to work on the kit you have in your classroom.
- Relationships in an Ecosystem
- Objects in Motion
Fifth-Grade After-School Science Training
Join this session to work with the OHM BOCES Science Center team, and at least one teacher that is instructing on the kit, to walk through kit highlights and any questions that you may have. Breakout sessions during the Zoom will allow you to work on the kit you have in your classroom.
- The Energy of Life
- Space Systems
Third Grade After-School Science Training
Join this session to work with the OHM BOCES Science Center team, and at least one teacher that is instructing on the kit, to walk through kit highlights and any questions that you may have. Breakout sessions during the Zoom will allow you to work on the kit you have in your classroom.
- Adaptations and Survival
- Life Cycles in Nature
Fourth Grade After-School Science Training
Join this session to work with the OHM BOCES Science Center team, and at least one teacher that is instructing on the kit, to walk through kit highlights and any questions that you may have. Breakout sessions during the Zoom will allow you to work on the kit you have in your classroom.
- Structures and Functions of Life
- Waves
SCIENCE PROFESSIONAL LEARNING COMMUNITY
The next meeting will be held on Wednesday, April 26.
NYS Elementary & MS Investigations
The new Elementary Science Test will have two parts. Part one will be a written exam assessing grades three through five Performance Expectations, taken in fifth grade, beginning in June 2024. Part two is a series of four Investigations, assessing grades three through five Performance Expectations, that must be completed prior to the fifth grade written exam.
In the fall of 2022, the New York State Education Department released the Science Elementary and Intermediate Investigations. These Investigations go hand-in-hand with the spring 2024 Written Science Assessments for grades five and eight. Currently, principals can access the Investigations and teacher materials through the Principal’s Business Portal.
NYSED has provided districts with the option to decide whether Investigations may be completed within the aligned grade level Performance Expectation within the curriculum (third-fifth), or during the grade associated with the written assessment (fifth), so long as all four investigations are completed prior to the fifth grade written assessment taken in the spring. All data for investigations must remain in the student’s file and be kept for six months after the written exam.
Intermediate Investigations can be completed anytime throughout the grades six through eight band, as they align with the curriculum or within the grade associated with the written assessment (eighth), so long as all four investigations are completed prior to the eighth grade written assessment taken in the spring. All data for the investigations must follow the student and be kept for six months after the written exam.
The OHM BOCES Science Center plans to support districts by providing three Elementary Investigation Material Kits and two Intermediate Investigation Material Kits to districts requesting Investigation Test support.
The Science Center has created potential options for elementary Investigation completion. Each Investigation can be embedded within the curriculum of the grade level performance expectation assessed (third-fifth), or within the fifth grade curriculum. Please review the Implementation Options with your three through five team and consider the following:
- Which grade level(s) will complete the Investigations?
- Are all grade level teachers expected to do the Investigations or will one teacher be the host and students rotate?
- Where will the Investigations be conducted?
- Where will the Investigation Kits be stored (these are considered assessment materials and must be stored in a limited-access location)?
- When will teachers work through Investigations?
- What additional training or professional development will teachers need?
Join Our Team!
We thank you for your continued support of our program. Our team is adding new positions to support the program. Please review the opportunities below and consider if you or someone you know may be a good fit.
Year-round, part-time positions:
Curriculum Writing, Trainers
We seek K-12 teachers that would be interested in being part-time curriculum writers, turnkey local and regional trainers and participants in other ongoing projects. We welcome your collaborative spirit to grow and strengthen science curriculum implementations across NYS.
Summer and ongoing projects include updating assessments, recording teacher support videos, training on our updated lessons and lesson format and six through eight projects.
Please email your letter of interest for curriculum writing and training to sciencecenter@oneida-boces.org, and our team will follow up to schedule a conversation. Also, should you have a teacher retiring, please do not hesitate to suggest their name as well, as many have enjoyed a part-time opportunity after retiring.
From NYSED
Our team works in anticipation of these updates and with the final posted outcomes to support implementation with our district partners. The timelines remain for a spring 2024 administration of a NYSSLS-centric, fifth-grade science assessment that covers all grades three through five performance expectations, coupled with four school year performance Investigations. We anticipate much more information to be released throughout the 2022-23 school year related to this.
Classroom Happenings
OHM BOCES Science Center
Email: sciencecenter@oneida-boces.org
Website: https://www.oneida-boces.org/science
Location: 502 Court Street
Phone: 315-793-8590
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ohmboces1/
Twitter: @ohmboces