Curriculum and Instruction Steering Committee Science Subcommittee Meeting

California Department of Education Update

Submitted on January 15, 2010

By Jim Greco, Education Administrator

Mathematics and Science Leadership Office

v 916-323-6189

1)  Science Assessment

a)  2009 California Standardized Testing and Reporting Program (STAR) - Information about the 2009 STAR program, including test results from science assessments, is available at: http://star.cde.ca.gov/star2009/

2)  California Mathematics and Science Partnership (CaMSP)

a)  Cohort 7 Applications Proposed for Funding

Region / County / LEA / Science Subject / Math Subject / Teachers Served / Students Served
1 / Sonoma / Bellevue UESD / X / 95 / 3,600
3 / El Dorado / Lake Tahoe USD / X / 35 / 1,050
3 / Placer / Auburn UESD / X / 63 / 2,600
3 / Yuba / Marysville Joint USD / X / 45 / 2,700
5 / San Benito / Hollister SD / X / 100 / 6,000
6 / San Joaquin / Escalon USD / X / 30 / 2,000
6 / Stanislaus / Ceres USD / X / 100 / 3,000
7 / Fresno / Fresno COE / X / 104 / 4,000
8 / San Luis Obispo / Paso Robles Joint USD / X / 75 / 2,142
9 / Orange / Centralia SD / X / 65 / 2,900
9 / San Diego / Lakeside Union ESD / X / 70 / 5,814
10 / Riverside / Lake Elsinore USD / X / 96 / 6,200
10 / Riverside / Riverside COE / X / 100 / 6,524
10 / Riverside / Riverside USD / X / 76 / 4,411
11 / Los Angeles / Downey USD / X / 45 / 3,500
11 / Los Angeles / Duarte USD / X / 34 / 1,536
11 / Los Angeles / View Park Prep. Accelerated Elementary Charter School / X / 65 / 5,600
Totals / 17 projects / 5 / 12 / 1,198 / 63,577

b)  CaMSP RFA for Cohort 8

i)  The Request for Application (RFA) for Cohort 8 CaMSP 2010-11 grant awards is projected for availability this Spring.

ii)  The grant applications are projected to be due at CDE by 1:00 p.m. on Thursday, September 15, 2010.

3)  Science Safety Handbook

a)  A draft copy of the updated Science Safety Handbook has been reviewed by California Science Safety Handbook Update Committee members and electronic copies have been sent to selected persons in the field.

b)  Publication - Due to budget constraints, the updated version of the Science Safety Handbook is not slated to be published as a hard copy, but will be available as an internal document.

4)  Environmental Education/Education and the Environment

a)  The State Board of Education approved 76 of the 85 curriculum units at their January meeting. Information about the California Education and the Environment Initiative Curriculum may be found at http://www.calepa.ca.gov/Education/EEI/default.htm.

b)  The 2010-2011 Environmental License Plate Fund Grant Request for Application has yet to be approved. We are now anticipating a late February release. Information will be posted on the Environmental Education Web page of the California Department of Education at http://www.cde.ca.gov/pd/ca/sc/oeeintrod.asp.

5)  Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM)

a)  STEM and Race to the Top - STEM is an area of emphasis in the RttT application process with a total of 15 points available. Specific language regarding STEM can be found in the Draft Application Section A1: Overview of the State's education reform agenda on the California RttT Web page at http://www.caracetothetop.org/.

b)  Engineering in K-12 Education: Understanding the Status and Improving the Prospects - This is a new publication by the National Academy of Engineering and the National Research Council. A press release on this publication, including how to order copies, is available at http://www8.nationalacademies.org/onpinews/newsitem.aspx?RecordID=12635. Additional information on the National Academy of Engineering is available at http://www.nae.edu/.

6)  Become a (Science) Teacher –

a)  Resources - Links to resources about how to become a teacher in California may be found at http://www.cde.ca.gov/pd/bt/

7)  Year of Science, International Year of Astronomy, and other special events

a)  Year of Science - The home page for Year of Science activities, found at http://www.yearofscience2009.org/home/ contains information about the current month’s science focus as well as an archive of the focus for previous months. Links to other features, including the International Year of Astronomy events, may be found at this web site.

California Department of Education, English Learner and Curriculum Support Division 1

Mathematics and Science Leadership Office, Jim Greco, Administrator, 916.323.6189,