LYNNWOOD – Science was an unexpected adventure in the Edmonds School District two years ago.
No matter what the subject, physics, biology or chemistry, the problem was the same.
Books.
Old books. Wrong books. A lack of books.
Some high schools used the district-approved books. Others didn’t. Many textbooks were outdated. And three high schools had no physics textbooks at all.
Students from Brier to Lynnwood now have the same textbooks after teachers and district leaders spent months of research determining the best instructional practices they could use and what materials would make that possible.
Last year, across the district, students in seventh through the 10th grades used the same new textbooks.
This fall, high school juniors and seniors will get new textbooks in chemistry, physics and biology after a panel of teachers and district leaders invested months evaluating the books on the market.
“It was a pretty big process,” said Bridgette Belasli, the district’s director of secondary education.
The committee of 11 teachers and two district administrators met a few times a month to discuss ways to improve science instruction for juniors and seniors. That included studying textbooks, other instructional materials and technology that could be used in their classrooms.
“Folks were really anxious to have something more up-to-date to use,” Belasli said. “They really scouted around and took a look at other school districts to see what they adopted.”
A similar committee studied the textbook issues the year before for middle school and freshmen and sophomore high school students. Their work also included getting training for teachers on how to use the materials.
They knew that whatever texts were adopted needed to be a good match for state academic standards for science while preparing older students for national exams, such as Scholastic Aptitude Tests and college-level advanced placement exams.
By 2010, high school students will need to be able to pass a state science exam to graduate. The exam is part of the Washington Assessment of Student Learning, or WASL, which is given to 10th-graders each year.
Teachers stressed that textbooks are only part of the instruction. Much of the lab work comes from their training and materials that can supplement the main textbooks.
Reporter Eric Stevick: 425-339-3446 or stevick@heraldnet.com.
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