Research shows that student interest in science needs to be sparked early, before the age of 11. The Forest Area School District is doing exactly that by engaging students in hands-on, minds-on science in elementary school. Like scientists, both East and West Forest elementary students explore and perform science investigations, chart their results and reflect on their learning through the use of science notebooks.
While there has been a growing national movement to promote STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) education in recent years, the Forest Area School District has been equipping its students with the critical-thinking, team building and problem-solving skills through a partnership with ASSET Inc. (Achieving Student Success through Excellence in Teaching).
Founded in 1994 by Bayer Corporation and community partners, ASSET is a nationally recognized education nonprofit dedicated to continuously improve teaching and learning through cutting-edge, research-based teacher professional development aligned with hands-on STEM curriculum materials.
ASSET’s hallmark is its cutting-edge, research-based teacher professional development offerings. Teachers can engage in sessions focusing on learning how to effectively utilize the hands-on, minds-on science materials in the classroom, to higher-level teaching strategies focusing on improved student achievement.
ASSET provides K-8 standards-based science kits that are rented and refurbished after each use at its 30,000 square-foot Materials Support Center on Pittsburgh’s South Side. ASSET takes care of the materials so that teachers can focus on what they do best – teach.
While teachers are the primary focus of ASSET, student achievement is its most compelling outcome. An independent evaluation showed that 4th-grade students in ASSET member’s schools out-performed their peers in science on the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSA).
Additional evaluations of ASSET’s programs consistently show:
• Increased teacher competence
• Boosted teacher confidence
• More frequent science lessons being taught in classrooms
The Forest Area School District is among the nearly 100 school districts, charter and private schools across Pennsylvania utilizing the ASSET program, which impacts 125,000 students.
Parents can learn more about ASSET by visiting www.assetinc.org and viewing its new video, Planting the Roots for STEM Education.
