July 30, 2010

Save the Date

Mark your calendars, USEE's Annual Conference is coming up this November!

July 29, 2010

NOTICE OF A PUBLIC LISTENING SESSION ON THE PRESIDENT’S AMERICA’S GREAT OUTDOORS INITIATIVE

Please join senior representatives from the U.S. Department of the Interior, the White House Council on Environmental Quality, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for a public listening session and discussions in Utah on conservation, recreation, and reconnecting people to the outdoors. The session will be held August 3 from 10:00 AM to 1:15 PM at the Radisson Hotel Salt Lake City Downtown.

This past April, at the White House Conference on America’s Great Outdoors, President Obama signed a memorandum establishing the America’s Great Outdoors Initiative to develop a conservation agenda worthy of the 21st century and to reconnect Americans with our great outdoors. The President
understands that protecting and restoring the lands and waters that we love and reconnecting people to the outdoors must happen at the local level.

Therefore, President Obama directed the principal leaders of the America’s Great Outdoors Initiative to travel across the country to listen and learn from people directly involved in finding grassroots solutions to conserve our lands, waterways, historical and cultural resources, and reconnect
Americans to the outdoors. The President indicated that the sessions should engage the full range of interested groups, including tribal leaders, farmers and ranchers, sportsmen, community park groups, foresters, youth groups, businesspeople, educators, State and local governments, recreation and conservation groups, and others.

This listening session in Utah offers an opportunity for us to engage in a conversation about the solutions you and your community have created to address the challenges and opportunities facing land and water conservation; for engaging people in outdoor activities; and in restoring and conserving our vital natural and cultural resources.

The public listening session and discussions on August 3rd provide an opportunity for the leaders of the America’s Great Outdoors Initiative to hear from you and other voices in the region about solutions for building a 21st century conservation and recreation agenda and for reconnecting people with the outdoors. Please join us. Here are the details:

When: Tuesday, August 3, 10:00 AM to 1:15 PM
Where: Radisson Hotel Salt Lake City Downtown
215 West South Temple
Salt Lake City, Utah 84101
(801) 531-7500
http://www.radisson.com/

Who: Senior leadership from the U.S. Department of the Interior, the White House Council on Environmental Quality, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and other federal agencies will be present to hear your thoughts and participate in a
conversation about America’s Great Outdoors.

RSVP: This event is free and open to the public. For planning purposes it would be helpful if you would
pre-register by Wednesday, July 28 by sending an email to americasgreatoutdoorsslc@blm.gov or a fax to (801)-539-4074 with your name, the name of any organization you are affiliated with, telephone number, and email address. Please let us know if you have any special needs. We will make every effort to accommodate everyone.

In the event you are unable to participate in person, please submit your ideas on the America’s Great Outdoors website at http://www.doi.gov/americasgreatoutdoors/.

If you have questions, please contact Jeanette Matovich at (801) 539-4232 or americasgreatoutdoorsslc@blm.gov.

Member Highlight: Living Planet Aquarium

Tucked amongst a construction zone in Sandy is Utah’s portal to the exciting life of the ocean. I was offered a tour of the Living Planet Aquarium on Monday morning before operating hours. I pull into an empty parking lot, and approach what initially appears to be a pretty average, if not plain looking building. What I come to find out is the outside is camouflage for the fascinating treasures waiting inside. The Living Planet Aquarium is a “501(c) (3) non-profit organization, dedicated to cultivating public interest in the environment, conservation, and the enhancement of our planet and its creatures through adoption, education, research and recreation”. This organization host the most beautiful of exotic wildlife found in and near the great oceans and rivers of the world. Everything from a penguin exhibit to a tidal pool touch tank is located within the exhibits. There is plenty to learn, see, and touch throughout the building.

I am first introduced to Program’s Manager of three years, Carolyn Adler. She is my personal guide through the intelligently- designed displays. “Discover Utah, Ocean Explorer, and Journey to South America” are the various themed exhibits to tour when visiting. It is evident that the organization places value in education; the layout meanders like a flowing river and around each bend contains life to look at and learn about. “Discover Utah” contains a replica of the Great Salt Lake; with mossy water, living plants, and even a Boreal toad, who peacefully sits on a stone as we pass by. What is the Great Salt Lake without a boat ride, right? Playing into every child’s imagination the exhibit has a simulated boat ride, with life-size controls to interact with as you coast through the salty wetlands. The most important aspect of this exhibit is how it explains the importance of the Great Salt Lake to wildlife, the economy, and how we as a society depend on such ecosystems to sustain life. After viewing the endangered and threatened species such as, the June Suckers and the Least Chub, there is a nice tie in to water conservation and water issues that pertain specifically to Utah.

Next on the list to see was the “Ocean Explorer” exhibit. Everything that you picture when you think of the ocean is included in this portion of the tour, and perhaps you may encounter some things that have never crossed your mind. First things first! As I mentioned before there is a tidal pool touch tank, this is an open snake shape pool of water to dip your hands in. What is in the touch tank? Why a Southern Stingray of course! That’s right, located in the TOUCH TANK is a Southern Stingray known to get up to 5 feet across! No need to worry though, these Stingray’s no longer have their sting, so they are pleasant to the touch, well… with the slimy skin, I guess I should say harmless to the touch. Unlike traditional exhibits with every turn there is something to learn through touch, could a kid ask for anything more?!

An educational feature ran by one of the educational presenters has continually changing themes that ask thoughtful questions. To go along with the themed questions is a chain of small aquariums with interesting creatures to feel, such as the pencil urchin and the horseshoe crab, whose existences dates back to 445 million years ago! My favorite of the “Ocean Explorer” exhibit was the “Jelly Room”. This room is completely dark with the only light coming from the glow of the aquariums and educational plaques. With the euphoric music floating throughout the room the jellies seem more to dance through the water than swim. I was first introduced to the upside down jellies, which can create their own algae making them pretty self-sufficient creatures. Next up, receiving its name from its translucent, circular shape; was the harmless moon jelly, floating up and down in the tank. There is so much more to see and explore in the “Ocean Explorer” exhibit, including six different species of sharks, a Giant Pacific Octopus, and a massive, live coral reef structure. The exhibit makes a clear connection between coral reefs and their importance to ocean life and to the planet as a whole.

As I approach the end, I finally enter the “Journey to South America” exhibit. The educational emphasis in this exhibit is biodiversity, which is demonstrated through the amazing structures mimicking the lush vegetation of the Amazon Rain Forest and the opportunity to see incredible creatures. This is a perfect way to learn about biodiversity, with plenty of opportunity to examine and learn about various animals, ranging from the poison dart frog, who receives its toxicity from eating insects to the Arapaima, who breathes air from rising to the surface and inhaling large amounts of oxygen. The amazing wildlife doesn’t stop there; it seems that this section has something for everyone. For excitement check out an eel that has an electronic scale, that measures its voltage when hunting. If you’re looking to meet a titan, then pass by the aquarium that is home to the 10-foot long anaconda. Or if you want to get in touch with your cuddly side, visit the Gentoo penguins, where you can see them dashing in and out of the waters.

After the tour I was invited to the back offices to sit-down with Carolyn and talk more about her personal connection to the organization and the educational programming. When speaking with Carolyn I asked, “What do you enjoy most about working here?” Her answer was the opportunity to educate others about the very things that she is passionate about. She told me that this facility creates an opportunity for children and adults to have a rare learning experience about aquatic life, which normally, they would not be able to have, here in Utah. One way to provide these educational resources is through their educational programming. They have an extensive outreach program, which has themed vans traveling to elementary schools with interesting topics and animals. The program is free and “coordinates with the Utah State Office of Education’s General Core Curriculum for second grade and the Science Core Curriculum for third grade. It helps foster a greater awareness for important environments most students will never see”. Learning doesn’t only have to be for the youth, the organization coordinates an adult lecture series entitled “Adventures in the Deep Sea”. This lecture series explores the unique and strange adaptations of sea life in the deep waters of the ocean.

What I was unaware of but found to be extremely interesting was their volunteer program. I spoke briefly with the volunteer Coordinator, Melissa Bowers and learned about the great strides they are making within the program. One of their many volunteer opportunities is the field program, with projects that consist of collecting and learning about insects, while at the same time, restoring natural areas by picking up trash and debris. After speaking with Carolyn and Melissa I find that not only is the Living Planet Aquarium home to the most exotic and fascinating of creatures, but the programming offers educational and volunteer opportunities for all ages. To learn more about the organization visit: www.thelivingplanet.com.

Exiting from the back offices and re-entering the exhibit, it was now operating hours. I found the facility, that earlier was virtually silent, now filled and bustling with kids and adults cocking their necks out just as I had done, to get a closer look at the fascinating life behind the glass. I took a few more pictures of the Amazonian fish and passed through the jelly room once more. I then walked outside and turned around to take one last picture of the building. I left with an overwhelming urge to book the next available trip to the coast, unfortunately, my current budget does not put me in the position to take such a trip, though I think a couple of visits back to the Living Planet Aquarium will definitely suffice until then.

July 28, 2010

Free Household Hazardous Waste Community Collection

Posted via www.diversity.slco.org

Need to get rid of your old electronic equipment, paint, batteries, and prescription drugs? Look below for a drop off location in your neighborhood.

1st Thursday of the month
Draper Galena Park
12452 South Galena park Blvd (550 West)
(August 5)

2nd Thursday of the month
Sandy Public Works
8775 South 700 West
(August 12, September 9)

3rd Thursday of the month
Holladay
4626 South 2300 East
(August 19)

4th Thursday of the month
SLC Sugarhouse Park
Big Field Pavilion
1300 East - 1700 East 2100 South
(August 26)

If you have questions please call (801) 313-6700. This announcement was sent through Salt Lake County Mayor Peter Corroon’s Office of Diversity Affairs. Please direct your questions to the contact information in the document above. You can also go to the Mayor’s Office of Diversity Affairs Website for more information and resources. www.diversity.slco.org

July 21, 2010

Common Standards Judged Better Than Most States'

By Stephen Sawchuk

Published by Education Week, online July 21, 2010

The common academic-content standards that dozens of states are now adopting are better overall than 33 individual states’ standards, according to an analysis released today by a Washington research-and-advocacy group.

The standards meet or best the quality of every state’s current math guidelines and all but three sets of English/language-arts standards, the study finds. California and Indiana, as well as the District of Columbia, have higher-quality ELA standards than the common standards, according to the analysis.

To date, 25 states have adopted the common measures developed through the Common Core State Standards Initiative, which grew out of a state-led effort to align what students across the nation are learning.

“If they implement as well as adopt, kids in about three quarters of the states will clearly be better off than they are today,” said Checker Finn, Jr., the president of the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, which conducted the analysis. “The United States is approaching a set of agreed-upon national standards for a core of its K-12 curriculum, and I think that’s a healthy thing for the country.”

The think tank’s analysis comes as a wave of states, including populous New York; the District of Columbia, which instituted new curricula over the past decade; and Massachusetts, famed for its highly regarded set of standards, this week consider adoption of the common academic-content standards.

Released in June, the common standards were organized and developed by two Washington-based groups representing states—the National Governors Association and the Council of Chief State School Officers—with the unofficial blessing of federal education officials. In contrast to the typically slow, deliberative process for updating content standards, states have by and large been quick to sign onto the standards since they win additional points in the federal Race to the Top competition for adopting them by Aug. 2. ("States Adopt Standards at Fast Clip," July 14, 2010.)

But Massachusetts officials have experienced vigorous opposition from some constituencies about their plans to adopt. Meanwhile, education leaders in Minnesota plan to hold off on adopting the CCSSI math standards, and Virginia officials say they don’t plan to adopt either the math or the ELA standards.

Two other states, Texas and Alaska, are not participating in the CCSSI.

Judgment Calls

For the Fordham Institute analysis, teams of reviewers analyzed sets of academic-content standards, as well as supplemental materials such as curriculum frameworks, from all 50 states. They then compared these to the CCSSI standards.

The term “standards” itself has historically proven to be fungible across the states, embodying everything from general statements of purpose to highly detailed instructional guidelines. Attempts to define just what constitutes high-quality standards have yielded disagreements, not just about content but about how it should be taught. ("Resurgent Debate, Familiar Themes," Quality Counts, Jan. 14, 2010.)

Mr. Finn acknowledged that the Fordham group’s review, like any review of standards, involves judgment calls about what students should know and be able to do. Its reviewers gave more points for highly specific standards focused on content rather than metacognitive “strategies” or skills, and for standards that are clear, well organized, and easy for teachers, students, and curriculum developers to use.

In math, reviewers valued a focus on mastering basic number operations rather than on using different algorithms, for instance. And in English/language arts, they looked for lists of specific texts, samples of student writing, and differentiated guidance for teaching fiction and non-fiction genres.

The ELA review team was led by Sheila Byrd Carmichael, a founding director of the American Diploma Project, and the math review was headed by W. Stephen Wilson, a professor of mathematics at Johns Hopkins University, in Baltimore. The ADP is an initiative of Achieve, a Washington-based nonprofit group that worked with the NGA and CCSSO to develop the common standards.

The reviewers graded states’ current standards on a one-to-10 scale, and compared those to ratings for the common standards, which earned a B-plus, or eight points, in ELA and an A-minus, or nine points, in math, from the institute’s reviewers.

A disparity of two points above or below the CCSSI mark garnered a state’s current standards the label of “clearly superior” or “clearly inferior” to the CCSSI. Disparities of a point or less were judged “too close to call.”

The institute judged that the CCSSI standards were roughly of the same level of rigor as the strongest math standards in the country and superior to the majority of states’ current standards.

In ELA, the Fordham group deemed the CCSSI standards better than or equivalent to 47 states’ current offerings, but weaker than the standards in California, Indiana, and the District of Columbia. Mr. Finn, however, said that the reviewers’ qualms about the CCSSI’s ELA standards were relatively minor. The group would have preferred more-specific guidance on how to teach aspects such as sub-genres of literature.

“This is not profound criticism,” he said. “It’s like saying it was a solid meal but the salad dressing wasn’t totally satisfactory.”

As for states’ own standards, the reviewers judged Alaska, Delaware, Iowa, Montana, and Nebraska as currently having the weakest ELA standards. Kansas, Montana, Pennsylvania, Vermont, Wisconsin, and Wyoming received the lowest ratings in math.

Possible Effects?

It was not immediately clear whether the analysis might affect the adoption of common standards in states in which officials have expressed concerns about their merits.

Though the CCSSI standards have support from Massachusetts’ education commissioner, Mitchell D. Chester, and its secretary of education, Paul Reville, the standards have faced strong opposition from other parties. They include state board of education member Sandra Stotsky, who earlier refused to sign off on a “validation” of the CCSSI.

The Fordham review considered the common standards to be about as strong as Massachusetts’ current, much-lauded guidelines. The Massachusetts Board of Education discussed the CCSSI standards yesterday and is scheduled to make its adoption decision today.

Meanwhile, other states that contend that their current standards and assessments are more rigorous than the CCSSI earned less-than-stellar scores on the Fordham review.

Minnesota officials don’t plan to adopt the CCSSI math standards, but the Fordham reviewers judged the state’s math standards as “clearly inferior” to the CCSSI, with a grade of B.

In a statement, Minnesota Education Commissioner Alice Seagren responded that the Fordham group’s criteria “advocates for a specificity in academic standards that generally is reserved for Minnesota school districts.”

She said that CCSSI math standards “did not meet our expectations,” but the state would review them again in the 2010-11 school year.

Virginia will not change its Standards of Learning, officials there have said. That state garnered a C grade for both its math and reading standards. A spokesman for the state did not immediately return a request for comment.

The chief of staff to Indiana Education Secretary Tony Bennett said his state's education department plans to recommend adoption of the CCSSI in August, despite the slightly higher rating for its current ELA standards.

The review shows that “there wasn’t an astronomical difference in quality,” said Todd Houston. “There’s a lot of benefit to the Common Core: the easy comparison in how states are doing, our leadership role in the assessment consortia [for developing aligned tests], and knowing that more resources and textbooks will be aligned.

“I think everyone in that top tier recognizes that this may be a bit awkward,” he added, “but not awkward enough to change our path.”

How States' Standards Compare

English Language Arts

CLEARLY SUPERIOR TO THE COMMON CORE
California A
District of Columbia A
Indiana A

Mathematics

CLEARLY SUPERIOR TO THE COMMON CORE
None

SOURCE: Thomas B. Fordham Institute

Vol. 29, Issue 37

July 14, 2010

Announcing USEE's New Executive Director

The Utah Society for Environmental Education Board of Directors is pleased to announce that Andree’ Walker Bravo has been hired as the new executive director. Andree’ served as USEE’s interim executive director and as associate director for two years. She holds Master's and Undergraduate degrees in watershed science and environmental studies, respectively, from Utah State University, and brings to the organization a wealth of knowledge and connections in environmental education. Andree’s passion for EE will help USEE become recognized as a statewide resource for environmental educators, K-12 teachers, higher education and the Utah community at large. Her efforts at the helm will help ensure economic, social and environmental sustainability in Utah.

Andree' and Olivia

Members in the news: Salt Lake City's Rowland Hall goes green

USEE member Rowland Hall was featured in the Deseret News last week for their outstanding efforts in sustainability. The article highlights that Rowland Hall is the first private school in Utah to install solar panels. The 48 panels will serve as an educational tool for teachers and students at the school.

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Click here for the full article and more pictures.

July 13, 2010

A Framework for Science Education Preliminary Public Draft

(via Board on Science Education, Center for Education)

Dear Members of the Scientific and Science Education Communities,

I am pleased to introduce a working draft of the National Research Council’s conceptual framework to guide the development of next generation standards for science education. This framework is the first step in a process for revising existing standards in K-12 science education which were published over a decade ago. In the second step, Achieve, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit, will work closely with states to develop a full set of standards based on the framework.

The impetus for this project grew from the recognition that although the existing standards and benchmarks (developed in the early to mid 1990s) were an important first step in strengthening science education, there is much room for improvement. The community has learned some important lessons from 10 years of implementation, and there is a new and growing body of research on learning and teaching in science that can now inform a revision of the standards.

I am honored to be serving as the chair of the committee of 18 experts convened by the National Research Council (NRC) to develop the framework. The committee members, working as volunteers, as do members of all NRC committees, represent expertise in the natural sciences, learning sciences, learning and teaching, curriculum, assessment, and education policy. Four of the members have many years of experience as K-12 classroom teachers. Nine of the committee members are members of the National Academy of Sciences or the National Academy of Engineering. The committee’s work is supported by a team of 20 consultants who have deep experience with science, science teaching, and standards development. (Biographies of the committee members and a list of these consultants are available at the end of the working draft.)

Right now we need your help with the next, very important step of obtaining feedback on the draft conceptual framework. Your input will provide the committee with important information about where the framework needs to be improved or clarified. The period for public comments runs from July 12 through August 2, after which the committee will consider all of the submitted comments and make appropriate revisions to the framework. I ask and hope that you will offer your comments on the draft.

In providing your feedback to us, please remember that this is a framework only; it is not a set of fully elaborated standards. Therefore, it does not include an articulation of the ideas and practices at every grade level. Instead, it offers descriptions only at some key grade level “anchor points.” Similarly, it does not provide specifications for performance expectations for all of the ideas and practices at these anchor points. Rather, it offers some examples to serve as illustrations for standards development. Finally, please recognize that this is a working draft and as such is incomplete in some ways. We are making it public in this early form in order to allow your input to help inform the committee’s work. We are also working with the National Science Teachers Association and other professional organizations to gather input through discussions held in regional meetings across the country.

When the committee’s final report is publicly released, currently planned to be in the first quarter of 2011, it will include a description of this public comment process and summarize the committee’s responses.

The published report will also include information on sources of evidence to support the framework that are not included in this working draft. Please note, too, that the final, revised draft of the framework, like all NRC reports, will undergo an intensive expert and confidential review.

In the material posted on-line for your review, we have included a survey that we ask you to use to focus your feedback; this will help us to make sense of the numerous comments we anticipate receiving. The questions in the survey focus on four main issues:

(1) Does the framework identify the most important ideas and practices for K-12 science education and describe them accurately?
(2) Are there any important major areas of science that have been overlooked and are important for ALL students to know?
(3) Are the progressions across grades appropriate?
(4) Is the framework organized in a way that is accessible and understandable?

Thank you for your interest in the framework and for taking the time to provide thoughtful comments. Your feedback will help to ensure that the final document is of the highest quality and meets the needs of students and teachers across the country.

Sincerely,

Helen Quinn

View the framework here

Green Fork Utah