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Impact Report

For plan Memorial Middle School Agricultural Extension and Education Center
Date January 23, 2012, 7:05 pm
For Objective Short-term Show short-term objectives
Impact Report Obj. 1 - The Memorial Middle School Agricultural Extension and Education Center, located in Las Vegas, served all 384 students at Memorial Middle School in the Spring of 2011 and all 388 students in the Fall of 2011. School district data for school year 2011/2012 indicate the following: 388 students, 90% Hispanic (N=351), 71% economically disadvantaged (N=276), 18% special needs or are on an individual education plan, and 14% English language learners (N=53). As a result, a great deal of instructional modification is necessary to meet the educational needs of a diverse group of learners. Instructional modifications include: multiple teaching methods; differentiated instruction, including varied instructional approaches, varied instructional materials, varied instructional presentations and behavioral support. All science teachers (N=4) collaborated with the program; 33% (N=2) math teachers collaborated with the program; 1 cross-curricular program was initiated with core discipline teachers. Ongoing efforts to refine curriculum and the delivery model are undertaken to improve overall content of curriculum materials, improve science literacy, and enhance Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) learning. Programmatic goals include, but are not limited to: 1) preparing youth for careers in the sciences, particularly for minority students who are underrepresented in these career fields, and 2) developing students with a variety of skill sets to prepare them for the many unique challenges their generation will certainly encounter in the future. In facilitating the role of the Center, Stakeholders identified three primary areas in which they felt the Center could make contributions to student achievement: understanding the scientific method, general knowledge of agriculture and natural resources, and investigative opportunities and thought. The MMSAEEC integrates inquiry-based learning and experiential education as an important educational component of the delivery model. Inquiry-base learning and experiential education are particularly important in STEM education because investigation is at the core of the learning foundation. Major programming efforts were delivered at each grade level (grades 6-8) in one of the following content areas: scientific method, agriscience, and emerging issues in agriculture and natural resource science. Sixth grade programs focused on exploring the scientific method through a fertilizer experiment in the greenhouse. Exploration of the scientific method is achieved primarily through lecture, labs, and greenhouse experiments. Context to the scientific method is linked to content by having the students perform a basic fertilizer experiment to better understand plant/fertilizer relationships. The experiment follows the steps in the scientific method so that students understand the process through experience as well as traditional instruction. This program reached 131 students in the Spring and 151 students this Fall. The program served two regular education teachers and one special education through the science classes. The duration of the program was for 16 weeks in the Spring and 16 weeks in the Fall. Weekly handouts were developed for teachers and students, and modified for special needs students. Handout content included: learning objectives, materials and methods, key terms, data collection activities and tables, and a final report. Four power point presentations were made covering: steps in the scientific method, bean physiology, root structure, and a data summary presentation. Teachers reported that students exhibited increased knowledge about the scientific method, which is supported by research findings both from State Standards Based Assessment science investigation data (p=0.0296; 9.5 vs. 8.2) and the agriculture and natural resource science achievement tool data (p=0.0482; 12.89 vs. 10.71); improved enthusiasm about learning and a preference by students for the hands-on, applied nature of the program; and, enhanced motivation and attitude of students due to programming efforts. An evaluation of students (n=69) found that 70% of students have a preference for learning by doing, 81% of students rated the program as good or excellent, 74% of students learned a lot, and 78% of students indicated they have developed at least some new science skills as a result of participating in the program. Seventh grade programs focus on agriscience. Exploration of agrisience is achieved primarily through lecture, labs, and greenhouse experiments. Modules for the agriscience program included: plant/light relationships, plant/water relationships, plant breeding, and plant physiology. These module-based experiments are intended to enhance in classroom Life Science curriculum covering photosynthesis, seed germination and growth, genetics, and plant characteristics. The MMSAEEC director organized with a campus faculty member for students in the AXED 485 Agriscience class (N=10) to conduct mini lessons for a day with 7th grade students. Topics included: soil analysis, sugar content in citrus fruit, water quality, and effects of salt on plant growth. This program reached 123 students in the Spring and 120 students this Fall. The program served one regular education teacher and one special education teacher through the science classes. The duration of the program was for 16 weeks in the Spring and 16 weeks in the Fall. Weekly handouts were developed for teachers and students, and modified for special needs students. Handout content included: learning objectives, materials and methods, key terms, data collection activities and tables, and a final report. Teachers reported that students exhibited increased knowledge about agriscience, which is supported by research findings both from State Standards Based Assessment data science scores (p=0.0086; 34.9 vs. 29.3) and the agriculture and natural resource science achievement tool data (p=0.0482; 12.89 vs. 10.71); improved enthusiasm about learning and a preference by students for the hands-on, applied nature of the program; and, enhanced motivation and attitude of students due to programming efforts. An evaluation of students (n=56) found that 61% of students have a preference for learning by doing, 75% of students rated the program as good or excellent, 59% of students learned a lot, and 71% of students indicated they have developed at least some new science skills as a result of participating in the program. Eighth grade programs focus on emerging issue in natural resource science. Exploration of natural resource science is achieved primarily through lecture, labs, and greenhouse experiments. This program is a yearlong study of water. Topics and activities include: global and local water issues, the water cycle, measuring water footprint, water properties, water pollution, water quality monitoring, and building a water purification system. This program reached 130 students in the Spring and 117 students this Fall. The program served one regular education teacher and one special education teacher through the science classes. The duration of the program was for 24 weeks over the Spring and Fall. Weekly handouts were developed for teachers and students, and modified for special needs students. Handout content included: learning objectives, materials and methods, key terms, data collection activities and tables, and a final report. Teachers reported that students exhibited increased knowledge about agriscience, which is supported by research findings both from State Standards Based Assessment data physical science scores (p=0.0008; 8.6 vs. 6.7) and science and people scores (p=0.0724; 3.5 vs. 3.0), and the agriculture and natural resource science achievement tool data (p=0.0482; 12.89 vs. 10.71); improved enthusiasm about learning and a preference by students for the hands-on, applied nature of the program; and, enhanced motivation and attitude of students due to programming efforts. One cross curricular program focused on nutrition. This program was delivered through the Health class to 91 students. This program was developed to complement nutrition education through the Health classes. Students harvested fresh produce from the campus agricultural system, designed healthy snacks using the fresh produce, consumed the fresh produce in class and discussed the importance of good nutrition. Integrated into AXED 485 was an agriscience field day at the MMSAEEC for seventh grade life sciences students that was planned and delivered by the university students. Four learning modules were repeated for seven class periods and a total of 58 middle school students: Analyzing soil texture and pH, setting up a decomposition experiment, testing pond and acequia water for dissolved oxygen and nitrates, and setting up an experiment to test the effects of different media on plant growth. A learning evaluation for the field day determined that the middle school students achieved 62%, 73%, 60%, and 76% correct responses on paired questions for each of the four modules, respectively. Seventy-six percent of middle school students indicated a preference for experiential learning and 95% rated the experience as good or excellent. University students responded that field-based teaching opportunities were invaluable for applying what was learned through the course. Science teachers found great value in the experience as a whole for both groups of students. Results are being used to improve the field day and to replicate it in other parts of the state. A summer program was sponsored by the Center. I supported two teachers, paid for transportation costs, and supplied equipment for a six-week summer field-based ecology educational enrichment program at MMS that reached fifteen students. The Center is instrumental in connecting the teachers with organizations and institutions willing to contribute to program educational efforts, and educational programming. We completed curriculum for the course this summer. Obj. 2 - The Las Vegas City Schools and the West Las Vegas school district are cooperating on a four-year quasi-experimental study to compare science achievement, agriculture and natural resource science achievement, leadership life skills development, and career interests between students participating in MMSASC learning activities for three years of middle school and students at a control middle school who receive their instruction without the agricultural science Center enhancements. Approval for human-subject research into the impacts of the MMSAEEC was continued by the NMSU Institutional Review Board for year 2. Standards-based Assessment (SBA) science test scores have been obtained from study school districts and year one data collection is complete. Data has been collected from 395 students participating in the program (treatment group) and 248 students in the control group over 2 years. Data analysis for year one is complete and a manuscript for submission to a peer-reviewed journal is in preparation. Data analysis for year two is underway. Obj. 3 - MMSAEEC partnered with six non-profit organizations, foundations, government agencies, and other educational institutions. These collaborations further the missions of the partner groups, as well as enhance programmatic impacts achieved through these various partnerships. Partnerships include: 1. The Las Vegas City Schools – provides support to the operation of the MMSAEEC; 2. Memorial Middle School – shares in the MMSAEEC mission to provide researched-based knowledge and programs to students that improve the quality of their learning and better prepare them for high school and higher education; 3. United World College - provided greenhouse expertise for the UWC greenhouse operation; 4. Tierra Y Montes Soil and Water Conservation District – educational partner at the middle school for weed management program; 5. River Source – New Mexico Game and Fish educational outreach arm and educational partner for water quality monitoring along the Gallinas River; and, 6. Las Vegas FFA – provided horticultural expertise on plant for care for State contest. Obj. 4 - Center recognition was increased through numerous venues. The MMSAEEC continues to update and improve its website and is now receiving exposure through external websites. Three tours of the center were provided to 14 interested community members, parents of students, and University partner groups. One fruit tree grafting workshops was delivered at the request of Valencia County Agent. Two poster presentations were made at a national conference and one presentation was delivered to New Mexico County Agents on 4-H Science opportunities. One peer-reviewed journal article about MMSAEEC activities with national reach has been accepted for publication, a juried article was published in a professional periodical, and two peer-reviewed poster abstracts were published in a national journal. Obj. 5 - Two grants were applied for and I was awarded $5,000 from the Office of the Vice President for Research at NMSU. Total sponsored research was $19,000. Obj. 6 – 4-H Science is a national initiative that seeks to address increased demand for science and technology professionals. I have effectively assumed additional duties as the 4-H Science specialist. During the course of the year, the following was accomplished: 1. A statewide plan of action was submitted to national 4-H; 2. I served on two national committees related to 4-H Science (Western Region 4-H Science Liaison and Western Region 4-H Science Academy); 3. 4-H National Youth Science Day is the premiere national rallying event for year-round 4-H Science programming, bringing together youth, volunteers and educators from the nation's 111 land-grant colleges and universities to simultaneously complete the National Science Experiment. Four counties requested kits and, to date, I have not been able to determine how many youth participated. 4. Increased county agent awareness about 4-H Science through presentations, the State 4-H office newsletter, and serving as a county agent resource for 4-H Science related programs.