Science became a hot topic for the West Windsor-Plainsboro School Board, at both the March 12 board meeting and a March 13 “Coffee with the Principal” at High School North.
At the board meeting the conceptual physics class, taught by Danielle Bugge of High School South, gave a presentation demonstrating how a hands-on approach has been utilized to encourage students to learn physics concepts and also to learn to love science. The students demonstrated their rocket launch project, as well as how the donation of a high-speed camera has enhanced their learning by allowing them to look back at experiments and view results not visible to the naked eye.
The students said that this class has helped them learn independence and life skills, reinforced the 21st-century competencies, and allowed them to retain the information better than if it was just presented in lecture format.
By contrast, another science class that attempts to teach students through a non-traditional, hands-on methodology has not been receiving such high accolades.
Several parents appeared at the board meeting to express concern over the honors biology pilot program, currently in place at High School North. This program, which was begun during the second half of 2013, is being offered in all biology classes taught by teachers Robert Corriveau and Kristina Nicosia (including their college prep biology courses). And many of the parents whose students are enrolled in these classes — and the students themselves — have expressed dissatisfaction with the course.
At the board meeting, though parents did acknowledge that the programs’ goals — to teach students to think independently and to allow for individualized teaching of students — are certainly laudable, they expressed concerns about how the course is being implemented. Said parent Yingchao Zhang, “When we are making curriculum decisions, we need to consider how students learn, and how they can learn better. We need to be very careful and move slowly. We should have a full evaluation of a pilot program and obtain feedback from the students, parents, and others, before we claim ‘success.’”
“I have a ninth grader in honors bio,” said Adam Baker. “And it has been a very poor experience for him. I have heard nothing positive from any parent whose child is in this class. The teachers are good; it’s the new style of teaching, the new methodology, which is the problem. There is a real disconnect between the goals of the pilot and the reality. The teachers are very slow to give feedback to the students because it is difficult to manage all of these projects. There is a lot of down time for the students, and they are losing their enthusiasm. Before we expand this type of pilot program to honors chemistry or any other subject, we should make sure we have it right in biology first.”
Another parent, Angelina Caldwell, noted that “the students are learning good skills but not enough basic information. It is great that the district is willing to try new things, and you are to be applauded for that, but we need to assess these types of programs to make sure they are really working. Are the students really learning knowledge as opposed to skills?”
Board president Tony Fleres responded. “One of the strengths of this district is our concerned parents, who work with us for the benefit of our students. I thank all of you for coming here.”
Superintendent David Aderhold also thanked the parents and invited them to a follow-up meeting at High School North to further discuss the concerns with the honors biology program. Though he would not promise an immediate resolution, he assured parents that he would listen carefully to their concerns and address them.
Approximately 150 parents attended that follow-up meeting, which was one of the four “Coffee with the Principal” meetings hosted and sponsored by the North Parent, Teacher, and Students Association (PTSA). And the tone was decidedly less formal at this meeting. Aderhold, Assistant Superintendent Martin Smith, Science Curriculum Supervisor Rebecca McLelland-Crawley, Principal Michael Zapicchi, and many members of the board of education were in attendance.
PTSA President Suparna Mahableshawarkar explained, “we host a ‘Coffee with the Principal’ event every marking period. And at every one we have held, both last year and this year, the concerns about honors bio have been brought up, and the topic has really hijacked the meetings. So we decided to have one devoted exclusively to honors bio.”
“When the district decides to implement a pilot program, the most important thing is to communicate the idea to the parents. For instance, when the district implemented the Google Chromebook device pilot program for fifth graders, they did a very good job telling the parents, students, and staff that the pilot was being implemented. Yes, there were still some concerns and some parents who complained, but most people were satisfied because they had been kept informed.
“I wish we had had this meeting last year,” Mahableshawarkar continued, “when the pilot was first implemented. But Dr. Aderhold was not the superintendent back then. Now that he has heard the parents and listened to their concerns as well as the students’ concerns, I am cautiously optimistic that something will be done to remediate the problem this year.”
“But communication is the key. The need for communication is especially important when we are talking about implementing a pilot at one high school but not the other, or during a transition year [such as moving from eighth to ninth grade]. Ninth graders are new to high school, are worried about grades, and the work load, and their parents are too. They need to be kept informed. Older students probably would have handled the pilot program better,” she added.
At the “Coffee with the Principal” meeting, the parents were asked to categorize and prioritize their concerns with the program. The responses were varied, though many parents expressed similar concerns. For instance, having this pilot program in a freshman class was mentioned, because many parents felt that new high schoolers might not be ready for such an individually motivated classroom. The lack of specific deadlines for assignments was also noted. Parents felt that younger students might not have the discipline to get work done without specific deadlines.
More complaints revolved around the process itself. The long lag time between when a students handing in projects and receiving grades or feedback was mentioned by many of the parents. They felt that there was too much downtime in the classroom, and, without feedback on work already completed or turned in, the students could not progress to the next topic. This was especially worrisome because students have been receiving “Ds” and “Fs,” rather than “incompletes,” because of work that had not yet been graded.
Moreover, many parents felt that the core tenets of biology had not been sufficiently communicated to the students, who are still required to take a traditional assessment at the end of the year, and parents felt they would not be ready for it. Some also voiced concerns that they were at a disadvantage vis-a-vis their counterparts at High School South, where honors and regular biology are taught in a more traditional manner. Finally, several parents noted that their children had lost their enthusiasm for learning biology.
Said Aderhold: “No one can deny that there are many concerns with the honors biology program. I hear all of you. I understand that you are worried about this pilot concept being expanded to other subjects, such as chemistry. And I can tell you that no such decision to expand the pilot has been made. I also understand that you are not just asking that the program be corrected for the future, but that you are looking for remedial measures now for the students who are enrolled in the class now.”
“I could tell you that all of your concerns will be addressed in a week, or two weeks, but that would be disingenuous. Before I make any decisions, I want to speak to the students, who are the ones who are experiencing this course every day. I want to hear what they have to say, and how they really feel. We will take no names, and take no notes, so that the students can speak freely. But I owe it to them to hear from them, and listen to any suggestions and solutions they may offer,” he said.
“What I can promise you is that on weekly basis, starting this week, I will communicate with all of the parents of students enrolled in bio and honors bio to let you know the status of my investigation, and any decisions or changes that will be made. And we will continue to have a dialogue with the parents, the administrators, the teachers, and the students to see what can be done to address the situation. We will take action, but what that action is going to be, I really don’t know yet. But our primary concern is the well-being of the students, and that is why I want to hear from them and have them be a part of the solution.”
Aderhold sent a summary E-mail to all of the biology class parents, and has arranged three meetings this week with North bio and honors bio students. He will continue to keep parents apprised as decisions are made on how best to resolve the many concerns.
