Study Overview
The purpose of the research is to learn about the efficacy of implementing MSS professional development, and to evaluate the impact on 8th grade teachers, classrooms, and students. The research will compare outcomes of the three-course MSS physical science series with outcomes that typically occur from professional development for 8th grade science teachers. The study will involve approximately 90 schools and 135 teachers from districts in the greater Phoenix metropolitan area. The timeline on the right provides an overview of key study activities.
The study is a randomized, controlled experiment (like a clinical trial in medicine). Teachers who participate will be randomly assigned by school to either the treatment or control condition. All study participants, regardless of condition, will have the opportunity to experience all three courses -— treatment teachers simply participate in the professional development before data collection and control teachers, after. As part of the study, all teachers will be required to collect student and classroom data.
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Professional Development Dates
Treatment teachers* must complete the MSS Energy course and MSS Force & Motion course in the Summer 2012, and the MSS Matter course in the Summer 2013.
*Control teachers will have the opportunity to complete all three MSS courses in the Summer 2014 and Summer 2015.
Data Collection and Classroom Impact
Outcomes will be measured for teachers and their students during both the 2012/13 and 2013/14 school years. There will be very little impact on your classroom and we foresee no risks to you or your students for participation since all interactions are those that are part of regular classroom activity.
The information we collect will be kept entirely confidential. Your name (and the names of students at your site) will not appear with any quiz, survey, transcript of interview or observation, report, or other publication — a participant ID number will be used in place of names.
Responses will be used only for statistical purposes and the reports prepared for this study will summarize findings across the sample and will not associate responses with a specific district or individual. We will never provide information that identifies you or your district to anyone outside the study team, except as required by law. All identifying information will be stored in a locked cabinet or password-protected computer file to which only the research staff will have access.
The information we collect will be kept entirely confidential. Your name (and the names of students at your site) will not appear with any quiz, survey, transcript of interview or observation, report, or other publication — a participant ID number will be used in place of names.
Responses will be used only for statistical purposes and the reports prepared for this study will summarize findings across the sample and will not associate responses with a specific district or individual. We will never provide information that identifies you or your district to anyone outside the study team, except as required by law. All identifying information will be stored in a locked cabinet or password-protected computer file to which only the research staff will have access.