National Research & Development Center on Cognition and Science Instruction

Changes were made to the life science, physical science, and earth science units of two widely-used curricula: Holt and FOSS. There was a high intersection of content between the two curricula and state standardized science assessments. The Cognitive Science Teams (CSTs) designed and conducted small-scale pilot studies, followed by selection and refinement of the adaptations. Next, the CSTs worked with the Professional Development Teams (PDTs) to produce professional development materials to support teaching the specified curriculum through the use of the adaptations. An efficacy study was conducted to evaluate the impact of these adaptations on student learning after they underwent the full cycle of small-scale piloting and one year of large scale testing, analysis and modification. Middle-schools in Delaware, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania were randomly assigned to one of three experimental treatment groups: (1) full treatment, with curriculum adaptations and professional development on both the adaptations and curriculum content; (2) limited treatment, with standard Holt or FOSS curriculum and professional development on the curriculum content; and (3) control condition, with standard Holt or FOSS curriculum with no additional professional development. Outcome measures included grade 8 state standardized science assessments and researcher-developed science assessments. Three-level hierarchical linear models (with students nested within classrooms nested within schools) were used to examine the effect of the science curriculum adaptations on student achievement.