Five years of achievement in ISCS

Abstract

Achievement associated with a school district committed to the implementation of the Intermediate Science Curriculum Study (ISCS) materials and instructional strategy is the focus of this report. While ISCS is a three level, activity oriented, junior high program, the research was limited to the first year or Level I. Data were gathered from Level I students (mostly seventh graders) during a five year period. Analyses were performed to help answer questions such as: Are IQ and reading scores the highest correlates of achievement? Do IQ and reading correlates hold for both quantitative and qualitative indices of achievement? Do ISCS learning relationships hold over time? Are students able to evaluate how well they understand the concepts covered?Science Education 66(1): 35-43 (1982)

ISCS in review

“…Success in ISCS, like success in all academic areas, is related to pupils' general mental ability. This expected relationship has been confirmed, often incidentally, by McDuffie and DeRose (1982), Gabel and Herron (1977), Conlon (1970), and others. Success in ISCS is also related to reading level and/or mathematics ability (Daume, 1980;Howe & Early, 1979;Howe, Hall, Stanback, & Seidman, 1983; McDuffie & DeRose, 1982), and to reasoning ability (Howe & Early, 1979).…”

“…Measures of achievement specific to ISCS were used by McDuffie and DeRose (1982) in a five-year case study of achievement in ISCS Level I. They collected data on pupil characteristics (IQ, sex, reading level) and achievement as five successive groups of pupils, totaling more than 2800, used the ISCS materials under the guidance of teachers trained in ISCS methods.…”