MISE Performance and Impact Data Summary 2005-2008

	2008	2007	2006	2005
Merck investment in MISE (US$M)	3.9	3.4	3.4	3.3
Student enrollment in grades pre K-8 (NJ and PA MISE-supported school districts)	35,210	37,015	36,244	36,696
Minutes per week devoted to science instruction (four NJ school districts; grades 6,7 and 8)	Min: 30 Max: 450	Min: 40 Max: 400	Not Available	Min: 30 Max: 325
Number of teachers and principals attending workshops*	550	775	800	900
Number of participants in the Academy for Leadership in Science Instruction	136	NR	NR	NR
Quality of Professional Development: Percentage of participants satisfied with the quality of the professional development workshops	97	95	95	95
Quality of Professional Development: Percentage of principals reporting being prepared to support teachers implementing the NJ Core Curriculum Content Standards in Science (four NJ school districts; grades 6, 7 and 8)	100	90	80	100
Quality of science instruction: Percentage of observed classrooms considered medium– to high– quality instruction (based on 46 observations; four NJ school districts; grades 6, 7 and 8; observations will be repeated in 2008)	PENDING	Data not collected	Data not collected	21
Grade 8 State Science Test results (NJ school districts)	55 proficient	59.2 proficient	59.8 proficient	55.6 proficient
Number of teachers attending IN-STEP workshops in Thailand	94	68	30	Not Available

*The decrease in the number of workshop attendees this year is due to the launch of MISE's new initiative, the Academy for Leadership in Science Instruction (the Academy). The Academy is now the primary vehicle for professional development of Partnership teachers, administrators and district staff, and this change will be reflected in increased Academy registration as the program continues to expand.

The Merck Institute for Science Education (MISE) has made a significant impact on the character of teaching and learning science in its partner school districts, according to research performed over a 15-year period first by the Consortium for Policy Research in Education (CPRE) and subsequently by Horizon Research, Incorporated (HRI).

The reports from HRI, which were solely focused on the work of MISE in middle school mathematics and science classrooms of four New Jersey districts, found that the professional development provided by MISE had an impact on teachers' instructional strategies, ability to diagnose student thinking, and use of formative assessment strategies. Additionally, the professional development strengthened classroom culture, increased focus on content and use of questioning to elicit student thinking.

The external analyses also show that MISE is helping to:

• Elevate science as a priority in partnership schools and districts
• Support rigorous, inquiry-based teaching in partnership classrooms
• Support research-based adoption of instructional materials
• Improve hiring and recruitment practices that put more emphasis on teachers' knowledge about content and instructional strategies
• Inform administrators about what to look for in a high-performing classroom
• Develop new district-wide science assessments

Most importantly, MISE has achieved results in the classroom. Analysis of student performance on standardized tests by CPRE found that students receiving science instruction from teachers who participated in MISE professional development activities over several years outperformed students whose teachers had only one or no years of MISE training. The differences were statistically significant when comparing the students of teachers with multiple years of MISE professional development to students of teachers with few years of MISE professional development. Additionally, in spring 2008, analyses of student achievement data across all four Consortium districts on the state's Grade Eight Proficiency Assessment found that the race/ethnicity achievement gap is significantly smaller in science for students of teachers who participated in coaching than for students whose teachers did not participate in coaching. MISE provides academic content and pedagogical support for these coaches.

 

The content on this page was last modified on September 15, 2009.

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