Curriculum Advantage Debuts Classworks Science for Elementary Schools
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Curriculum Advantage has launched Classworks Science, a science curriculum designed specifically for elementary school students. The company said it's also in the process of developing science curricula for middle and high school students.
Classworks Science s targeted toward students in grades 3 through 5. Developed in conjunction with instructional design firm Six Red Marbles, it includes scored activities, mini-lessons, instruction, and quizzes. It also uses the Lexile Framework to "provide a common developmental scale to match students' reading abilities with the reading levels of the science instruction. By using the Lexile scale, time spent on the computer will be more effective because students will understand more of what they read," according to Curriculum Advantage.
In a statement announcing the release, Curriculum Advantage cited statistics that showed American students start off solidly in science but gradually decline over the years of their education in comparison with other industrialized countries. "Studies have shown that U.S. students don't start out at the bottom, but the longer students stay in the current system, the worse they do. According to the 1995 Third International Mathematics and Science Study, U.S. fourth graders ranked second. By 12th grade, they fell to 16th, behind nearly every industrialized rival and ahead of only Cyprus and South Africa. In 2005, the Program for International Student Assessment ranked U.S. students 24th out of 29 countries in science."
The aim of Curriculum Advantage's new curriculum is to set a base of science knowledge that can be built upon as students progress through school.
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About the author: David Nagel is the executive editor for 1105 Media's online education technology publications, including THE Journal and Campus Technology. He can be reached at dnagel@1105media.com.
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