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Life, Earth, and Physical Science (LEaPS Project)

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Duval County Public Schools (DCPS),
in collaboration with the University of North Florida (UNF),
Jacksonville University (JU), Florida Community College
at Jacksonville (FCCJ), and the Schultz Center for
Teaching and Leadership (Shultz Center), and the Florida
Center for Research Science, Technology, Engineering,
and Science (FCR-STEM), have collaborated to create a
potentially powerful model to support increased grades
3-5 elementary teachers’ science content and effective
classroom instruction.
The Life, Earth, and Physical
Sciences (LEaPS) project is a model for the Florida
Science Expert Teacher Program and has three main
outcomes: (1) to develop and refine a professional
development model that will improve depth of
understanding in science content among teachers of
grades 3-5; (2) to develop and refine a model for
assessing elementary teacher content knowledge in life,
earth, and physical sciences that may be replicated
statewide, and (3) to build leadership capacity of
elementary teachers for sustainability of improved
teacher practice. LEaPS teachers
were recommended by their Principals to attend a
year-long professional development institute. Sessions
began in July of 2007 at local colleges and
universities. Five days of professional development
during the school year is designed to increase science
content knowledge for all participants.
The commitment of the LEaPS Project
Team is:
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increased science content
knowledge in life, earth and physical sciences in a
professional setting on local university campuses (UNF,
JU, and FCCJ);
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master in-service plan points
upon successful completion;
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science equipment and supplies
for your classroom;
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science non-fiction classroom
libraries;
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professional libraries for all
LEaPS teachers;
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ongoing science support during
the school year by the district elementary science
resource team and local university professors;
-
continued professional
development opportunities including CRiss training
aimed at science; technology training; to assist
peer collaboration and classroom instruction, and
data analysis training with stipends and substitutes
paid; and the opportunity to be part of the learning
community in science.
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