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Ithaca committee weighs K–5 science curriculum, requests data on instruction and assessments
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Summary
Ithaca City School District curriculum committee reviewed K–5 science materials, discussed FOSS kits and the state test’s move from grade 4 to 5, and asked staff to provide subgroup data, schedule-based instructional minutes, and recommendations for a possible exploratory year of curriculum pilots.
The Ithaca City School District curriculum committee on Tuesday reviewed elementary science curriculum options and asked staff for district-level data that would guide any decision to pilot or adopt a single K–5 program.
Mary, the district presenter, told the committee that recent state-level changes — including new personal finance and enhanced climate education expectations — increase the need for alignment across curriculum, instruction and assessment. She said the district currently relies on FOSS kits in kindergarten through fifth grade and has compiled curriculum maps and report-card links for board review.
"We currently use FOSS as our science curriculum," Mary told the committee, and said staff will look at whether existing materials and the FOSS kits still serve district needs as testing and standards shift. Mary also flagged regional professional development and a growing set of master teachers who are contributing classroom resources and summer professional learning for the coming year.
Teacher and board members focused on three immediate information needs: how much science instruction takes place in each classroom, subgroup performance on science measures, and the implications of the state science test moving from fourth grade to fifth grade. Committee member questions prompted a staff explanation of the assessment change: the earlier practicum-style, hands-on portion of the test was removed and replaced by required classroom labs and a longer single‑day written test that emphasizes reading and data literacy.
"They are — there's correlation but not causation there," David Eiseley, a sixth–eighth grade German teacher and ITA first vice president, said during public comment, cautioning the committee not to equate visible participation with true engagement when evaluating instructional changes.
Committee members also pressed about the durability and availability of FOSS kits. Staff said ordering is generally manageable but that kits sometimes require local supplementation when components are damaged or missing. Staff recommended an exploratory pilot year — likely next year — where multiple programs would be evaluated before selecting a single districtwide program, paired with a sustained implementation commitment and educator collaboration on selection criteria.
The committee requested that staff return with (a) an equity breakdown of science performance by subgroup, (b) a baseline comparison of fourth‑grade results before the test change and fifth‑grade results after the change, and (c) clearer school‑level scheduling ‘must-haves’ so the board can determine whether allotted instructional minutes are sufficient and being used for science instruction.
The committee agreed to follow up with staff; no final adoption or formal curriculum vote was taken during the meeting.
