Olympia School District Commitment to Science Education

Created by the Olympia School District Science Task Force 2007

The goal for the OSD's K-12 Science Program is to ensure that students develop scientific knowledge and become strong problem solvers, communicators and critical thinkers. We are committed to providing a quality K-12 science program that enriches student's lives by:

• Fostering conceptual understanding through scientific inquiry where new knowledge is built on existing ideas;
• Engaging students in hands-on science and providing opportunities for students to make sense of the world by asking questions, conducting investigations and designing solutions to problems;
• Supporting learning through the use of a variety of assessments, including self-assessments that give students opportunities to reflect on, extend, revise and improve thinking, and give teachers information to make instructional decisions; and
• Providing all students with effective and appropriate teaching from well-trained teachers who are supported with high-quality instructional resources and sustained staff development.

Science has been described as a "way of thinking." Science is a way to look at the world that involves principles of conduct:

• Observe carefully
• Record accurately
• Try to look for patterns in an objective, unbiased way
• Share observations (or results) honestly and in a way that allows others to test the data
• Respect curiosity
• Stay open to criticism and change

from U.S. Department of Education "Helping Your Child Learn Science"

Science Resources & Information

• Science
• Feedback from the October 6, 2008 Community Forum on Science
• Feedback from the Science Education Survey
• Washington State Science Standards
• Olympia School District Science Instructional materials: Elementary, Middle, and High School
• National Science Teacher Association
• Reordering Science Kit Materials (Requires teacher sign-in, OSD intranet only)

Science Training Dates

• Elementary School
• Middle School 
• High SchoolAnalysis of Instructional Materials for Biology