According to Laboratory Director G. Peter Nanos, "With investments in math and science education declining on a national level, the Math and Science Academy represents the Laboratory's ongoing commitment to creating a brighter future for young people throughout Northern New Mexico. The improvement in test scores stand as firm evidence that our efforts are working."
According to a CRESST report, which summarizes data on the project's impact on students from a number of different sources, including standardized achievement test scores, student work, and teacher and administrator reports of student learning and achievement, the MSA has been instrumental in raising student academic performance. For example, based on Comprehensive Test of Basic Skills (CTB)/Terra Nova scores for 2003-2004, and using the academic year 2000 as a baseline, test scores at two out of three MSA schools have risen significantly over the past three years in the areas of reading, language arts, math, science and social studies.
The NNMCEE started the MSA program in 1999 with support from the Laboratory, several school districts, the Northern Network for Rural Education and a number of private entities and businesses. MSA began with 12 math, science, language arts and social studies middle school teachers from three districts. In the 2003-2004 school year 56 teachers participated in MSA, including elementary teachers, at nine sites in four districts: Chama, Espa�ola, Mora and Pojoaque.
The 2004-2005 school year will see an expansion of the program with the addition of two sites in the Taos Municipal School District, as well as expansion of the program in four currently served districts for a total of 79 teachers. The goal of MSA is to increase student achievement by improving teacher practice. This year, the program will improve the education of more than 1,900 New Mexico students.
The MSA program is unique because it was developed to address comprehensively the complex and challenging issues of teaching and learning. The program consists of intensive training during a three-week summer institute, site-based meetings after school every other week, cognitive coaching 4-5 times a year, development of individual reflective portfolios and online discussions with the whole MSA community every other week. The teachers commit to 186 hours over their contract every year for a minimum of three years. MSA focuses on standards-based education using the most recent research-based concepts and instructional strategies.
The 2003-2004 school year marked the first year that MSA received legislative funding for its professional-development efforts. With valuable funding help from State Senator Richard Martinez and State Representative Nick Salazar, all the funds from the legislative grant went toward teacher training stipends. As a result of this continuing allotment, MSA was able to increase the number of participating teachers from 22 to 56. Senator Martinez and Representative Salazar teamed up with State Representative Jeannette Wallace during the 2004 Legislature to secure additional funding for the 2004-2005 school year, again allowing for expansion.
The Laboratory provides the funding for the three MSA staff that designed, developed and implemented this unique professional development program. Other funding providers include KSL Services, Day & Zimmerman, Qwest, Regional development Corp. and Aramark Corp. The most recent CRESST report is available at: http://education.lanl.gov/newEPO/k12/MSA/MSAindex.html online
Los Alamos National Laboratory is operated by the University of California for the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) of the U.S. Department of Energy and works in partnership with NNSA's Sandia and Lawrence Livermore national laboratories to support NNSA in its mission.
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Los Alamos National Laboratory, a multidisciplinary research institution engaged in strategic science on behalf of national security, is operated by Los Alamos National Security, LLC, a team composed of Bechtel National, the University of California, The Babcock & Wilcox Company, and the Washington Division of URS for the Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration.
Los Alamos enhances national security by ensuring the safety and reliability of the U.S. nuclear stockpile, developing technologies to reduce threats from weapons of mass destruction, and solving problems related to energy, environment, infrastructure, health, and global security concerns.