Lehighton Middle School is taking strides to enhance its science program through recent modifications to the school’s curriculum structure and instructional approach.

“We identified a gap in 2021-22 in addressing essential science standards related to “Earth Structure, Processes and Cycles,” Principal Steve Ebbert told the school board Monday. “In response, we created a specialized weather course for eighth-grade students.”

The course yielded measurable student progress as evident in the district’s Pennsylvania System of School Assessment science data. In the span of a year, assistant middle school Principal Tiffany Strausberger said, the percentage of students who were considered advanced or proficient in this standard jumped from 55% to 94.5%.

The school pushed further, Ebbert added, and in 2022-23 began utilizing the Classroom Diagnostic Tools assessment to monitor its ability to effectively address necessary science standards.

“This tool helps gauge student readiness for the science PSSA test and also identifies areas of needed improvement,” Ebbert said.

The PSSA data from 2022-23 outlined the school’s progress in “Earth and Space Sciences,” where the average eighth-grader scored 4.3 out of 8 possible points. Ebbert said while the strides in the weather course were commendable, the data indicated more attention was needed in the Earth and Space Sciences area.

To bridge the gap and ensure a well-rounded science education, he added, the middle school is introducing two significant changes for the upcoming school year. “The sixth-grade science curriculum will no longer be split into two semester courses,” Ebbert said. “We will transition to a full-year science course for sixth graders.

The school will no longer be able to use Guy Potts, who had been teaching the weather course, as his assignment is now full-time at the high school. On Monday, the board hired Anna Leigh Conway as a middle school science teacher.

Conway is coming from Carbon Career and Technical Institute, where she was a biology teacher.

“She’s an outstanding person and is looking forward to doing more hands-on learning,” Ebbert said. “She is involved with the Lehigh Carbon Community College SHINE after-school program doing STEAM activities. Her vast experience, we feel, make her a great candidate to come on board.”

As part of the endeavor, a new science curriculum aligning with upcoming state Science, Technology & Engineering, Environmental Literacy & Sustainability standards will be piloted at no cost to the district. An additional course addressing the “Origin and Evolution of the Universe” will be offered to seventh-grade students.

“Our approach will include assessment throughout the year using CDT testing to gauge the effectiveness of the changes we’re making,” Ebbert told the board.