Donna High School

Donna High School

Technology, Analysis and Rigorous Curriculum Equals Results

Jesse Zuniga teaches physics and chemistry in a predominately poor, Hispanic community in the heart of the Rio Grande Valley, where there are a significant number of “at risk” students. Zuniga, however, doesn’t focus on the statistics. He challenges all of his students with rigorous curriculum and analysis supported by PASCO’s science education technology.

The Challenge

Each year students must pass the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills test (TEKS). “Before I integrated PASCO technology into my classes, the pass percentage for my classes was between 70-90 percent,” he said. The percentage was not enough to satisfy this dedicated teacher. 

With NCLB focus on accountability, Zuniga said most teachers were asked to modify curriculum and “teach to the test.” It’s a philosophy that Zuniga opposes. So he stomped his feet, pounded his fists and told administrators “leave my curriculum alone.” Because of his track record, they did. “I stick to teaching science the way it should be taught,” he said. “If I challenge kids mentally and help them develop analytical skills, they will pass the test.”

The Solution 

A large part of helping students develop analytical skills comes through his use of PASCO technology, which, Zuniga said, “makes data collection faster and more accurate than manual collection, and lets students spend more time on higher order thinking skills needed to analyze and synthesize data.”
It’s an important concept—one taken from Bloom’s Taxonomy, a learning paradigm that emphasizes problem solving with a focus on evaluation, synthesis, analysis, application, understanding and knowledge.

It’s an important concept—one taken from Bloom’s Taxonomy, a learning paradigm that emphasizes problem solving with a focus on evaluation, synthesis, analysis, application, understanding and knowledge.
Zuniga uses PASCO solutions to support this type of discovery learning. He started with the Xplorer GLX graphic datalogger and uses just about every probe PASCO makes. Although he’s accustomed to using GLX, Zuniga
recently added the SPARK Science Learning System to the mix. His students have given their stamp of approval.

“Students like the color, interactive touch screen,” he said. “It’s compact, mobile and very user friendly. Students respond to SPARK because it feels as comfortable and familiar as a cell phone or an Apple iPod touch. This
alone creates a different level of excitement when doing experiments. They are more energized.” SPARK integrates probeware with inquiry-based content and assessment in a way that keeps student focus on discovery, withembedded support that challenges students to explore scientific concepts. This includes 60 preinstalled, standards-based guided inquiry labs in an electronic\ notebook. The labs integrate background content, data collection and analysis, even assessment--all within the same environment. Students no longer need to navigate to a separate file for instructions or even refer to
paper manuals. 

Zuniga said SPARK and GLX have taken the tedium out of data collection and analysis, and made the use of traditional graphing and the time-consuming use of meter sticks, stop watches and ticker timer tape a thing of the past. It used to take a week to do the lecture, the experiment, the plotting and the analysis. Now he can introduce a topic, show students a graph of what it looks like and let them experiment—all in one period. 

“After I cover a theory, such as Newton’s Law of static friction, students can see it and experience it on the SPARK or GLX immediately. Now when they come to class there is always the expectation of ‘what’s going to be different today?’ They are more engaged in learning.

The Outcome 

“Since I started using PASCO technology, students in three out of the five sections I teach gained 100% mastery,” he said. “The passing score for TEKS is 2100. My students are passing with scores much higher than that.”

Recently, Donna High School gained recognition for increased student achievement. Zuniga is proud of that. While acknowledging that changing
curriculum to match the test may have had some affect on this gain, he poses the question, “If that’s all it is than what’s going on in my classroom.”