Vertical Teaming Science Fair

During December 2008, the gym at Heritage High School was abuzz as 200 elementary students described their science research projects to parents and hundreds of guests. Standing beside these students were their high school mentor who beamed with pride as their elementary buddies defined terms and explained their science fair buddies. The goal behind the "vertical teaming" was to identify students (tenth graders and fifthgraders) who were struggling academically, specifically with science, says Heritage Assistant Principal Randy Brosius. "When we looked at our middle school data, there was a staggering number of students who were failing and not performing well on the science portion of the WASL," he recalls. "The project gave us a way to prepare for the science WASL in a way that the students found relevant," says Sherri Ike, a fifth grade teacher at Orchards Elementary. "We took components of the district's required fifth grade inquiry exit project and combined it with WASL concepts, such as investigation."