Sarasota County Schools (SCS) faces the same challenges as districts across the nation in a post-pandemic educational environment, including teacher vacancies, long-term substitutes, out-of-field teachers, and disengaged students. After learning about Penda Science, an online intervention resource, from a neighboring district, SCS piloted the program in January 2022. The pilot was successful, with positive teacher feedback on student engagement. As a result, SCS implemented Penda Science district-wide in the 2022–23 academic year and continued using it in 2023–24..
“Many of our schools used the [Penda] School Break Challenges,” said Laurie Lundberg, M.Ed., the middle school science program specialist for the district. “It has now become a regular practice to offer these events, keeping students engaged with science content while school is not in session.”
Dr. Sarah Burkett, the high school science program specialist, noted that Penda Science has delivered significant benefits in various aspects of student learning and is a crucial part of the district’s science curriculum.
“Penda Science has been instrumental in supporting our students in science learning, content vocabulary development, and the review of core concepts,” Dr. Burkett said. “Its interactive nature, personalized approach, and data-driven insights have contributed to improved academic outcomes and a deeper appreciation for the wonders of science among our student body.”
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2022–23 Statewide Science Assessment (SSA) test scores for grades 5, 8, and Biology EOC show increases inmean scale scores between SCS students who used Penda and those who didn’t. Consistent improvement in average scores over time, compared to statewide scores, demonstrates a positive correlation between Penda usage and an increase in test scores.
Performance levels range from 1 to 5, representing student achievement on state assessments. Level 1 indicates students struggling the most, Level 3 represents those performing at or above grade level, and Level 5 includes students expected to excel.
As teachers identified student strengths and weaknesses from district assessment data, Penda made it easy for teachers to quickly create differentiated groups to assign students remediation and enrichment lessons for SSA review.
Test score data show a statistically significant correlation between Penda usage — hours of engagement, activities attempted and/or mastered –– and test score growth for students with unique needs, from diverse backgrounds, and historically marginalized populations.
Here’s a snapshot of minority student groups Penda usage has positively impacted:
The more Penda activities SCS ELL students mastered (defined as achieving a score of 80% or greater on an activity), the higher their test scores.
In all grades shown below, there is a highly statistically significant correlation between mastering Penda activities and strong results on SSA and biology end-of-course assessments.
