This class differs from most other eighth grade science rooms because students have a choice about which part of the unit they will do in which order. They work in small groups that stay together throughout the unit, supporting each other's learning. They also have a variety of assessment measures built into the work. Students know they have a variety of ways to show what they know and that some of the tasks will challenge them in new ways and others will be their preferred way of learning. Ewasko rewrote the eighth grade science curriculum into stations to deal with the major concepts of each unit.
Students present their learning in the way of their choice.
They also get choices of when and how to do the stations. The students are engaged and retain a deeper understanding of the concepts than they did when she taught in a more traditional manner. Ewasko and her colleagues began professional development focused on understanding learning three years ago with their new principal Liz Harrison, who is now retired. Harrison arrived at the school to find low achieving students and a community that labeled the school as lacking an academic focus. She began by changing the physical appearance of the school, inside and out.