ADMINISTRATIVE

In December 1998, Governor James S. Gilmore, along with the 
governors of Pennsylvania and Maryland and the mayor of 
Washington, D. C., signed into effect the Chesapeake Bay 
Education Initiative (Directive 98-1).  This multi-state 
directive was designed to emphasize the role of K-12 
education in the protection and restoration of the 
Chesapeake Bay and its watershed. Over the last year, 
representatives of several state agencies working with 
school personnel, private foundations, professional 
associations, and Chesapeake Bay Program staff have begun 
to augment Virginia's already substantial educational focus 
on all of the Commonwealth's watershed resources. 

As Virginia continues to renew its emphasis on sustaining 
and improving the quality of the environment, this 
important initiative provides an opportunity to examine 
some of the educational efforts underway in state programs 
and within local school divisions.  As required by the 
directive, the Department of Education will report to the 
Governor on the status of the Commonwealth's Chesapeake Bay 
and watershed education.  Your help in this effort is 
needed.

One component of this report will be a compilation of local 
school division watershed-related activities and programs.  
Gathering and analyzing this information will provide a 
clearer perspective on the status of Chesapeake Bay and 
watershed education. As Virginia's natural resources are a 
key topic across several grade levels and subject areas in 
the Standards of Learning, these data will be very useful 
for planning future programs to support students' 
achievement of the standards.   

The attached survey has been designed to require minimal 
time and background research on the part of your science 
curriculum leaders.  Though nearly one third of Virginia's 
school divisions lie outside of the Chesapeake Bay 
watershed, watershed education in general is critically 
important for every region of the state.  We ask that all 
divisions complete and return the survey.  

Please fax or mail the survey back to the Department of 
Education on or before October 15, 1999 to:
Ms. Janice Skipwith, Chesapeake Bay Education Survey, James 
Monroe Building - 20th Floor, Virginia Department of 
Education, P. O. Box 2120, Richmond, VA  23218-2120, FAX 
(804)786-1703.

If you have any questions or comments, please contact 
Delores Dalton, secondary science specialist at (804) 371-
0778 or Jim Firebaugh, elementary and middle science 
specialist at (804) 225-2651. Thank you for your attention 
to this matter.


PDS/JF/jms


Attachment:     A hard copy of this memo and its attachment
                will be sent to the superintendent's office.



Attachment to:
Supts. Memo No. 85


              Chesapeake Bay / Watershed Education Programs               
                             Division Survey 

Division:

Person Responding:

In December 1998 at the Chesapeake Bay Program Executive 
Council meeting Governor James S. Gilmore, along with the 
governors of Pennsylvania and Maryland and the mayor of 
Washington, D. C., signed into effect the Chesapeake Bay 
Education Initiative (Directive 98-1).  This directive was 
designed to emphasize the role of K - 12 education in the 
protection and restoration of the Bay and its watershed.  
The following survey is part of a data gathering effort to 
determine a baseline of educational programs and efforts 
currently in place in Virginia related to watershed 
education and to the Chesapeake Bay and its watershed. 

1) YES     NO      Are there objectives related to watersheds in 
your division's curriculum?

2) YES     NO      Does your division's curriculum allow teachers 
to include real world examples, such as the 
Chesapeake Bay and its watershed, when teaching 
important SOL concepts?

3) YES     NO      Does your division's curriculum include specific 
objectives concerning the Chesapeake Bay and its 
watershed?

4) YES     NO      Has your division developed watershed or 
Chesapeake Bay-related instructional materials?

5) YES     NO      Has your division developed system-wide 
innovative science or interdisciplinary programs 
that emphasize watersheds/the Chesapeake Bay 
watershed?

6) YES     NO      In meeting the objectives of your K-12 science 
curriculum, do teachers use authentic watershed/Chesapeake Bay 
watershed data/information (from resources such as technical
websites or recent publications)?


7) YES     NO      Has your division provided recent professional 
development activities focusing on 
watersheds/the Chesapeake Bay watershed?

8) YES     NO      Do students participate in watershed field 
experiences (e.g., estuarine canoe trips, Bay 
research vessels, etc.)?

(Questions 9 - 16)      Do schools in your division participate 
in any of these watershed restoration programs 
or activities? 

9) YES     NO      Clean up efforts (e. g., Fall River Renaissance, 
Coastal Cleanup, etc.)

10)YES     NO      Streamside plantings/erosion-sedimentation 
control/riparian buffers

11)YES     NO      Water conservation projects

12)YES     NO      Aquatic organism restoration (e.g., oyster 
gardens, etc.)

13)YES     NO      Aquatic grasses (SAV) restoration

14)YES     NO      Adopt-a-stream/stream monitoring programs

15)YES     NO      Internet sharing/communication of watershed data

16)YES     NO      Waste management/recycling programs

Using the scale below, rate item #17 - 25 by circling the 
number in the scale that best applies.
1 = Strongly disagree   2 = Disagree  3 = Agree   4 = Strongly Agree

17)1  2  3  4  State agencies provide sufficient materials to 
        enhance the teaching and learning of important 
        watershed/Chesapeake Bay watershed concepts.

18)1  2  3  4  The division science curriculum has an 
        appropriate emphasis on Chesapeake Bay 
        watershed concepts. 

19)1  2  3  4  An optimum number of students in this division 
        is involved in watershed monitoring and 
        restoration activities.

20)1  2  3  4  An optimum number of students in this division 
        is involved in watershed/Chesapeake Bay 
        watershed-related field experiences.

21)1  2  3  4  Teachers have access to "hands-on" equipment 
        necessary for student water quality 
        investigations and field experiences (e.g. dip 
        nets, water monitoring kits, probeware, etc.) 

22)1  2  3  4  The use of authentic watershed/Chesapeake Bay 
        watershed data and information is an important 
        instructional tool for helping students meet 
        many science standards.

23)1  2  3  4  Teachers are generally aware of important 
        Internet sources of data and information for 
        teaching about watersheds/the Chesapeake Bay 
        watershed.

24)1  2  3  4  Teachers are generally aware of public and 
        private agencies and groups that provide 
        watershed/Chesapeake Bay watershed teaching 
        materials and assistance.

25)1  2  3  4  Teachers have access to professional 
        development activities related to teaching 
        about watersheds/the Chesapeake Bay watershed.

26)     List a few major watershed/Chesapeake Bay watershed 
        teaching resources used by your: 

        * elementary school teachers





        * middle school teachers





        * high school teachers.





27)     What, if any, watershed/Chesapeake Bay watershed 
education staff-development opportunities and providers 
have your teachers found particularly 
informative/worthwhile?  










28)     What instructional techniques/strategies have been 
particularly useful in helping students learn important 
watershed concepts?











29) What, if any, are obstacles to helping teachers teach 
and students learn important Chesapeake Bay watershed 
concepts?










Please FAX (804/786-1703) or mail this survey by October 
15, 1999 to:

Ms. Janice Skipwith
Chesapeake Bay Education Survey
James Monroe Building - 20th Floor
Virginia Department of Education 
P. O. Box 2120
Richmond, VA  23218-2120 

.