EarthX

Advancing Earth science instruction across high school Biology, Chemistry, and Physics in Baltimore City Public Schools.

Goals, Objectives and Theories of Change

Cary Scientist(s): Dr. Alan R. Berkowitz

EarthX is a collaboration of school district educators, scientists, and education researchers that is helping bring Earth science learning through compelling environmental phenomena into high school Biology, Chemistry, and Physics courses in Baltimore. The EarthX project builds on the successful Integrated Chemistry and Earth Science (ICE) project, an earlier collaboration between Cary Institute and Baltimore City Public Schools.

Baltimore City Public Schools (City Schools) is committed to fulfilling the Maryland-adopted Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) requirement for Earth science instruction in all grade bands, and is accomplishing this at the high school level through an integration approach. All high school Biology, Chemistry, and Physics teachers in City Schools will implement EarthX-developed integrated Earth science curriculum and assessments, and will participate in EarthX professional learning (PL). In this way, the project will reach the entire, highly diverse student population attending the traditional high schools of City Schools.

Across all three science discipline courses, EarthX has been developing, testing, and refining curriculum and associated formative and summative assessments which provide real- or near-real-time feedback to teachers, and that have been used in the project’s PLactivities and supports. EarthX assessments are designed to be four-dimensional, featuring two Disciplinary Core Ideas (one Earth science and one from the course discipline), one Science or Engineering Practice and one Crosscutting Concept. Assessments have been designed to support  teaching and learning about phenomena in the local-to-global environment in ways that are both engaging and accessible to Baltimore students and teachers.

The high school Biology, Chemistry, and Physics educators that specifically engage as partners in the EarthX professional learning community have and will continue to benefit from EarthX instructional supports, along with ongoing leadership development that is collaborative both within schools across disciplines, and across schools within disciplines. Many school districts around the nation face this same dual challenge of Earth science integration and multi-dimensional, ambitious and equitable teaching. EarthX resources, strategies, insights, and research findings will be disseminated and made widely available.

This photo shows a portion of the EarthX Design Team, made of Baltimore City Public Schools high school science teachers.
The EarthX Design Team Teachers Left to right, front row: Xander Conte, Cassidy Johnson, Sarah Carpe, Tamirate Aklog, Vonceil Anderson, Ethel Panganiban. Left to right, middle row: Sherina Bonaparte-LaTorre, Nina Groseclose, Stephanie Davis, Ben Goodman-Spencer, Dylan Hodges, Jaspreet Pannu, Rocelle Leron. Left to right, back row: Dan Callahan, Gerad Bandos, Rhandy Almadrones, Kyle Gregory, Brandon Liu, James Epres, Donshay Wilson, Ethan Gonzales, Shalise Allison. Not pictured: Jake Ecker, Virgilio Alcayde, Liam Gladding, Mikensi Daniels, Leela Gowland, Peter Kingora, Andy Collins, Brittany Best, Daisy Colina, Erin Frye, Parth Sanghvi, Wachuri Richard, Tanyka Garner.

EarthX at a glance

Supported by a grant from the Discovery Research K-12 (DR12) program of the National Science Foundation (NSF) for $3,770,442 ($856,471 to Baltimore City Public Schools).

The EarthX Team includes:

  • Dr. Alan R. Berkowitz, Head of Education at Cary Institute, Millbrook, NY. Principal Investigator and Project Director. 
  • Angela Hood, Program Leader–Environmental Science Education at Cary Institute, stationed in Baltimore, MD.  Project Manager.
  • Mr. David Fischer, Cary Institute, Research Associate and Data Manager
  • Dr. Kevin Garner, Baltimore City Public Schools, Co-PI
  • Mx. Jenn Brown-Whale, Baltimore City Public Schools, EarthX Specialist (Years 4–5)
  • Dr. Beth Covitt, University of Montana, Co-PI
  • Ms. Annie Caires, University of Montana, Research Associate
  • Dr. Jonathon Grooms, George Washington University, Co-PI
  • Ms. Lauren Browning, George Washington University, Graduate Research Assistant
  • Dr. Karen Draney, University of California Berkeley, Co-PI
  • Dr. Smriti Mehta, University of California Berkeley, Postdoctoral Research Associate (Years 2–3)
  • Dr. Jessica Bean, Museum of Paleontology, University of California Berkeley, Science Education Specialist
  • Dr. Carolyn Parker, American University, External Evaluator.
  • Mr. Martin Schmidt, McDonogh School, Earth Science Education Specialist
  • Dr. Edmund Mitzel,  Baltimore City Public Schools, EarthX Specialist (Years 1–3)

 

The project began 1 September 2022 and will run for five years.

The project has developed Earth science integrated curriculum and assessments for the traditional (Biology, Chemistry and Physics) high school courses:

  • Three-dimensional Earth science integrated units in Biology, Chemistry, and Physics curricula. 
  • Assessments to support the responsive instruction in each of the integrated units in each discipline. Each assessment addresses an Earth Disciplinary Core Idea (DCI) and a DCI from the course discipline (biology, chemistry, physics), as well as Science and Engineering Practices and Crosscutting Concepts. The new tools include multiple formative assessments embedded within the unit and one summative end of unit assessment. 

Project Timeline

Year 1 (September 2022–July 2023)

  • EarthX Team assembled.
  • Design Team Teacher (DTT) cohort recruited: Seven teachers—three from physics and biology each, one from chemistry—from five City Schools high schools started in spring 2023 to collaborate with the EarthX leadership team to help guide, develop, pilot test and refine the first round of assessments and PL activities and resources. Five of these teachers continue to participate in our larger cohort.
  • 11 additional high school science teachers joined the project in summer 2023, extending the EarthX Design Team to four new traditional high schools. These new DTTs joined our original seven teachers for the inaugural Summer Academy  in June 2023, participating in an intensive, three-day PL experience

Year 2 (August 2023–July 2024)

  • Six additional City Schools high school science teachers joined the cohort of DTTs, again extending the EarthX Design Team to include representation from two new traditional high schools.
  • The expanded Design Team participated in monthly Design Team Meetings (August–June) during which the EarthX Leadership Team engaged the DTTs in PL sessions designed to support the DTTs in the responsive implementation of Earth science integrated instruction. 
  • During  spring 2024, a sub-set of the DTTs participated in multi-day intensive observations (Case Studies) in which researchers collected data about responsive teaching and integrated Earth science learning and practices.  
  •  In June 2024, the DTTs participated in the second Summer Academy, designed to support their continued growth as confident, responsive Earth science teachers. During this Summer Academy, the DTTs, in collaboration with the EarthX Leadership Team, devised a mechanism for guiding the development and implementation of equitable, responsive, and integrated instruction—the 5+1 Vision of Excellence.
  • In June/July 2024, the EarthX project engaged a group of City Schools teachers (from within and external to the project) as Curriculum Writers to enhance the integrated nature of the Earth and Space Science DCI. These 12 DTTs collaborated to revise units within each traditional science course to be more authentically integrated and three-dimensional in nature, aligning to the newly minted 5+1 Vision of Excellence, culminating in the enhanced Earth science integration of two Biology, one Physics, and three Chemistry units. Part of this work included revised assessments (formative and summative) that support responsive teaching and learning centered around compelling Earth science phenomena in the local-to-global environment in high school Biology, Chemistry, and Physics courses in Baltimore.

Year 3 (August 2024–July 2025) 

  • Eight additional City Schools traditional high school science teachers joined the cohort of DTTs, extending the EarthX Design Team to include representation from three additional traditional high schools.
  • The expanded Design Team participated in monthly Design Team Meetings (September–June) during which the EarthX Leadership Team engaged the DTTs in PL sessions designed to support the DTTs in the responsive implementation of Earth science integrated instruction. The leadership capacity of the DTTs was grown as DTTs were called to facilitate select sessions throughout the academic year. 
  • A sub-set of EarthX DTTs planned and facilitated City Schools fall and winter systemic PLs, designing sessions that supported their colleagues in implementing student centered responsive instruction. 
  • In June 2025, the DTTs participated in the third Summer Academy, designed to support their continued growth as confident, responsive Earth science teachers as well as support the cohort to make a shift toward leadership. External and internal partners were brought in to engage the DTTs in activities supporting: student data analysis and response, diverse student learners, and leadership skills development.
  • Following the first round of piloting the integrated curriculum developed during summer 2024, the EarthX project again engaged a sub-set of the DTTs as Curriculum Writers to make revisions to these units in order to fine-tune the assessments and instructional materials to better support implementation at the systemic level. By the end of July 2025, three units (one each in Biology, Chemistry, and Physics) had undergone second-round revisions with accompanying assessment updates that better supports responsive teaching and learning centered around compelling Earth science phenomena in the local-to-global environment in high school Biology, Chemistry, and Physics courses in Baltimore.

Year 4 (August 2025–July 2026)

  • Nine additional City Schools traditional high school science teachers joined the cohort of DTTs, extending the EarthX Design Team to include representation from six additional traditional high schools.
  • The expanded Design Team participated in monthly Design Team Meetings (September–June) during which the EarthX Leadership Team engaged the DTTs in PL sessions designed to support the DTTs in the responsive implementation of Earth science integrated instruction.
  • A sub-set of EarthX DTTs (The EarthX Task Force) planned and facilitated City Schools systemic PL, supporting their colleagues in the adoption and implementation of 5+1 instruction at the quarterly systemic PL.
  • Beginning in the spring of 2026, EarthX project leadership worked with a subset of City Schools teachers (from within and external to the project) as Curriculum Writers to enhance the integrated nature of the Earth and Space Science DCI in one new unit in each traditional course. This work will mirror the curriculum writing that occurred during summer 2025, resulting in three new Earth science integrated units, aligned with the 5+1 Vision of Excellence, to be piloted in the 2026–2027 academic year.
  • In June 2026, DTTs attended the fourth Summer Academy, participating in PL activities designed to support their growth as project, building, and district leaders in inclusive and responsive three-dimensional student centered integrated science teaching. 

  • In the projects culminating Year 5 (August 2026–August 2027), EarthX will continue to support the DTTs as they develop their leadership capacity and confidence in order to sustain the project initiatives beyond the conclusion of the EarthX project. Project leadership will continue to recruit teachers in order to expand the EarthX so there is representation from the cohort to all 29 traditional City Schools high schools.

For more information, contact EarthX Director, Dr. Alan R. Berkowitz, Head of Education, Cary Institute, Millbrook, NY. Phone: 845-677-7600 ext. 311. Email: berkowitza@caryinstitute.org

Presentations & Conferences

  • CADRE 2023 DRK-12 PI Meeting

  • BES

    • 2023 Annual Meeting

    • 2024 Annual MeetingMAST/TEEAM 2023 Fall Conference

  • MAEOE

    • 2024 Annual Conference

    • 2025 Annual Conference

    • 2026 Annual Conference

  • NARST

    • 2024 International Conference

    • 2025 International Conference

  • NSTA

    • 2024 National Conference

    • 2025 National Conference

EarthX – Advisory Board

Erin Furtak, University of Colorado at Boulder, brings research expertise at the intersection of disciplinary (biology) teaching, learning progressions, formative assessment and 3D pedagogy. 

David Hammer, Professor in the departments of Education and Physics and Astronomy at Tufts University, has extensive expertise in physical science education practice and research.

Stefanie Marshall, Assistant Professor of Curriculum & Instruction at University of Minnesota, is an expert in culturally responsive science education leadership, policy, and networks.

Vicente A. Talanquer, Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry at the University of Arizona, has extensive expertise in chemistry teaching and learning, and in developing learning progressions to support meaningful learning. 

Michael Wysession, Professor of Earth and Planetary Science, Washington University of St. Louis, brings expertise in integrating Earth science into chemistry, biology, and physics curricula.

Maceo Cooper, Biology teacher and Dept. Chair at Frederick Douglass High School in Baltimore, has taught Chemistry and Physics, with expertise in phenomena-driven instruction and school change.

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