Questions about implementing STC

Can Carolina refer me to a school district that uses STC?
Contact the Curriculum Marketing Department to request a copy of the STC users reference list. (phone: 800-227-1150, ext. 5265; email: stc@carolina.com)

STC units have been adopted at the state level in Alabama, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kentucky, Nevada, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah, and West Virginia, as well as in Boston and New York City. In addition, STC units are used by individual schools and districts in many other states and even outside the U.S., in foreign countries such as Sweden, Brazil, and Mexico.

How do most schools and districts switch from textbook instruction to kit-based instruction?
Most schools and districts start out with 1 or 2 STC kits and add additional units over several years. Many districts still require a textbook and supplement the textbook with STC units. More often than not, as a school or district begins to use STC, it adds kits to the curriculum over time.

How do I get a "sole source" letter?
STC units are published and distributed exclusively by Carolina Biological Supply Company. No other vendor produces or distributes these materials. If your school, district, or state purchasing regulations require a letter stating that Carolina is the only source of the STC kits, click here (PDF).

What kinds of services and workshops does Carolina offer to schools and districts implementing STC? What kind of professional development can Carolina provide for STC users?
Although STC unit kits include the materials and information you need to successfully present each lesson, Carolina provides a number of additional support services for customers.

In-service workshops—We highly recommend participatory pre-service training sessions (professional development), in which teachers work through activities in the unit with experienced trainers who've used the materials in the classroom. We offer 2 basic options for teacher training.

How does STC help the teacher who knows little about science and is reluctant to teach it?

You'll find goals for the entire unit, objectives for individual lessons, topics for class discussion, student questions and the answers, an extensive bibliography, and much more. The teacher's guide is what makes STC a leader in elementary science programs. For more information, click here.

What is the per pupil cost of using STC in the average elementary classroom?
Each STC unit provides enough materials for 8 weeks of instruction for a group of 30 students. That means that the per student expense of this program works out to be just pennies a day.
  
For example, the current average cost of a new unit kit is $494. Based on this average kit cost, for 40 days of instruction (8 weeks) to 30 students, the cost per student per day would be 41¢. This cost would decrease further each time the unit is taught because many items in the kit are reusable and last through repeated uses. Thus the initial cost of the unit kit is amortized over a larger group of students and a longer period of time.
  
Specific information about the per pupil cost for each STC unit kit is also available for downloading in Adobe® Acrobat® format.

Are any study results available that indicate the effectiveness of inquiry-based science programs such as STC?
Educational studies are beginning to show an increase in student learning after the use of an inquiry-based science curriculum, not only in the area of science, but also in other subject areas such as reading, writing, language development, and math. For more information, click on these links: