Onondaga Cortland Madison Board Of Cooperative Educational Services

  The Science Center is 1/2 mile east of the OCM BOCES Henry Campus. The Henry Campus is located off Thompson Road in Syracuse, New York. OCM BOCES primarily serves Onondaga, Cortland and Madison county school districts. Cross contracting can occur between OCM BOCES and other NYS BOCES school districts. The Science Center has been a part of OCM BOCES since 1987.

The OCM BOCES Science Center supports district schools in their science and health programs.
A major part of this support involves maintaining K - 6 science and health kit programs.
These kits are delivered to school buildings transforming classrooms into centers of science and health education.

What we look like. What we do.
-a large supply of pieces and parts.
  • kit packing and refurbishment.
-stacks of boxes.
  • kit scheduling and coordination.

  • kit recycling and storage.
-piles of paperwork.
  • provide teacher guides and student paperwork.

  • ongoing curriculum planning and evaluation.
-a delivery truck or minivan.
  • kit delivery, pick-up and storage.

  • live plant and animal delivery and support.
-a large brick building.
  • teacher support and training.

  • professional development and district support.

  • communicate through an extensive website.

  • facilitation of communication between the NYSED and districts and teachers.

The OCM BOCES Science Center maintains a K - 6 science program that is aligned to the New York State Science Core Curriculum. The Science Center currently serves 27 districts (60 school buildings) with approximately 1,000 teachers.

The Science Kits provide teachers with sequential lessons and materials to engage students in science, promoting positive attitudes towards science, developing inquiry and problem solving skills and learn developmentally appropriate science content.

The kits provide each teacher with a detailed teacher guide, student journal and the materials necessary to complete the activities and facilitate learning. Each teacher is also entitled to training on the specific science unit to develop effective instructional strategies, content knowledge, and confidence to meet students' learning needs.

Professional development is available through kit training, workshops, website resources, email, and phone support.