This report details the results of the first year of three-year study aimed at examining the impact of the Local Systemic Change Initiative (LSC) on student achievement in science. Twelve LSC projects participated in the first year of the study, administering an assessment to students in 4th, 5th, or 6th grade at the beginning and end of the 2001-2002 academic year. Multilevel modeling was used to relate changes in student achievement to the extent of teacher participation in LSC professional development. In addition, the study examined the impact of the LSC on a number of achievement gaps including gender, race/ethnicity, and socio-economic status.