Under the auspices of the Massachusetts Advisory Council on Education, the status of science teaching in Massachusetts elementary schools was studied by the project staff of the Office of Tests at Harvard University. The quality and use of the National Science Foundation (NSF)-supported programs were analyzed through a historical discussion of contemporary reform movement in elementary science. Information about use of the Elementary Science Study, Science Curriculum Improvement Study, Science - A Process Approach, and Minnesota Mathematics and Science Teaching curricula was collected from superintendents' responses. Questionnaires, interview results, meetings, and informal conversations were used to determine teachers', principals', and science coordinators' attitudes and experiences. Fifth- and sixth-grade children's interests were surveyed to explore relationships between teachers' characteristics and their impact on children's attitudes. Adoption of the NSF curricula was found to produce lively and interesting instruction in classrooms, and teacher specialization was described as a problem in practical implementation. Included are 13 recommendations and tables of operational differences among NSF and non-NSF systems, perceived strengths and weaknesses of NSF curricula, numbers of the classrooms and buildings involved, and percentages of use by grade. (CC)