PowerPoint Presentation

Supporting the Frameworks Vision for Science Education: Next Steps

Helen Quinn, ChairHeidi Schweingruber, Deputy Director Board on Science EducationNational Research Council

1ImplementationInstructionCurriculaAssessmentsTeacher development

Questions to Think AboutWhat is new about the Framework and NGSS? What will need to change in science education (nationally, state-level, locally) to support the vision of the Framework and NGSS?What are the biggest challenges to making these changes?Where are the best starting points?

The Framework and NGSS:Quick Refresher

Three Dimensions IntertwinedWhat is new?Central role of scientific practicesOrganized around crosscutting concepts & core explanatory ideas Organized in learning progressions

What is New?Reflects science as practiced in the real world practices, concepts and ideas intertwinedStandards are performance expectations NOT curriculumIdeas build coherently across K-12Focus on deeper understanding and applicationScience and engineering are integratedPrepare ALL students for college, career and citizenshipAligned with the common core state standards

Major Decision Issues left openMiddle School sequenceHigh school course options and pathways

For states that only require 2 years of hs science, what to include in the minimal sequence, what to ignore?What pathways keep some AP options open?

Assessment

8Some Assessment ChallengesDeveloping rich assessment tasks that evaluate the blending of practices, core ideas, and crosscutting conceptsHaving the platforms and resources to administer these kinds of tasksScoring the tasksDeveloping informative, useful reports of test resultsCreating a system of assessment that satisfies different purposes

9NRC Study on AssessmentThe study is conducted under the guidance of the Board on Testing and Assessment (BOTA)and the Board on Science Education (BOSE)

The committee is not developing actual tests or test blueprints, but will provide advice about best practices.

Determine what available techniques might be appropriate and where additional research and development is required to create an overall assessment system for science education in K-12.

Make recommendations about the steps needed to develop valid, reliable and fair assessments

CommitteeJames W. Pellegrino, University of Illinois at Chicago (co-chair)Mark R. Wilson, University of California, Berkeley (co-chair)Peter McLaren, Rhode Island Department of Elementary and Secondary EducationKnut Neumann, Leibniz Institute for Science and Mathematics EducationKathleen Scalise, University of OregonRichard Lehrer, Peabody College of Vanderbilt UniversityWilliam Penuel, University of Colorado at BoulderBrian Reiser, Northwestern University

Nancy Butler Songer, University of MichiganRichard M. Amasino, University of Wisconsin, Madison (life sciences)Helen R. Quinn, Stanford University (physics)Roberta Tanner, Loveland High School, CO (engineering) Edward Haertel, Stanford UniversityJoan Herman, CRESSTScott F. Marion, National Center for the Improvement of Education AssessmentJerome M. Shaw, University of California, Santa CruzCatherine J. Welch, University of Iowa

11A key aspect of the process is that the Committees deliberations and recommendations are confidential until the report has gone through review, is finalized, and is published.

Teacher Development

Challenges for Professional DevelopmentPractices may be unfamiliar to teachersKnowledge of crosscutting concepts and some core ideas may be incomplete for some teachersThinking about learning progressions within and across gradesSome teachers will need to make major changes in instructional approach

Making connections across disciplines and to mathematics and ELAOthers

NRC Study on Science Teachers LearningThe committee will identify teachers learning needs and current opportunities for learning

Considering the demands posed by the NGSS, the committee will develop guidance for providing opportunities to support teachers learning

The study is conducted under the guidance of Board on Science Education (BOSE) and the NRCs Teacher Advisory Council

The study is funded by the Merck Corporation Foundation.

Charge to the Committeeidentify learning needs for teachers throughout their careers and how these needs might differ depending on school level (elementary, middle and high school). characterize the current state of the learning opportunities and support for learning for teachers. consider how school and district contexts shape teachers learning opportunities and limit or promote teachers efforts to implement new classroom practices. develop guidance for schools and districts for how best to support teachers learning and how to implement successful programs for professional developmentdevelop a research agenda for future work on professional development continuums in science.

Committee Members Primary Areas of Expertise Research on professional development and inductionProfessional development providerScience educationDiverse learners and implications for teachersThe context of teachers workSchool or district leadership, organization, and cultureEducation policy as it relates to teachersClassroom teaching

17Committee Suzanne Wilson (Chair), Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI Betsy Davis, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor Michigan Zoe Evans, Central Middle School, Carrollton, GA Adam Gamoran, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI Kris Gutirrez, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO Paula Hooper, Institute for Inquiry at the Exploratorium, San Francisco, CA Judith Warren Little, University of California, Berkeley, CA Julie Luft, University of Georgia, Athens, GA

Barbara Miller, Education Development Center, Waltham, MA Kathleen Roth, Biological Sciences Curriculum Study, Colorado Springs, CO Irwin Shapiro, Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, Cambridge, MA Patrick Shields, SRI International, Menlo Park, CA Warren Simmons, Brown University, Providence, RI Mark Windschitl, University of Washington, Seattle, WA James Wyckoff, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA Carla Zembal-Saul, Pennsylvania State University

TimelineOctober 30-31, 2012: Committee Meeting, Washington DC

February 6-8, 2013: Committee Meeting, Washington DC

May 15-16, 2013: Committee Meeting, Irvine, CA

September 12-13, 2013: Public Workshop and Committee Meeting, Washington DC

January 30-31, 2014: Committee Meeting, Washington DC (no public sessions)

19Again, the committees deliberations and recommendations are confidential until the report has gone through review, is finalized, and is published.

So..

Curriculum & Instruction

Curriculum and InstructionNot separate treatment of content and inquiry (No Chapter 1)Curriculum and instruction needs to do more than present and assess scientific ideas they need to involve learners in using scientific practices to develop and apply the scientific ideas.

Standards are not CurriculumNeed for coherent development of ideas over time -- not disconnected lessonsNeed for multiple experiences with each practice

Argues for some very thoughtful work to develop and sequence curriculum units of study(with embedded formative assessment opportunities)

Curriculum and InstructionOrganize curriculum materials around limited number of core ideas: depth and coherence, not breadth of coverage.Core ideas should be revisited in increasing depth, and sophistication across years. Focus on connections:help learners build sophisticated ideas from simpler explanations, using evidence.Use cross-cutting concepts to make connections between scientific disciplinesCurriculum materials should involve learners in practices that develop, use, and refine the scientific ideas, not explain the science for students.

Creating a Scientific Community in the Classroom Students carry out investigations, interpret data, discuss findings, create representations and models, argue based on evidence, present at monthly conferences.

25Ready, Set, Science!2525Strand 1 includes what is often described as content, but goes beyond the typical description to include concepts and frameworks. Understanding scientific explanations requires knowledge of facts, but is much more than this. It includes understanding the relationships between scientific ideas. Weve also found that it is important to explain what makes scientific explanations different from other kinds of explanations. Some Challenges for Curriculum and InstructionBuild coherently in a given grade and across gradesProvide time for students to engage in the practices and explore ideas in depthProvide support for students to become proficient with the practicesCreate opportunities for students to interact with each other in productive waysHow to integrate engineeringHow to support and include Language Learners

BOSE Workshop on Literacy and Science Practices(coming soon)Coordinating Common Core Literacy in Science WithNGSS literacy and language requirementsEg Obtain, evaluate and communicate informationWhat do science teachers need to know about language ?What do language arts teachers need to know about science communication genres?

Science and Language Learningell.stanford.eduIn the science classroom every student is learning new languageAttention to and support for language learning and language challenges in science benefits allPractices are discourse richInclusive classroom science discourse a language learning opportunity a classroom culture shift

Information about BOSE & BOSE projects: http://nas.edu/BOSE

Access to all NRC publications:www.nap.edu

Free PDF version of A Framework for K-12 Science Education is available at:http://tinyurl.com/ScienceFrameworkhttp://tinyurl.com/ScienceBrief (report brief)