Science Academic Content Standards

and Standards-Based Education

Calls for the State Board of Education to

• Adopt clear academic content standards for science by 2002;

• Develop assessments for grades 3-10 based on standards; and

• Develop model curricula aligned to the standards for preK-12.

Amended Substitute Senate Bill 1

Standards-Based Education

• Has a fixed point of reference• Has a system for communicating

expectations• Guides instruction at the

classroom level• Focuses instruction on student

learning• Delineates what matters

What is in the Science Standards document?

Adoption information Introduction Standards

Benchmarks and Indicators sorted by standardBenchmarks and Indicators sorted by grade levelAlignment of Benchmarks and Indicators

Instruction and commentary Glossary of Terms Resources

Standards Framework

Indicator

Indicator

B E N C H M A R K

Indicator

Indicator

Indicator

Indicator

B E N C H M A R K

Indicator

B E N C H M A R K

STAN D AR D

Overarching goals and themes

What all students should know and

be able to do at each grade

level

What all students should know and

be able to do

Academic Content Standards

The Standard statement:

• Describes in broad terms what students should know and be able to do as a result of the K-12 program.

• Provides an overarching goal, theme or statement about the content area.

Benchmarks

• Measure student progress toward meeting Standards

• Serve as a checkpoint of cumulative knowledge and skills over a grade span

• Vary depending on content area

• Are assessed on achievement tests

Indicators

• Are specific statements of knowledge and skills at each grade level

• Serve as checkpoints that monitor progress toward benchmarks

K-12 Science Standards

• Earth and Space Sciences

• Life Sciences

• Physical Sciences

• Science and Technology

• Scientific Inquiry

• Scientific Ways of Knowing

Science Scope and Sequence

K-2 3-5 6-8 9 10 11-12

Earth and Space

Life

Physical

Science and Technology

Scientific Inquiry

Scientific Ways of Knowing

Standards-Based Education Elements

• What students know and are able to do is clearly defined before an instructional unit begins.

• Lesson plans focus on what is to be learned rather than what is to be taught.

• Instructional strategies must provide opportunities for students to learn expectations outlined in the Standards.

Standards-Based Education Elements

• Instruction and assessment are adapted to accommodate students with special needs or alternative learning styles.

• Curricular materials need to address standards

• Many stakeholders share responsibility for standards-based education.

Modified from Northern Colorado BOCEES SBE Design Team

Standards-Based Education Elements

Aligning to the StandardsAre classroom instruction and assessments

aligned with the Standards?

What should be considered when developing classroom instruction and assessment?

Will classroom assessments provide high quality, useful diagnostic information?

How can teachers and students measure learning and progress toward the Standards?

Aligning to the StandardsClick on the following links to learn more about:

The Learning Cycle and Classroom Inquiry

Standards-based Science Instruction

Standards-based Science Assessment

Teacher Tools for Reflecting on Teaching Science

Student Tools for Reflecting on Learning Science