Bundling for Performance: Grouping the NGSS Performance Expectations to Enhance Student Comprehension

Washington Science Teachers Association Conference

October 24, 2015

Peter J. McLarenDirector – State and District Support for ScienceAchieve, Inc.

Introductions and Overview

• Role of Course Maps• Looking at Connections – Bundling• How can NGSS Evidence Statements be used

to support the bundling process?• Where can you find resources to support the

process?

NRC Framework, 2012, p.218

Standards and performance expectations that are aligned to the framework must stake into account that students cannot fully understand scientific and engineering ideas without engaging in the practices of inquiry and the discourses by which such ideas are developed and refined. At the same time, they cannot learn or show competence in practices except in the context of specific content.

Common Misconception

“Each performance expectation is discrete and needs to be taught separately from other performance expectations.”

Organization of the NGSS Performance Expectations• From kindergarten to grade 5, the NGSS are organized by grade

level, – Each grade has a set of performance expectations – No need to create pathways

• Grades 6 to 12, the NGSS performance expectations are organized by grade band, – PEs in these grade bands are not assigned to any specific

grade – PEs must be organized into courses– Secondary courses and PEs are handled differently across the

nation. • As states and districts implement the NGSS…

– Important to consider how these grade banded PEs can be organized into courses

So…How Do We Do This?

Appendix K – Model Course Maps

• Released in 2013 the course maps are based on the structure of the NRC’s Framework

• Models demonstrate how the performance expectations for middle school and high school can be arranged in multiple ways in a sequential and cohesive manner into courses.

Middle School Model Course Map1. Model course maps are starting points, not finished products.

2. Model course map organization is built on the structure of the Framework.

3. All Standards, All Students.

4. Model course maps are not curriculum.

5. All Scientific and Engineering Practices and all Crosscutting Concepts in all courses.

6. Engineering for all.

***The Model Course Maps are just a few examples of the many course maps that can be developed. Educators are encouraged to develop their own maps depending on their district or school’s course structure.

Course Maps Don’t Do It All…

• Model Course Maps help support the development of secondary course structures, BUT

• they do not address how to organize standards within a course.

So…How Would You Do It?

How Would You..

• organize standards into units of study?

• use the standards to engage students around a phenomenon or problems?

I’ll Give You A Hint…

Create a Bundle

• From Mirriam – Webster:

bundleNoun | bun·dle | bən-dəl

: a group of things that are fastened, tied, or wrapped together

: a group of things that are together or are associated with each other in some way

: a person who has a lot of some quality or who is known for a particular kind of behavior

What is bundling?

• Bundling refers to organizing performance expectations or parts of performance expectations into groups based on shared characteristics in order to facilitate comprehension of an overall process or concept.

• Goal: – student understanding of the performance expectation

will build over time through the context of the focused concept.

– allow students to gain a deeper understanding of the concept

– Students build proficiency toward the performance expectation.

What Does Bundling Do?

• Bundling the performance expectations– allows educators to have instructional goals for each

unit– helps to facilitate formative assessment of student

proficiency toward the performance expectations throughout the course.

Bundling of Standards Will…

– provide educators with target performance expectations and instructional goals at the unit level,

– Provide opportunities to create three-dimensional lessons

– Gauge student understanding and proficiency during the progression of the course.

– Dispel the misconception that each standard is taught separately and distinct from one another.

Let’s Look At An Example

Simple Bundle

MS-LS1-7. Develop a model to describe how food is rearranged through chemical reactions forming new molecules that support growth and/or release energy as this matter moves through an organism.

MS-PS1-5. Develop and use a model to describe how the total number of atoms does not change in a chemical reaction and thus mass is conserved.

What are NGSS Evidence Statements?

Evidence statements provide detail on how students will use the - practices, - crosscutting concepts and - disciplinary core ideas

together to demonstrate proficiency on the PE’s.

The Purpose of Evidence Statements

• Describe what teachers or assessors would observe (not infer).

• Provide specific, observable components of student performance that would demonstrate integrated proficiency for 3-Dimensional Learning, including:– practice to demonstrate understanding of the – disciplinary core ideas (DCIs) – through the lens of the crosscutting concepts

(CCC).

Structure

Organized by Scientific and Engineering Practice

Integrate all dimensions

Developed specifically for the Performance Expectations

Simple Bundle

MS-LS1-7. Develop a model to describe how food is rearranged through chemical reactions forming new molecules that support growth and/or release energy as this matter moves through an organism.

MS-PS1-5. Develop and use a model to describe how the total number of atoms does not change in a chemical reaction and thus mass is conserved.

MS-LS1-7 and MS-PS1-5

MS-LS1-7 and MS-PS1-5

Questions so far?

Classroom Example – Middle School (Patrick Goff – Fayette County Schools, KY)

1) Decide on the PE Bundle that you want to use. (Natural Hazard Unit)1) 08-ESS3-2. Analyze and interpret data on natural hazards to

forecast future catastrophic events and inform the development of technologies to mitigate their effects.

2) 08-ESS3-3. Apply scientific principles to design a method for monitoring and minimizing a human impact on the environment.*

2) Decide on a phenomena we wanted to center this unit around.3) Once decided on the above two items, look at the corresponding

Evidence Statements to get a sense of the expectations for the student proficiency levels for the PE’s.

Classroom Example – Middle School

Classroom Example – Middle School

4. Team collaborated on culminating assessment.

5. Assessment was compared to the Evidence Statements to see what types of observable evidence would be demonstrated.

6. After this, begin the design of the instructional process, making sure to consult the Evidence Statements as the process went on.

Classroom Example – Middle School

7. Once the instructional sequence is completed, review to see if it will provide opportunities for students to provide observable evidence.

Evidence Statements are Not…

• descriptors of teacher practice (i.e. prompts, techniques)• descriptions of increasing levels of cognitive difficulty,

Depth of Knowledge levels, or varying levels of student proficiency (e.g., using the first category as the least difficult or first stepping stone for developing student proficiency).

• a checklist that denotes the ordering of steps in a student’s performance.

• instructional strategies or steps in a classroom activity. • sufficient to replace lesson plans or assessment items• scoring rubrics • limits on student coursework

How Evidence Statements can be used

• Instruction – Important! Evidence statements detail what students

should be able to do at the end of instruction. – Evidence Statements should NOT be used to plan

instruction, but they can be used to validate instructional plans.

– NGSS PEs and the corresponding evidence statements are not a substitute for day-to-day lesson goals that drive the learning process.

– Although evidence statements are listed individually for each performance expectation, this does not indicate that they should be measured individually, or that performance expectations should be taught or assessed individually. Think BUNDLING!

Questions so far?

What Are Some of the Ways You Could Bundle?

• By DCI• By Practice• To Explore Phenomenon and

Problems• By Crosscutting Concepts

Classroom Example – Crosscutting Concept

Systems in 4th Grade - From Molecules to Organisms: Structures and Processes• 4-LS1-1 Construct and argument that plants and

animals have internal and external structures that function to support survival, growth behavior, and reproduction.

• 4-LS1-2 Use a model to describe that animals receive different types of information through their sense, process the information in their brain, and respond to the information in different ways.

Classroom Example – DCI Organization

• 4-PS3-2 Make observations to provide evidence that energy can be transferred from place by sound, light, heat, and electric currents.

• 4-PS3-4 Apply scientific ideas to design, test, and refine a device that converts energy from one form to another.

Energy might include developing or using models of circuits (transfer of energy by electric currents) identifying the circuit as a system

Now, how comfortable do you feel about the concept of bundling?

1. Not at all

comfortable

3. Extremely

comfortable

2. Somewhat

comfortable

Model Content Frameworksanticipated release

January, 2016

Model Content Frameworks

• To address the needs of educators, the Model Content Frameworks were created to show educators examples of how bundling works within courses and how it can aid in the process of curriculum development.

Model Content FrameworksAre not intended:• to be curricula or lesson plans• To prescribe how educators should teach. • do not limit how many times a performance expectation can be

included in a course or a grade range• do not limit the practices that can be used in each unit to the

practices that appear within a certain performance expectation. – Educators are encouraged to incorporate additional practices beyond the ones

explicitly stated in the unit’s performance expectations, and thus the section for additional suggested practices is included.

Model Content FrameworksARE intended:• show educators how to bundle performance expectations into units

with instructional goals for each unit. It is up to the educators how they wish to meet those goals.

• provide EXAMPLES of how to bundle performance expectations– educators are encouraged to use them as models to develop

their own.

Bundling will be different for each district or school depending on the context and the courses taught.

Storyline/Narrative: This section outlines the rationale behind the breakdown and bundling of the PEs in the course.

Unit: This section identifies the unit names that each bundle of PEs has been placed into.

Unit: Unit: Unit:

Bundle Description/ Rationale: This section explains the goal of each unit and how the unit ties into the overall course narrative.

Bundle Description/ Rationale: Bundle Description/ Rationale: Bundle Description/ Rationale:

Proficiency Proficiency Proficiency Proficiency

PEs ES PEs ES PEs ES PEs ES

This column lists the bundle of PEs for the unit

This column lists whether students will be completely or partially proficient in the entire PE by the end of the unit. Partial proficiency is associated with sections of the PE’s evidence statement.

Additional Suggested Practices: This section suggests additional practices. It shows educators how they can integrate multiple PEs, including engineering standards, in the instruction toward each PE.

Additional Suggested Practices Additional Suggested Practices Additional Suggested Practices

Where can I find them?

Nextgenscience.org/resources

Summary

• Bundling Performance Expectations amplify student understanding

• NGSS Evidence Statements provide observable evidence that can be used to help in the bundling process.

• Evidence Statements are not lesson plans!• Model Content frameworks will help inform

educators in the process of bundling.

Final Thoughts

• Ask yourself the question, “Am I engaging in topics or am I engaging in phenomena and authentic problems”

• Provide opportunities for students to “make their thinking visible”

• Don’t necessarily teach they way you were taught.

Memorization vs Engagement

Have a Joe DiMaggio Day

Questions?

Contact Information

Peter J. McLarenDirector of State and District Support -

Sciencepmclaren@achieve.org

@peterjmclarenwww.nextgenscience.org