South Carolina Science Education UpdateOctober 18, 2012

Ms. Amy Wood Hawkins, Ed. S.Immediate Past President of SC Science Leadership Association (SCSELA)Director of Middle and High School Programs, Anderson School District Five www.scsela.org

The Development of the SC Academic Standards for Natural Science and Engineering

• Cyclical Review of the current 2005 Academic Standards for Science is underway.

• Significant changes are expected, not only in the written standards, but also in the way they will need to be taught in the classroom.

• These standards will be more powerful and, consequently, more demanding to put into practice.

 • Demonstrating the science and engineering practices as well as

understanding the content will be necessary in order for students to demonstrate mastery.

• This will require new habits of thought on the part of both educators and students.

September- December: Review & Revision

January 7- March 8: Field

Review of Draft

March- June:

Revision of Draft

Summer: State Board

Reviews

Timeline for 2012-2013

• It is very important that educators take part in the review of the draft standards early in 2013! Please encourage your teachers to give constructive feedback.

• More information regarding the Field Review will be brought to you during the January 17, 2013 meeting.

SBE- First Reading• August

EOC Subcommittee Review• September

Full EOC Review• October

Final reading by SBE• December

Anticipated Timeline for 2013-2014

Preparation for Implementation• January-

Summer

Implementation in 2014-2015

• Teachers will use the 2013 SC Academic Standards for Natural Science and Engineering as adopted by the SBE.

• EOCEP biology tests will be aligned to the 2013 standards.

• 2014-2015 will serve as a PASS bridge year for science (assessment items based on standards common to both the 2005 & 2013 standards).

• In 2015-2016, all PASS assessments will be aligned to

the 2013 standards.

2013 South Carolina Standards for Natural Science and Engineering

The Next Generation Science Standards are also being created around this same research.

“Although the titles and content vary, the categories of science practices, disciplinary core ideas, and crosscutting concepts were in prior standards. In the earlier documents, the categories were described separately and implied that all three dimensions should be addressed in the curriculum. The Framework specifically recommends that standards should emphasize an articulation of all three dimensions: “A major task for developers will be to create standards that integrate the three dimensions.  The committee suggests that this integration should occur in the standards statements themselves and in performance expectations that link to the standards.” To be clear, the form of a standard statement should include a practice, core idea, and crosscutting concept.”  Taken from:

The American Biology TeacherVolume 74 Number 8 October 2012

- Rodger W. Bybee, retired Executive Director of the Biological Sciences Curriculum Study and former Executive Director of the Center for Science, Mathematics and Engineering Education at the National Research Council 

The Three Dimensions1. Disciplinary Core Ideas 2. Science and Engineering Practices3. Crosscutting Concepts

Disciplinary Core Ideas

• Physical Sciences

• Life Sciences

• Earth & Space Sciences

• Engineering, Technology, & Applications of

Science

Scientific and Engineering Practices

• Asking questions (for science) and defining problems (for engineering)

• Developing and using models

• Planning and carrying out investigations

• Analyzing and interpreting data

• Using mathematics and computational thinking • Constructing explanations (for science) and designing

solutions (for engineering)

• Engaging in argument from evidence

• Obtaining, evaluating, and communicating information

Crosscutting Concepts

• Patterns

• Cause and effect: Mechanism and explanation

• Scale, proportion, and quantity

• Systems and system models

• Energy and matter: Flows, cycles, and conservation

• Structure and function

• Stability and change

Integration of the Three Dimensions

Core Ideas

Practices

Crosscutting Concepts

The practices are the processes of building and using the core ideas to make sense of the natural and designed world, and the cross cutting concepts hold the discipline together.

According to Rodger Bybee:

Integration of the three dimensions is based on the rationale that:

(a)in order to understand scientific and engineering ideas, students should engage in the practices of science and engineering; and

(b)students cannot learn or show competence in the practices of science except in the context of specific knowledge.

In the meantime…

• Please begin familiarizing yourself with the K-12 Framework for Science Education from the National Research Council.

• This can be purchased as a book, read online, or downloaded free of charge at http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13165

• Begin assisting teachers with learning how to incorporate the content with crosscutting concepts and practices.

• Embrace the fact that the days of inquiry as a separate entity are gone!

Upcoming Opportunities for Science Educators and Administrators

Professional Learning

• National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) Regional Conferenceo Atlanta, GA, November 1-3o http://www.nsta.org/conferences/2012ata/

• South Carolina Science Council’s Regional Meetings- On the Road with (SC)2

o February 9 at Johnsonville Elementary School, Johnsonville, SCo March 16 at USC Aiken’s Ruth Patrick Science Center, Aiken, SCo http://www.southcarolinascience.org/conference.html

• Moving from Standards to Practice: Leading Tomorrow’s Mathematics and Science Education in South Carolinao February 24-25 at Clemson University’s Madren Centero Register at http://movingfromstandardstopractice.eventbrite.com/#o $60 per person or $125 per organization (limit 4 per individuals per

ticket).

www.scsela.orgUpcoming Meetings:

• November 9-Edventure’s Canal Room• February 8-Edventure’s Canal Room• March 8- Edventure’s Canal Room• May 10- Edventure’s Canal Room

(Networking at 9:30 a.m.; meetings begin at 10:00 a.m.)

Please visit our website for updates on science education in SC as well as information about joining our organization and promoting science education in our state.

Amy Wood Hawkinsamyhawkins@anderson5.net

864-260-5000; Ext. 10171