A Framework for K-12 Science Education

Changes, Challenges, and Charges

Summary created by:

Fred Ende

Regional Science Coordinator

Putnam/Northern Westchester BOCES

What It Is

• The Framework is a document that:– Serves as the first step towards new science

education standards– Attempts to utilize forward momentum of common

core standards and the need for new science standards to further the nation’s science education

– Looks to incorporate engineering content and practices with those of “pure” science

– Was created through the partnership of the NRC, AAAS, NSTA, and feedback from hundreds of teachers, administrators, and science organizations

What It Isn’t

• The Framework is not:– A “standards” document– Legislation in any way, shape, or form– A set of curricula

Framework Structure

• The Framework is broken into a number of parts:– Framework Vision and Focus– Scientific and Engineering Practices– Crosscutting Concepts– Disciplinary Core Ideas– Recommendations for Use

Vision and Focus

• The committee charged with creating the framework aims to improve science education in three distinct ways:– Strive for pedagogy and learning built on the idea of

developmental progressions• Knowledge/practices are “spiraled” by grade band

– Push for limited number of core ideas with greater depth

– Emphasize that science learning requires knowledge and skills

Scientific and Engineering Practices

• Why focus on practices?– Helps students and teachers see science practices

as more than just those of experimentation– Removes the misconception that there is one

“scientific method”– Allows for a common vocabulary when striving for

greater inquiry-based learning

Scientific and Engineering Practices

• Practices Included by Framework Designers:– Asking Questions and Defining Problems– Developing and Using Models– Planning and Carrying Out Investigations– Analyzing and Interpreting Data– Using Math, IT, Computer Tech, and Computation– Constructing Explanations and Designing Solutions– Engaging in Argument Using Evidence– Obtaining, Evaluating, and Communicating Info

Crosscutting Concepts

• What are they?– A crosscutting concept is an idea that bridges

discipline boundaries (ex. stability vs. motion)• Why include them in the Framework?

– Crosscutting concepts better help students connect ideas from one discipline to another and help learners see the relevance and “worldview” of information being explored.

Crosscutting Concepts

• Crosscutting Concepts identified by the committee:– 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– Interdependence of Science, Engineering, and

Technology– Influence of Science, Engineering, and Technology

on Society and the Natural World

Core Ideas

• Limited number of key science and engineering concepts broken down into four areas.– Physical Sciences

• Matter• Motion and Stability• Forces and Interactions• Waves and Applications in Technology

– Life Sciences• Molecules to Organisms: Structure/Processes• Ecosystems: Interactions, Energy, Dynamics• Heredity: Inheritance and Variation of Traits• Biological Evolution: Unity and Diversity

Core Ideas

– Earth and Space Sciences• Earth’s Place in the Universe• Earth’s Systems• Earth and Human Activity

– Engineering, Technology, and Science Applications• Engineering Design• Links Among Engineering, Technology, Science,

and Society

What’s So Special About These Core Ideas?

• Committee members crafted core ideas to be overarching to allow for depth over breadth

• Each core idea includes a fundamental question– “How can one explain the structure, properties, and

interaction of matter?”• Each core idea contains two to five components

that are necessary understandings for fully answering the overarching question

• Developmental understandings are explained by “grade bands;” descriptions of appropriate mastery and “boundary” concepts are supplied

Recommendations for Use

• Provides feedback on how Core Ideas, Practices, and Crosscutting Concepts might be integrated in classrooms

• Discusses the changes our education system would need to make to allow the ideas of the Framework to be realized

• Discusses diversity and equity issues/concerns• Provides guidelines for standards developers and

next steps

What This Means for Districts• Framework is currently in an “information” phase and will be used by

Achieve, Inc. to create standards. No implementation of anything is necessary yet.– Standard release date scheduled to be sometime between 2012

and 2013. New York is a “state leader.”– It is recommended that district level/building level staff “check-in”

regularly on progress (http://www.achieve.org/next-generation-science-standards).

– Educators can utilize the framework to guide and reaffirm their current practices.

• District representatives should utilize the Framework to engage in discussion about their current science curriculum.– How does our teaching of content and practices relate to the

Framework’s core ideas, crosscutting concepts, and science and engineering practices?

– How well do we emphasize spiraling and content progression?– How well do we meld science and engineering?

What This Means for Districts

References

• Achieve, Inc. (2011). Achieve Inc. Retrieved from: http://www.nextgenscience.org/

• Gardner, M. (Director). (2006). Science 21: Science for the 21st Century (Grades K-6). Yorktown Heights, NY: PNW BOCES.

• National Research Council. (2011). A Framework for K-12 Science Education: Practices, Crosscutting Concepts, and Core Ideas. Retrieved from: http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13165

• NSTA Learning Center. (2011). A Framework for K-12 Science Education: Retrieved from: http://learningcenter.nsta.org/products/symposia_seminars/NLC/webseminarXI.aspx