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