Welcome to the Roll Out of the
High School Science
Priority Expectations
An ISD/RESA/RESD Collaborative Document
“Preparing for the next generation
of science standards”
Presented by
HS Science Priority Expectations
Today’s Connector
1. Stand up and gather with others
who teach the same science
course as you. (If there are
groups larger than 5, split into
smaller groups of at least 3).
2. Introduce yourselves to one
another.
3. Ensuring that everyone expresses
a view, discuss this question:
“What is the most important
learning outcome of your
course?”
4. Be prepared to summarize your
conclusions to the whole group.
We are being pulled in three directions
It seems that accountability is clashing with best practice.
The HS SCIENCE
PRIORITY
EXPECTATIONS
Document is the remedy
for our dilemma!
HS Science Priority Expectations
Workshop Objectives
• To promote the awareness and
appropriate use of the new “HIGH
SCHOOL SCIENCE PRIORITY
EXPECTATIONS” document.
• To ensure that participants
understand the vision and
“state of the art”/ “best practice”
recommendations that guided the
design of the template.
• To develop the ability to analyze
and evaluate lessons in light of the
vision that guided the design of the
document.
HS Science Priority Expectations
Session Agenda
•
Opening: objectives
•
Teaching science well
•
Recommended “state of the art”
or “best practice” in science
teaching
•
Priority Expectations design
•
Sample lesson
•
Michigan Merit Exam
•
High School Graduation
•
Evaluating lessons
•
Conclusions
The Importance of Science Education
Is our work really that important?
Does every science teacher really have to be great?
ACTIVITY: Find THE GOLDEN LINE
1. Read the essay “The
Importance of Teaching
Science Well,” choose and
underline a sentence or short
passage with which you strongly
agree . This is your “Golden
Line.”
2. After others in your group have
finished reading, share your
Golden Lines with one another
and discuss your thoughts,
especially in regard to specific
students you know.
What is ‘state of the art’
science teaching for our times?
The Impact on Standards, Curriculum,
Instruction and Assessment
“Many existing standards and
assessments, as well as the typical
curricula in use, contain too many
disconnected topics given equal priority.
….the next generation of standards and
curricula should be structured to identify
a few core ideas in a discipline …”
From Taking Science to School, NRC, 2008
The Impact on Standards, Curriculum,
Instruction and Assessment
A common mantra:
“Fewer, Clearer, Higher”
The Impact on Standards, Curriculum,
Instruction and Assessment
“The committee made this choice (of
fewer concepts) to avoid shallow
coverage of a large number of topics
and to allow more time for teachers
and students to explore each idea in
greater depth.”
(continued on next slide)
On Vision, from Conceptual Framework for
Science Education, DRAFT 2010
The Impact on Standards, Curriculum,
Instruction and Assessment
“Reduction of the sheer sum of details
to be mastered gives time for students
to engage in scientific investigations
and argumentation and to achieve
depth of understanding of the material
that is included.”
On Vision, from Conceptual Framework for
Science Education, DRAFT 2010
What Do Scientists Really Do?
What Do Scientists Really Do?
How different is the real world of science from
science education in a classroom?
ACTIVITY: (for pairs)
1. Sort a stack of cards into 2 columns
based on your sense of whether
their statements represent ‘what
scientists do’ versus ‘what students
do in a typical science classroom.’
2. Use the blank cards to
annotate your sort, as
another group will visit your
table in a Gallery Walk.
3.
During the Gallery Walk,
leave a comment for the
group(s) you visit.
Results of State of the Art Practice
•Students should LOVE science!
•Central (big) ideas in science are
emphasized and taught in depth.
•Students construct their
understanding of concepts
through explorations, discussions
and writing (e.g., 5-E inquiry).
•Students develop competencies
‘doing’ science, especially
providing explanations based on
evidence and reasoning, but also
testing ideas using models and
data.
We have been looking at
‘State of the Art Practice’
in Science Education
Now look at how these principles
guided the design of the
High School Science
Priority Expectations Document
High School Science
Priority Expectations Document
•
How it came to be
•
The design of the unit template
High School Science
Priority Expectations Document
Development - An ISD/RESA/RESD Collaborative
• An effort to prevent many different sets of ‘Power
Standards’ from developing all over the state
• The group developed the unit template and agreed
to align to the MDE Companion Documents
• Field testing asked how a teacher may be reoriented
after reading the document
• Statewide rollout conducted by the Michigan
Mathematics Science Center Network
• Future collaboration will connect more detailed
instructional resources to the documents
Unit Title
From MDE Companion
Documents.
Big Picture Graphic
Depicts unit content as
a concept map with
reference to the
disciplinary processes
and patterns of
reasoning used in
science.
Big Idea and Core
Concept:
Describes central, big
ideas and core
concepts of the unit.
They should be
learned in depth as
the focus of instruction
and assessment.
Inquiry, Reflection and
Social Implications
Identifies HSCE’s from
Standard 1 within the
content of the unit,
including instructional
suggestions to engage
students in the practices
of science as they relate
to the unit content.
The inquiry HSCE’s are
part of the instructional
design in all units.
Content Expectations
All of the MDE
Companion Document
expectations are listed
in this area. “Priority
Expectations” are
identified in the
shaded text. These
should be the focus of
instruction and
assessment, as
depicted by the “Big
Ideas” and “Core
Concepts.”
What are the characteristics
of a Priority Expectation?
(shaded expectations)
• Point to the central
ideas of the
discipline (big ideas
and core
concepts)
• Lend themselves to
rich student
investigations
• Readily connect to
critical societal
concerns
What about those not identified
as a Priority Expectation?
(unshaded expectations)
• Redundant with others;
there are better worded
HSCE’s
• Arbitrarily or overly
specific tasks
(i.e., reads like a NAEP
expectation)
• Not strongly connected
to core concepts
• Esoteric, as though part
of a bachelor of science
program in a science
major
•Comparing the Numbers
Physics
Chemistry
Biology
Earth
Science
124
131
122
108
(Inquiry, Reflection and Social Implications)
All 20
All 20
All 20
All 20
Number of Priority
Expectations
57
60
36
50
77
80
56
70
24
26
30
40
Total Number of HSCE’s
(original)
Number of HSCE’s in Standard 1
(not including Standard1)
Total Number of HSCE’s
(Priority Expectations and Standard 1)
Core Concepts
How does this look in practice?
Let’s look at a lesson for this
instructional suggestion ….
“Students can explore the changing model of
the atom to gain a better understanding of the
development of the current model and the
dynamic nature of science.”
… through a “State of the Art Practice” lens
“Four Strands of Science Learning”
A Lens for Evaluating Lessons
Strand 1
Strand 2
Strand 3
Strand 4
Understanding Scientific Explanations
Generating Scientific Evidence
Reflecting on Scientific Knowledge
Participating Productively in Science
From Ready, Set, Science
National Academies Press, 2008
“Four Strands of Science Learning”
A Lens for Evaluating Lessons
•Read the Four Strands excerpt
•
Review Unit 1 of the Chemistry
section of the Priority
Expectations document
•
Review a lesson for Unit 1 that
will support an instructional
suggestion in the template
•
Evaluate the lesson using the
Four Strands Checkbric.
Describe the evidence that
supports your conclusions.
Suggest modifications.
Lesson: The Size of a Nucleus: How Big is Small?
borrowed from Active Physics to support
Chemistry Priority Expectation Unit 1, Atomic Theory
Your conclusions?
Record your group’s answers on
the large poster paper
•
•
If you rated a strand less than
“fully meets intent of strand”,
be prepared to suggest
modifications that would
enhance the lesson design
•
When finished, post your work on
the wall in order of strands
What about Accountability?
Accountability and
State of the Art Practice
Our two main accountability
systems (MME, HS
Graduation Requirements)
don’t need to thwart
research-based and
recommended instructional
practice
Required for
graduation
108 HSCE
122 HSCE
Required for State Test (MME)
124 HSCE
131 HSCE
Components of the
Michigan Merit Exam (MME)
ACT Science Test
40 questions / 35 minutes (20 questions count on MME)
Research Summaries (45%)
descriptions of one or more
related experiments
questions focus on the
design of experiments and
the interpretation of
experimental results
Percentages represent percent of 40 total science items on the ACT
ACT Science Test
40 questions / 35 minutes (20 questions count on MME)
Data Representation (38%)
graphic and tabular
material similar to that
found in science journals
and texts
questions associated with
this format measure skills
such as graph reading,
interpretation of scatter
plots, and interpretation of
information presented in
tables, diagrams, and
figures
Percentages represent percent of 40 total science items on the ACT
ACT Science Test
40 questions / 35 minutes (20 questions count on MME)
Conflicting Viewpoints (17%)
expressions of several
hypotheses or views that,
being based on differing
premises or on incomplete
data, are inconsistent with
one another
questions focus on the
understanding, analysis, and
comparison of alternative
viewpoints or hypotheses
Percentages represent percent of 40 total science items on the ACT
College Readiness Standards
ACT and
College Readiness Standards
ACT Question Type
College Readiness
Standards
Data Representation
Interpretation of Data
Research Summaries
Scientific Investigation
Conflicting Viewpoints
Evaluation of Models,
Inferences, and
Experimental Results
In addressing the “College
Readiness Standards”
(largest portion of the MME):
• teachers can utilize ‘state of
the art’ instructional
practices
• and emphasize the
practices central to the
scientific enterprise.
• emphasizing core concepts
The MME does NOT
have to thwart state
of the art practice.
In fact, it should
encourage it.
in each discipline
• better serves students
• rewards schools with
Improved MME scores.
What about HS Graduation Requirements?
?
Mike Flanagan,
State Superintendent
MEMO (excerpts):
The content expectations should serve as a
guide to local districts …
They should not be viewed as a list of items
that must be checked off one by one. With
only so many instructional hours available
each year, we know that there is no way for
schools to cover in depth every HSCE, nor
should districts make that attempt.
(Summer, 2009)
Mike Flanagan,
State Superintendent
Several ISDs and school districts have
already begun the work of developing
"power," "target," "essential skills" or "focus"
standards by combining similar HSCEs,
grouping, or clustering the more "grainsized" content expectations within the
broader HSCEs. This approach also allows
for shaping interdisciplinary learning. These
power or target standards could help
districts make decisions on how to award
credit in that subject area.
(Summer, 2009)
Deborah Clemmons,
Senior Policy Advisor to the Chief Academic
Officer (MDE)
“This is good and appropriate work and does
not require MDE endorsement. Our position
is that local and intermediate agencies need
to have the flexibility and options to develop,
select and or adopt any research or
evidenced based strategies and/or emerging
and best practices that they feel will help
schools to be more effective. As you move
forward in support of the priority expectations,
we expect and anticipate that achievement in
science will increase significantly across the
state for all students.”
(May 2010)
School districts
• Retain prerogative to
make choices on what
central ideas in our
standards are
emphasized.
• Remain in control of how
proficiency is defined and
what proficiencies warrant
the granting of credit.
High school graduation requirements do NOT
have to thwart ‘state of the art’ instructional
practice in science.
Additional Evaluation of Lessons
•
Physics: The Buggy Motion Lab
•
Chemistry: pHooey!
•
Biology: What Goes Around Comes Around
•
Earth Science: Discovering Plate Boundaries
Determining Earth’s Internal Structure
Why should we use the new High School
Science Priority Expectations Document?
(from Overview Section)
1. To assure quality, ‘state-of-the-art’ science
curriculum and instruction.
2. To define course graduation credit in a
deliberate and informed way.
3. To improve the reliability and validity of
assessments.
4. To better prepare students for the MME.
Let’s not allow mistaken assumptions about
accountability make us loose our heads!
What’s at Stake?
• Enduring comprehension
• Opportunities to design
• Problem solving skills
• Inquiry skills
• Writing to learn
• Talk and argument
• Reasoning skills
• A love of science
Your Next Steps
ACTIVITY:
1. Individually consider the action
necessary for the Priority
Expectations document to make a
difference for your students.
2. Write the actions into a template
and share with those in your
group.