Connecticut State Department of Education
Next Generation
National Science Standards
WHY?
• 15 years since last national standards
• Time to reflect on standards’ enactment and impacts
• National and international science test scores
• New research on how students learn science
HOW?
• 2010: NAS develops Guiding Principles, Domains and
Core Ideas
• 2011: Achieve leads standards-writing process
• 2012: Standards published; states choose to adopt
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Connecticut Science Standards
Pop Quiz!
1. The Gr. 5 CMT assesses 5th grade science
standards (True or False)
2. What is the difference between a Content
Standard and an Expected Performance?
3. Content Standard 2.2, like all .2 standards, is
an optional unit (True or False)
4. How does Content Standard K.4 relate to
other kindergarten standards?
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HIERARCHY OF SCIENCE STANDARDS:
From Broadest Ideas to Measurable Student Outcomes
• K-12 unifying
theme
Conceptual Theme and Essential
Question
• Enduring
understanding
(unit topic)
• Key unit concept
• Knowledge goals for 1-3 lessons
Content Standard
 Unit Concept
Underlying Concepts
(GLCs)
• Evidence of learning after several
lessons (interim assessments). Range
of Bloom's verbs and inquiry skills
(INQs)
Grade-Level
Expectations (GLEs)
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Anatomy of the Science Standards
Follow along on the annotated sample page
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Grade-Level Concepts (“GLCs”)
• Unwrap underlying knowledge for each Framework Content
Standard
• Learning goals for the unit
• Indicate scope and depth of learning unit
• Suggested pacing: typically 1-3 lessons per concept statement
• Suggested unit sequence
• Key scientific literacy vocabulary
• Some are assessed on CMT
How can your district use unwrapped concept statements?
• Aligning learning activities, selecting instructional materials,
designing content-based professional development;
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Grade-Level Expectations (“GLEs”)
• What students should be able TO DO as evidence of learning
• Interim assessments after a series of lessons
• Measured primarily through classroom- and district-level
assessments; some GLEs are assessed on CMT
• Bloom’s Taxonomy - range of cognitive challenge
• ALL students use higher order processes (not just recall)
• Include some INQs merged with content
• Districts may prioritize and modify
GLE Uses:
• Common formative and summative assessments, tracking
student growth across grades (portfolios,) competency-based
report cards, etc.
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Assessment Expectations
• Summative assessment of learning (end of unit,
marking period or year)
• Broad ideas (big picture)
• Grades 3-10 Expected Performances indicate
selected content sampled on CMT
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QUESTIONS ABOUT ORGANIZATION
AND USES OF SCIENCE STANDARDS?
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Using Standards to
Develop Assessments
Remember…
“Not everything that counts can be
counted; not everything that can be
counted counts.”
-Albert Einstein
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1. Give Context to the Task:
“Why are we doing this?”
• Learning activities/tasks should stimulate student
ideas or be driven by students’ ideas;
• Tasks need a purpose or a question worth
investigating. Not…“Make these objects move” or
“Count these leaves”.
Science can provide
an engaging context
for applying
mathematical
content and
practices
Mathematics
enables us to collect
quantitative data,
identify patterns,
construct evidencebased claims, and
communicate with
precision
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2. Look for Math/Science Connections
Science Topics
Kindergarten –objects in the
classroom (K.1), living and
nonliving things on the
schoolyard (K.2) , weather
conditions, building materials
Gr. 1 – sun’s position, ways
objects move, shadows,
animal/plant parts,
growth/change
Gr. 2 – states of matter, plant life
cycles, soils, nutrients
Mathematics Skills
• Kindergarten – counting by 10s,
cardinality, comparing length &
weight, adding & subtracting
within 10, recognizing shapes,
classifying and counting objects in
a category
• Gr. 1 – counting to 120, adding,
subtracting, comparing lengths,
how many in a category
• Gr. 2 – using tools to measure
length in std units, odd & even,
counting by 5s, 10s and 100s,
adding 2-digit numbers, drawing
picture and bar graphs
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3. Prioritize the MOST Important
Standards to Assess
• Look at the big idea in the Content or Practice
Standards
• Choose one GLE or numbered standard that
most closely captures the essence of the
standard
• Choose one GLE or numbered standard that
captures a high-leverage practice
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Sample Science GLE Selection
2.1 – Materials can be classified as solid, liquid
or gas based on their observable properties.
GLE 1 – Compare and contrast the properties
that distinguish solids, liquids and gases.
(content)
GLE 5 – Design a fair test to compare the flow
rates of different liquids. (inquiry)
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Sample Mathematics Standard
Selection
CC 2 Measurement and Data
• Measure and estimate lengths in standard
units
• Relate addition and subtraction to length
 6. Represent whole numbers as lengths…
• Represent and interpret data
10. Draw a picture graph and bar graph…
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Your turn…
• Independently review Standard 2.2
• Select 2 important GLEs (content and inquiry)
• Compare and discuss your choices with a
partner
• Work together to select 2 important GLEs for
Standard 2.3
• Be prepared to share and justify your
selections with the whole group
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Qualities of Good Assessment Tasks
1. What do you think? Turn and talk…
Interesting RelevantImportant -
2. What does the CREC K-2 Rubric say? – see Section 7
3. How would you define these terms:
Meaningful Real world Multiple modalities –
Meaningful feedback –
Inform instruction 18
QUESTIONS ABOUT USING
STANDARDS TO DEVELOP
ASSESSMENTS?
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Useful Resources - Science
• Science Content Explanations –
National Science Education Standards
• AAAS Benchmarks On-line
http://www.project2061.org/publications/atlas/
sample/toc.htm
• Page Keeley’s Formative Assessment
Strategies and Probes (Vol 1-4)
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Useful Resources - Mathematics
• A Model for Mathematics Curriculum for
Grades PreK-8 Correlated GOALS 2000
Criterion Referenced Test
• Uncovering Student Thinking
• NCTM K-2 Assessment Sampler
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CSDE Science Consultant:
Liz Buttner
860-713-6849
elizabeth.buttner@ct.gov
CSDE Mathematics Consultant:
Charlene Tate Nichols
860-713-6757
charlene.tate.nichols@ct.gov
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