Greetings Science Educators!
I hope the start of your school year is going well! I enjoyed seeing and meeting so many of you this summer at the Vision 2020 Conference, the Vision for K-12 Science Education Workshop, the Elementary and Secondary Summer Convenings, and at some of the Math/Science Partnership Summer Workshops. Your commitment to this profession is inspiring!
Oklahoma Academic Standards for Science Update:
I am receiving several questions regarding science standards in the state so I hope to clear up some of the confusion with the following information.
New Standards and Old Assessments:
The Oklahoma Academic Standards for Science (download here) were adopted unanimously by the Oklahoma State Board of Education in March of 2014 and signed into rule by Governor Fallin in June of 2014. However, the state science assessments will not be aligned to these standards until 2016-2017. This will give districts and teachers three years to transition to the new standards.
The state science assessments given at grades 5, 8, and in Biology 1 will continue to be aligned to the PASS standards (download here) in the 2014-2015 and 2015-2016 school years.
The non-state tested grade levels can move forward with transitioning as they choose. Keep in mind there are three years to do so; please don’t think this has to be accomplished before school starts or even by the end of this year. It will take time to make some of these shifts.
The state tested grade levels will need to ensure that students are prepared to take their exams aligned to the PASS (2011) standards in school years 2014-2015 and 2015-2016. However, efforts towards transitioning to the new standards can begin at these grade levels.
Getting Familiar with the New Standards:
At the Vision 2020 Conference this summer I shared a few simple steps to help districts and teachers get started with the new Oklahoma Academic Standards for Science. I’ve tried to provide a version of that presentation here for you if you were unable to attend. See pages 6-7 of the OAS-Science for guidance on the structure of the standards and link to the video that provides further explanation.
As you walk through the following steps you may want to print the attached document and pull up a copy of the OAS-Science for the grade level or course that you teach.
1. Begin by getting comfortable with the Oklahoma Academic Standards for Science and the 3 Dimensions integrated into the standards
- Dimension 1: Science and Engineering Practices
- Dimension 2: Crosscutting Concepts
- Dimension 3: Disciplinary Core Ideas
See the attached document for an overview of the 3 Dimensions.
• Keep in mind there is one standard/performance expectation on each of the standards document pages in the OAS-Science. It is in the far right column.
• Consider the performance expectation/standard to be the end goal representing what students should be able to do to demonstrate their understanding of a Disciplinary Core Idea through a science or engineering practice and a crosscutting concept.
• However, the instruction to get students to meet that goal is up to the teacher or district.
• Assisting students in meeting the performance expectation, which includes a science and engineering practice, crosscutting concept, and disciplinary core idea means having students:
★ Explore the component core ideas (outlined in the green column in the standards document) by
★ Engaging in the science and engineering practices (outlined in blue column in the standards document) and by
★ Experiencing the crosscutting concepts (outlined in the orange row in the standards document)
• Learn more about the 3 Dimensions in A K-12 Framework for Science Education (free download). While the Oklahoma Academic Standards for Science do not include all aspects of the recommendations provided in the frameworks document, they do include the science and engineering practice, crosscutting concepts, and several of the disciplinary core ideas)
2. Determine which Disciplinary Core Ideas are similar or different from the science content outlined in PASS at the grade level or course you teach.
• The Disciplinary Core Ideas represent the broad categories of science content incorporated into the K-12 OAS-Science. (See attached document for an overview of the Disciplinary Core Ideas)
• Each Disciplinary Core Idea is further broken down into a component core idea (bolded headings in the green column of the standards document) and then concepts (bulleted statements in the green column of the standards document).
3. Begin to align or redesign your curriculum to align to the new Oklahoma Academic Standards for Science.
• Start small by looking at one lesson or unit of study. It may be easiest to begin with a lesson or unit of study that has students exploring a Disciplinary Core Idea from OAS-Science that also aligns to a content standard from PASS (as determined from step 2 above).
• As you analyze the lesson or unit of study ask yourself the following questions:
★ Does the lesson or unit of study help students gain all of the bulleted concepts in the green column in the standards document?
• If the lesson or unit of study doesn’t cover all of the bulleted concepts, is there another lesson or unit of study that would help students engage in learning the remaining bullets?
★ Does the lesson or unit of study have students engaging in any of the 8 science and engineering practices or the 7 crosscutting concepts?
• If the lesson or unit of study doesn’t engage students in the practices or the crosscutting concepts, how could you modify the lesson or unit of study to engage students in the practices or the crosscutting concepts?
Hopefully, these three steps allow you to begin becoming acquainted with the new Oklahoma Academic Standards for Science. To provide districts and teachers with transition support throughout the school year the State Department of Education will be conducting Science Standards Workshops around the state and develop a series of PD on Your Plan Modules that districts and teachers can utilize at their convenience.
Science Assessment Updates:
Science Assessment Blueprints Posted:
Science assessment blueprints for school year 2014-2015 are now posted. http://ok.gov/sde/documents/2013-09-05/blue-prints-plds-item-specs. The blueprints describe the content and structure of each assessment and define the ideal number of test items by standard and objective.
The blueprints for 2014-2015 and 2015-2016 are aligned to the PASS standards for science. The 2016-2017 blueprints will be aligned to the new Oklahoma Academic Standards for Science.
Item Specification Documents Being Finalized:
The Item Specification Documents are being finalized are expected to be released soon along with Released Item Books for 5th and 8th grades.
Textbook Adoption Update:
The State Textbook Committee is moving forward with science textbook adoption this year. The committee met with publishers in July to begin reviewing some of the materials being submitted for review. The committee will continue their work through the fall. A list will be produced this fall with all the texts determined, by the State Textbook Committee, to be adequately aligned to the Oklahoma Academic Standards for Science, The textbook caravans will begin in spring of 2015 and the monies for textbook adoption for science will be released to districts July 1, 2015. If any of the information above changes, I will convey as soon as possible.
For additional questions contact: Timmie.Spangler@sde.ok.gov
Professional Development Opportunities:
OSDE Science Workshops:
Soon we will be announcing the dates and locations for several regional workshops that will be designed to support districts and teachers with transitioning to the new Oklahoma Academic Standards for Science. The workshops will begin in September and end in early March. Look for the announcements later next week!
Opportunities for Teachers:
PASCO STEM Educator Awards:
The PASCO STEM Educator awards, sponsored by PASCO scientific, in partnership with the National Science Teachers Association, recognize excellence and innovation in the field of STEM education at middle school and high school levels.
Eligibility: The applicant must be a 6–12 STEM educator. Individuals must have a minimum of 3 years teaching experience in the STEM fields, who implement innovative inquiry-based, technology infused STEM programs. One middle level and two high school level recipients will be awarded annually.
Award: A total of 3 awardees will be selected annually. Each awardee will receive up to $1000 to cover travel expenses to attend the NSTA national conference and be part of a STEM share-a-thon workshop, a $500 monetary gift, and a $5000 certificate for PASCO scientific products. The recipient of the award will be honored during the Awards Banquet at the NSTA national conference.
To apply click on the link below:
http://www.nsta.org/docs/awards/STEMEducator.pdf
Opportunities for Students:
You Be The Chemist Challenge
Get your students excited about chemistry with the You Be The Chemist Challenge—a free, national academic competition for grade 5-8 students. The Challenge was created by the Chemical Educational Foundation® (CEF), a non-profit organization dedicated to enhancing science and chemistry education. The Challenge tests students’ knowledge of chemistry concepts, scientific theories, and laboratory safety in an engaging, interactive format. Local and state competitions occur in the spring and the top student from each state (together with one educator!) receives an expenses-paid trip to the national competition in June.
To find out how your school can get involved, please complete our inquiry form, e-mail challenge@chemed.org, or call (703)527-6223.
Grant Opportunities:
Oklahoma State Department of Education STEM Grants:
• Cyberpatriot – Due September 26th
• First Robotics – Phase 1 due August 25th and Phase 2 due September 22nd
• MSP Mini-Grant – Due August 20th
• Botball – applications to go live at the end of August and applications due in December
For more information and applications go to http://www.ok.gov/sde/stem.
Stay Connected:
Social Media: Twitter: @tiffanyneill Facebook: #OKSci Hashtags: #oksde #OKSci #OKSTEM Sign Up for a Twitter account: https://twitter.com/ Accessing Archived Science Messages: You can access Archived Science Messages I’ve sent out since March via the Oklahoma Science Teachers Association (OSTA) website. Scroll down to see previous posts. Science Listserv: Please encourage others to register for the science listserv and pass along the following registration link: Register for Science Listserv As always, please feel free to contact me with any questions you may have! – Tiffany