The New Minnesota Science Standards

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The New Minnesota Science Standards
St. Cloud Schools, Secondary Teachers,
9/2/09 John Olson, Science Specialist, Minn.
Dept. of Education
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Goals for today Agenda

• Become familiar with the revised standards
• Context
• Thoughtful process
• Scope
• New Areas, Similar number
• Structure
• Familiar organization, new features
• Implementation
• Assessment
• Curriculum Resources

• Development of the Standards
• Participate in an engineering challenge
• Overview of Standards
• A Look at the Standards
• Implementation discussion, Q A

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What is the role of Standards?

• Set expectations for achievement of students at
  each grade level
• Provide for a progression of learning
• Define the requirements for high school course
  credit in courses required for graduation
• Biology
• Chemistry or Physics for class of 2015
• Foundation for MCA assessment
• Help districts and schools design curricula

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How were the standards written?

• The Revision Committee included about 30
  teachers, professors, scientists, engineers and
  citizens
• Technical Writing Team drafted standards
  statements.
• Committee worked about a year.
• Developed three drafts available at MDE website
• Used public input via on-line feedback and public
  forums
• Relied on national science engineering
  standards, plus model states
• Reviews by national curriculum experts, P-16
  Partnership and several focus groups

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Legislative Mandates

• Must be written at grade level K-8
• Aligned with post-secondary and work readiness
• Include technology/engineering and information
  literacy
• Include environmental literacy standards
• Include contributions by Minnesota American
  Indian communities

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Grounding Documents

• National Science Education Standards (NRC)
• Benchmarks for Science Literacy (AAAS)
• Atlas of Science Literacy, Volumes I II
  (www.nsdl.org)
• National Assessment for Educational Progress 2009
  Framework (NAEP )
• Standards for Technological Literacy (ISTE)
• Minn. Environmental Literacy Scope and Sequence
  (www.SEEK.state.mn.us)
• ACT, other States, Minn. Math Standards

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Goal of the Science Standards

• Have ALL students interacting with the world as
  Scientists . . .
• investigate how the world works
• think analytically make evidence-based
  decisions
• learn and apply science concepts
• and Engineers.
• design solutions to problems and needs
• examine how science and technologies are used in
  the designed world

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Weighty MattersAn Engineering Challenge

• Design the minimum size of a sheet of paper that
  can support a bottle of water hanging from it
  for 5 seconds. (must be supported equally from 2
  dowels)
• Advanced Challenge support 2 bottles
• Materials sheet of paper, scissors, hole
  reinforcers, bottle of water, hole punch (shared)
• Procedure Think, cut, test it, measure the mass,
  record on chart paper, repeat
• End time ________

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Discussion Share at your table

• What process/steps did your group use in
  designing the paper?
• How was it different from typical science
  inquiry?
• What skills were involved?

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Comparison of typical processes
Science Inquiry Engineering Design

• Observation and form a question
• Hypothesis procedure
• Conduct an experiment
• Refine hypothesis and experiment again
• Form a conclusion and communicate it
• Result Facts theories

• Define the problem and the resources available
• Develop a design
• Test the design
• Modify the design and test again
• Analyze the design and use or market it
• Result Products processes

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Why is Engineering in the Science Standards?

• Problem solving skills needed by everyone
• Helps understand our world
• Applies science and strengthens concepts
• Workforce and competitive concerns
• Career possibilities
• Legislative/MDE requirement

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What should students learn about engineering?

• How to use design processes
• Considers constraints, costs, benefits
• Evaluates the source, use, disposal of
  materials
• Is done by many kinds of people and cultures
• Has an impact on society and is influenced by
  society
• Is a potential career

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An Example

• In teaching heat transfer, a teacher challenges
  students to design a container to keep a cup of
  hot water as hot as possible over a time period.

• Science Questions
• How were convection, conduction, radiation and
  evaporation involved?
• What are the variables that affected heat
  transfer?
• Which variables were controlled?

• Engineering Questions
• How did you develop and test the design?
• What were the advantages and disadvantages of the
  materials you tried?
• What were the constraints and trade-offs
  involved?
• How would you use and market your ideas?

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Organization of the Standards
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Cross-cutting nature of the strands
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Format of Standards and Benchmarks

• Standards general goal of student learning.
• Benchmarks specific knowledge skills acquired
  by the end of the grade
• Examples - for clarification and level of
  understanding, NOT curriculum directives
• At grade levels K-8 (required) 9-12 band
• Grade of mastery (scaffolding needed before)

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A Look at the Standards

• Compare the revised standards to current
  standards and practice for the grade you teach.
  Look for similarities and differences in
  structure, style and content.
• Work alone or with a partner, write ideas
• Nature of Science Engineering
• Content Standards for your grade/content area
• Related standards at a different grade level.

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Comparison of 2004 2009
Similarities New
Features

• Structure strands, substrands, standards,
  benchmarks
• Similar number of benchmarks

• Substrands are reorganized
• Some grade changes
• New areas engineering, environment, STEM
  connections,
• Physics Chemistry course standards are added
• Similar grain-size
• Addition of examples

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2004 vs. 2009 Benchmarks 6-8
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2004 vs. 2009 Benchmarks 9-12
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Next Steps

• Proposed standards and supporting documents are
  posted on the MDE website. They can be used for
  curriculum planning.
• Formalized through the States Rulemaking
  process.
• Implemented by 2011-12 school year. Chemistry
  Physics for the class of 2015
• Next Revision 2017 - 2018

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Impact on MCA Testing

• Tests are given at grades 5, 8 and high school
  (end of biology course)
• The new standards will be used for the MCA-III
  science assessment beginning in the 2011-12
  school year.
• Test Specifications for MCA-III are being
  developed. First Draft is posted for review.

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Curriculum Planning Ideas

• Suggested Implementation Schedule
• 2009-10 3rd 6th (first classes to take MCA on
  revised standards)
• 2010-11 2nd, 4th 7th, 9th, other pre-biology
• 2011-12 K, 1st, 5th, 8th, biology
• 2012-13 chemistry and physics alignment
• Aligning curriculum resources to standards
• Review content strands and current resources
• Review Nature of Science Engineering for
  opportunities to embed the standards into content
  instruction

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High School Course Realignment

• Requirements to Consider
• All students must receive instruction in all
  standards
• Credit requirements 3 credits
• 1 Biology, 1 physics or chemistry for class of
  2015
• Ag. Science or CTE may count as a general science
  credit
• Licensure 5-8 general can teach integrated
  science, including 9th physical science
• MCA assessment given in year of the biology
  course
• Other Factors
• Sequence of learning, prerequisite skills (math)
• Electives interests, advanced courses

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Supports for teaching the Standards

• Information Dissemination
• MDE website, teacher conferences, regional
  workshops, Webinar, MnSTA newsletter
• Frameworks (proposed)
• Resources for curriculum instruction
• Professional Development
• Math Science Teacher Academies
• MnSTA, other professional development providers
• Other Curriculum Resources to be developed

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Some Resources

• National Science Teachers Assn. Regional
  Conference
• Minneapolis,Oct 29-31, www.nsta.org
• Minnesota Science Teachers Assn.
• Spring Conference with Elementary Strand,
  Willmar, April 15 17
• Newsletter, discipline conferences, school
  membership for elementary
• www.mnsta.org

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Contacts

• http//education.state.mn.us ?Academic Standards
  ? Science - standards and supporting documents
• http//www.mnsta.org listing of workshops,
  links
• http//www.getstem-mn.com resources and events
• John.C.Olson_at_state.mn.us - Science Specialist
• Jim.Wood_at_state.mn.us Science Assessment
  Specialist
• Dawn.Cameron_at_state.mn.us Science Assessment
  Specialist
• Joel.Donna_at_state.mn.us STEM Specialist

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Curriculum Planning Ideas

• 1. Begin with content standards and benchmarks
• Look at the progression of the ideas from
  previous grades and to later grades. Refer to
  the Atlas of Science Literacy.
• Identify instructional resources needs
• 2. Look at Nature of Science Engineering
  standards and benchmarks
• Identify opportunities for embedding into content
  instruction
• 3. Start developing unit plans with activities
• Suggestion use backwards design

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Implementing the Chemistry/Physics Requirement

• Factors to consider
• Licensure
• Facilities
• Safety equipment and class size limits
• National Science Teacher Assn. recommends 24
  students as a maximum for labs
• 50 sq. ft. per person in the lab (National Fire
  Protection Assn.)
• 44 inches for aisles (Minn. Statute 1989)

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MCA-III Test Specifications Format
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2009 MCA-IIITest Specifications Timeline

• Test Specs Advisory Panel Meeting
• Public Review
• Alignment to item pool
• 2 day Feedback/Work Session

May 26-28 July 2009- May 2010 Sept
2009 TBD- Summer 2010
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Student practice options

• Classroom Assessment System
• Available through District Assessment Coordinator
• Includes teacher manual and scores generated for
  students
• Item Samplers
• Available on the MDE website to public
• Does not generate scores automatically

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Timeline

• Standards
• Standards Developed
• Standards Implemented
• Revision Developed
• Revision Rulemaking
• Revision Implemented

• Assessment
• MCA II Test Specs
• MCA II Field test
• MCA II Begins
• MCA III Test Specs
• MCA III Begins

2003-4 2004-5 2005-6 2006-7 2007-8 2008-9 2009-10
2010-11 2011-12
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Getting into the Standards two options

• Make a less/more table for your content
  standards. Less topics that are dropped or have
  less emphasis in new standards.
• Review the Nature of Science and Engineering
  standards and identify content standards that
  lend themselves for embedding design and/or
  inquiry into your instruction.

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District and Teacher Roles

• Responsibilities
• Ensure all students learn the standards
• Curriculum aligned to the standards
• Courses that cover standards
• Provide Materials and Resources

• Flexibility
• Instructional methods and context
• Locally determined curriculum
• Sequence of topics
• Formative and summative assessments

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Organization of the Standards

• I. Nature of Science and Engineering
• Practice of Science
• Practice of Engineering
• Interactions of Science, Engineering, Math
  Society
• II. Physical Science
• Matter
• Motion
• Energy
• Human Interactions with Physical Systems

• III. Earth and Space Science
• Earth Structure
• Interdependence within the Earth System
• The Universe
• Human Interaction with Earth systems
• IV. Life Science
• Structure and Functions
• Interdependence
• Evolution in living systems
• Human interaction with Living Systems

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Timelines

• The revision committee included about 30
  teachers, professors, scientists, engineers and
  citizens.
• Committee worked eleven months and is submitting
  recommendations to the Commissioner of Education.
• The final draft is posted.
• Standards will go through rulemaking process.
• Reflected in MCA-III 2011-2012
• Drafts and supporting documents
  http//education.state.mn.us/MDE/Academic_Excellen
  ce/Academic_Standards/Science/index.html

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2004 vs. 2009 Benchmarks K - 5
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Nature of Science Engineering Flow of Ideas
(samples)