Elementary Science Core Curriculum

1
Elementary Science Core Curriculum

• Involvement of Science Education Community in
  Core Development
• Development Process
• Overview of Timeline
• Significant Changes in Core
• Public Hearings Process

2
Committee Organization
State Science Education Coordination Committee
Core Steering Committee
Core Advisory Committee
Core Writing Committee
3
State Science Education Coordination Committee 66
State School Board
Public Hearings
Science Core Steering Committee 26
Focus Group Meetings 30 to 40 per grade-level
Core Advisory Committee 18
Core Writing Committees 4-6 writers per grade
level
Teacher Hearings 12 meetings 307 teachers
Content Expert Review
4
Science Core Development Process

• December 1999
• Steering Committee formation
• Science Education research
• Spring 2000
• Teacher focus group meetings
• Intended Learning Outcomes development
• Advisory Committee meetings
• Summer of 2000
• Core writing
• School Year 2000-01
• Pilot of Core
• Hearings with teachers statewide
• Rewrite from pilot and hearings input December
  and March
• Summer 2001
• Steering Committee content review and ILO verb
  alignment - summer 2001
• School Year 2001-02
• 2001 CRT development begins
• TRB, Sci-ber Text and Professional Development
  re-alignment
• Request for State Board approval

5
Attributes of the New Core

• Aligned to AAAS Benchmarks for Science Literacy
• Content described in Science Benchmarks
• Skills described in Intended Learning Outcomes
  (ILOs)
• Standards, Objectives, Indicators provide detail
  for instruction
• Science Language Students Should Use included
• Skills articulate up grade levels in ILOs
• Content spirals across grade-levels

6
Understanding the Science Core
Science Benchmarks
Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)
I. Standards 1. Objectives a. Indicators
7
Core Science Skills Intended Learning Outcomes

• Process Skills Development

Classify Formulate Hypothesis Graph Generalize
from Data Measure Calculate Construct
Models Collect and Record Data Design and Perform
Experiments
Observe Sort Predict Use Models
Observe
K
12
6
3
8
Science Content Articulation of Core
Earth Systems Science
6th Grade
3rd Grade
Cross Grade Strands in Content
9
Significant Changes From 1994 Science Core

• Science Benchmarks included to describe the
  content
• Topics removed
• Indicators provide greater instructional detail
• Intended Learning Outcomes are described by
  grade-bands
• K, 1, 2 Science Core becomes part of Integrated
  Core Curriculum
• Some content changes to align to National
  Standards
• Science Language Students Should Use provided
  in Core

10
Content Changes From 1994 Science Core

• 3rd Grade
• Electrical Safety -removed (part of Health Core)
• Motion of Objects in Sky -added
• 4th Grade
• Adjusted approach to Utah Environments
• Greater details of Common Utah Plants and Animals
  
• 5th Grade
• Removed Natural Resources (part of Social Studies
  Core and interwoven for science in other grades)
• Heredity -added
• 6th Grade
• Expanded the investigation of Earth, Moon, and
  Sun
• Greater depth with regard to Causes of Seasons

11
Request for Public Hearings

• Five Open House Meetings to gather input from
  public
• St. George
• Richfield
• Provo
• Salt Lake
• Farmington

• On-line access to draft Core and comments
  instrument
• Comments will be addressed and responded to by
  Email and phone
• Provide one month comment period

• Comments will be summarized, addressed and
  provided to State Board
• Request for Board Approval of Science Core to
  follow in March