Implementation Map for Administrators, Coaches & Teachers (IMpACT) for Science

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Introduction
Intended Users
Supporting Documents
Organization
Criteria 1 - Authentic Learning Experiences

Criteria 2 - Three-Dimensional Learning
Criteria 3 - Coherence
Criteria 4 - Appropriate Integration of ELA/Literacy and Mathematics
Criteria 5 - Supporting All Learners

Introduction

The Implementation Map for Administrators, Coaches and Teachers (IMpACT) is a tool designed as a self-reflection to assist in determination of the level of implementation of the Iowa Science Standards and the five innovations of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). These innovations include: the use of relevant phenomena, three-dimensional learning, coherence of instruction, integration of math and ELA, and a focus on addressing inequalities. The IMpACT draws heavily from Achieve's EQuIP Rubric for Science and PEEC alignment tools, Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction as well as the NGSS Appendices.

Intended Users

Administrators - It should be noted that the IMpACT is not designed as a teacher evaluation tool. School leaders may choose to use the IMpACT as means to inform conversations with science teachers, assist in making decisions about instructional materials and curriculum, and/or generally support teachers’ implementation of the Iowa Science Standards and three-dimensional teaching and learning outlined in the NGSS.
Instructional Coaches - The IMpACT can serve as a meaningful resource during coaching cycles and professional learning. Instructional coaches might use the IMpACT to help teachers initially characterize their implementation of the Iowa science standards and help to inform the focus of subsequent coaching conversations. The Science Resources provide support during coaching cycles.
In- and Pre-service Teachers - The IMpACT gives teachers intentional language around the implementation of the Iowa science standards. Teachers may choose to focus on one criteria (see below), one aspect of one criterion, or use the entire IMpACT to characterize their implementation. The descriptors for each aspect of implementation should provide insight into what actions teachers can take to deepen implementation of the standards and help focus ongoing professional learning. Additionally, the Science Resources provide targeted opportunities to learn more about each aspect.
Informal Educators and Professional Development Providers - The IMpACT can also serve as a guide for those entities that support teachers and support science education in informal environments. The criteria presented are good reminders of the expectation of the Iowa Science Standards with regard to how science instruction and learning should look. Informal educators and professional development providers are encouraged to weave the IMpACT into their work, making both implied and explicit connections when able.

Supporting Documents

Organization

The IMpACT provides a description of five implementation criteria, an outcome statement, and descriptors of various levels of implementation. In order to help educators identify areas of strength as well as areas of potential growth, the IMpACT provides descriptors of no implementation, beginning implementation, implementation, and expanding implementation for each feature within the five criteria. The five criteria include:

Iowa Science Standards: IMpACT as a Document - A document with all of the information contained on the IMpACT webpages.

Iowa Science Standards: IMpACT as a Google Form - This version of the IMpACT allows users to complete any/all of the five criteria using an online form and receive a PDF of their responses.

Criteria 1 - Authentic Learning Experiences

Students engage in the process of science as it is practiced in the authentic scientific community. Therefore, students should be working to “figure out” a scientific phenomenon or engineering problem and investigations should be focused on scientific phenomena that are relevant and important to their community and/or to them personally.

Outcome

Students will engage in science in an authentic manner through the use of relevant phenomena.

Feature	Expanding Implementation	Implementation	Beginning Implementation	No Implementation
1A	Learning experience are organized around students experiencing and investigating meaningful phenomena and/or designing solutions to problems and include intentional access points and supports so all students can use targeted SEPs, CCCs and DCIs as the central component of learning.	Learning experiences provide opportunities for students to experience phenomena directly or through rich multimedia or to design solutions to problems. However, students may not receive the supports necessary for them to use targeted SEPs, CCCs, and DCIs to build their understanding.	Learning experiences use scientific phenomena as an engagement strategy or lesson “hook” but students are not engaged with using their conceptual understanding in figuring out the scientific phenomenon. Students receive minimal support in the application of targeted SEPs, CCCs and DCIs.	Learning experiences are isolated topic-based lessons where students read about science concepts or follow a step-by-step procedure to ensure they learn the science content (DCI) and vocabulary.
1B	Learning experiences are designed around phenomena, scenarios, and/or problems that are relevant to a wide range of student abilities, backgrounds, and interests. When appropriate, local opportunities are utilized to foster authenticity during the sense-making of phenomena. Students make the authentic connections in collaboration with their peers.	Learning experiences are organized around phenomenon/problems that are interesting/relevant to students with the goal of making sense of the world (not just covering content). The phenomenon/problem appears loosely connected to the students’ cultural, community or personal identities/interests. The teacher makes the authentic connections for the students.	Learning experiences are organized by ‘big ideas” but have limited explicit connection to students’ day-to-day lives. Any authentic connections are by chance instead of by design and while learning may be difficult, it is not conceptually rigorous.	Learning experiences are not organized around big ideas or meaningful phenomena. or the phenomenon/problem are likely of interest to a select group of students (i.e - just of interest to males, high SES, native speakers).
1C	Students examine and experience science content in authentic ways that encourage greater depth of knowledge and build towards answering essential questions. When appropriate, students use science concepts from different domains (Earth/space, life, physical) to construct explanations.	Students interact with science content within one domain (Earth/space, life, physical) by figuring out phenomena. Any connections to prior learning or across science domains is loose or requires teacher prompting for students to see the connections.	Students interact with science content in some ways that encourage greater depth of knowledge (i.e. students read about a phenomenon or talk about how scientists/engineers engage with a related phenomenon or problem) but do not apply the content to real-world situations or phenomena.	Students interact with the science content mostly through reading a text, answering teacher-developed questions, or completing worksheets.
1D	Students use information from previous investigations to revise their understanding of the phenomena/problem/design and to initiate their next steps/next investigations.	Students design their own investigations/next steps to build evidence for their claims and to deepen their understanding of the phenomenon/design.	Student conduct investigations that are designed to confirm what was previously learned or students follow a teacher-provided procedure that has a clear, pre-determined conclusion.	Students do not engage in scientific investigations.

Feature 1A Resources

Achieve has a panel of experts who are using the EQuIP - science rubric to analyze a variety of instructional units. Items identified as Quality Examples of Science Lessons and Units are included on the NGSS website.

Classroom Resources at the NGSS Hub at NSTA provides detailed classroom resources with over 100 titles in the four disciplinary domains (life, earth, physical, engineering).

Teachers Try Science provides lessons that have been reviewed through the EQuIP rubric. These are individual lessons; not complete units. The site also identifies instructional best practices and has associated videos.

BetterLesson provides a variety of teacher-developed lessons from Kindergarten through high school. The lessons are organized by standard. The lessons have not been reviewed with a formal tool such as the NGSS lesson screener or EQuIP but could be used as a starting point.

Feature 1B Resources

Using Phenomena in NGSS-Designed Instruction includes an interview with Brian Reiser about using Phenomenon in instruction, a written resource describing how and why to use Phenomena and another resource describing the Qualities of Good Anchoring Phenomena.

Phenomena for NGSS provides a searchable bank of phenomena that have the potential to be instructionally productive. The site also provides reasons for using phenomenon in science instruction.

Georgia Science Teachers’ Association Phenomenon Bank provides a searchable bank of phenomenon along with potential essential questions and instructional uses for each phenomenon.

#Project Phenomena was developed by the San Diego County Office of Education and includes criteria for selecting phenomena and a phenomenon database.

The Blank Park Zoo invites educators to professional development opportunities held at Blank Park Zoo on specific dates listed on the site. Workshops are good for one hour of license-renewal credit.

Feature 1C Resources

Achieve has developed a set of Evidence Statements associated with each standard. Evidence statements describe potential ways students could demonstrate proficiency on the standard. Evidence statements are examples and are not mandated as the only way students can demonstrate proficiency on a standard.

The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) provide an important opportunity to improve not only science education but also student achievement. Based on the Framework for K–12 Science Education, the NGSS are intended to reflect a new vision for American science education. These changes in how science educators should view learning can be found in the Conceptual Shifts in the Iowa Science Standards.

Feature 1D Resources

Supporting Scientific Thinking and Inquiry of Toddlers and Preschoolers through Play

Practices Resource In Science and Math (PRISM) provides descriptions, videos and strategies associated with each science and engineering practice and each mathematical practice. The faculty, staff and students from the University of California, Davis and teachers from Dixon Unified School District and Davis Joint Unified School District who developed this site also provide a framework and shifts that incorporate both the SEPs and mathematical practices.

Bozeman Science Videos includes information on and practical strategies for incorporating the practices, crosscutting concepts, and disciplinary core ideas in classroom instruction.

Successful STEM Education is a National Science Foundation initiative focused on providing information, events (with links to session materials), and resources to support effective STEM teaching and learning.

Understanding Science - For Educators views and values science as a multi-faceted, flexible process for better understanding the world.

Project WILD and Aquatic WILD provide K-12 activity guides that include field investigations, STEM extensions, career information, and correlations to standards. Guides are available through training, available in different formats: workshop, on-site/school-based, individual mentoring, plus occasional on-line and summer professional development through AEA Learning.

Instruction should be planned to ensure students explicitly utilize science practices and cross-cutting concepts to develop a deep understanding of the core ideas and to understand the relevance to the concept(s).

Criteria 2 - Three-Dimensional Learning

Outcome

Students will use science and engineering practices to build their understanding and apply their learning across disciplines.

Feature	Expanding Implementation	Implementation	Beginning Implementation	No Implementation
2A	Learning is framed by big ideas of science/themes (cross-cutting concepts) in a grade-appropriate manner that would allow students to make sense of phenomena within or across disciplines. Students use cross-cutting concepts to connect more than one science discipline.	Learning is framed by big ideas of science/themes (cross-cutting concepts) but likely would not be explicitly seen by students without teacher prompting or guidance.	Learning may be framed by big ideas of science/themes (cross-cutting concepts) but connections are implicit or very loosely connected.	Learning is not framed by big ideas of science/themes (cross-cutting concepts) and concepts are disconnected from unit to unit.
2B	Students engage in grade-appropriate elements of the scientific and engineering practices to learn about the world around them and solve problems with little prompting and teacher guidance.	Students engage in grade-appropriate elements of the science and engineering practices but their engagement is teacher-directed.	Students engage in the science and engineering practices in service to learning the disciplinary core ideas but engagement does not meet grade level expectations.	Students use a standard scientific method or are given a set of step-by-step procedures to follow.
2C	Students use elements of the SEPs, CCCs, and DCIs to make sense of given phenomenon/problems and are able to transfer their understanding/skills to explain related phenomenon or design solutions to new, related problems.	Student engagement in making sense of phenomena/designing solutions requires student performances that integrate grade-appropriate elements of the SEPs, CCCs, and DCIs.	Students engage in all three dimensions, but they are incorporated as 3 separate entities. Instructional activities utilize two of the three dimensions (disciplinary core ideas, or science/engineering practices, or cross-cutting concepts).	Students learn the three dimensions in isolation of each other. Instructional activities appear to only utilize one of the three dimensions with student learning centered on facts; content is an end in itself.
2D	Students provide evidence of learning in all three dimensions in a way that allows the teacher to determine and provide feedback related to student progress in each of the dimensions. Classroom assessments align to, look like, and are part of classroom instruction.	Students provide evidence of learning in all three dimensions in a stand-alone assessment event (i.e. test, project). The assessments might utilize scenarios to show application of learning but the majority of the assessment focuses on content with an uneven balance of the other assessed dimensions.	Students provide evidence of learning in one or two of the dimensions in a singular event that is isolated from instruction. Additional assessments such as vocabulary quizzes are utilized during instruction but the results are not used to inform instruction or learning.	Students provide evidence of learning on summative assessments that are predominantly focused on disciplinary core ideas. These assessments often use recall type questions.
2E	Formative assessments are utilized by the teacher in making instructional decisions and students use peer and teacher-provided feedback to revise or extend their oral or written explanations/models/arguments.	Formative assessments are utilized to assist in identifying student misconceptions and progress in more than one dimension and there is an instructional plan for how to move student learning based on the evidence obtained.	Formative assessments are focused on obtaining evidence of students’ understanding of disciplinary core ideas or identifying misconceptions without an instructional plan for how to move student learning based on the evidence obtained.	Formative assessments are not used to guide instruction or learning.

Feature 2A Resources

STEM Teaching Tools include short courses and instructional tools developed by the University of Washington in collaboration with researchers and educators from across the county. Educators can search for tools focused on various instructional and assessment strategies.

Bozeman Science Videos includes information on and practical strategies for incorporating the practices, crosscutting concepts, and disciplinary core ideas in classroom instruction.

Crosscut Symbols - A collection of questions to help students view phenomena through the lens of the crosscutting concepts.

Feature 2B Resources

Practices Resource in Science and Math (PRISM) - Descriptions, videos and strategies associated with each science and engineering practice and each mathematical practice. The faculty, staff and students from the University of California, Davis and teachers from Dixon Unified School District and Davis Joint Unified School District who developed this site also provide a framework and shifts that incorporate both the SEPs and mathematical practices.

Instructional Leadership for Science Practices - Instructional tools (rubrics and instructional strategies) to promote and measure student engagement in the science and engineering practices. It also has supervision tools and case studies for instructional leaders to use for coaching and mentoring.

PD Playlist: Incorporating Scientific Argumentation into Your Classroom - Promotes argument-based learning in the science classroom.

Feature 2C Resources

Three Dimensional Learning

Next Generation Science Storylines has developed a Storyline Design Toolkit that provides a process for unpacking standards and developing a storyline based on the unpacked standards.

Feature 2D Resources

PD Playlist: Incorporating Scientific Argumentation into Your Classroom - Promotes argument-based learning in the science classroom.

Achieve has developed a set of Evidence Statements associated with each standard. These evidence statements describe potential ways students could demonstrate proficiency on the standard. These evidence statements are examples and are not mandated as the only way students can demonstrate proficiency on a standard.

Seeing Students Learn Science is a user-friendly report from the National Academy of Science that includes examples of science assessment formats, ways to embed assessments in classroom activities, and ideas for interpreting and using assessment information.

How to Assess Three-Dimensional Learning in the Classroom: Building Assessment Tasks that Work

How to Develop 3D Formative Assessments for the Science Classroom

Feature 2E Resources

How to Develop 3D Formative Assessments for the Science Classroom

Introduction to Formative Assessment to Support Equitable 3D Instruction

Student Assessment - Describes summative and formative assessments and provides examples of each.

Getting Started with Assessment for Learning (AFL) - Offers information on what it is, the research behind it, and what AFL looks like in practice.

Formative Assessment - Resources supporting formative assessment practices from the Iowa Department of Education.

Criteria 3 - Coherence

Lessons and units should build on discoveries from prior life experiences and/or background knowledge, student investigations and concepts covered in prior units and, when applicable, prior grade bands.

Outcome

Students will build on concepts discovered in prior years as well as building knowledge and skills throughout each unit.

Feature	Expanding Implementation	Implementation	Beginning Implementation	No Implementation
3A	In designing and implementing instructional units, the teacher uses knowledge of the progressions of all three dimensions (DCI Matrix, SEP progressions, CCC progression;) and actively seeks information from students about previous instructional and life experiences to build upon prior knowledge and skills.	The teacher is aware of the progressions of all three dimensions (DCI Matrix, SEP progressions, CCC progression;) and works to connect current learning to past concepts but does not attempt to uncover what knowledge and skills students bring to the unit from life experiences.	The teacher is aware of past experiences students have engaged in but only for the reason of not repeating them in the current grade level.	The teacher is unaware of prior learning and experiences so each instructional unit starts from scratch with foundational ideas and skills.
3B	Throughout the instructional unit, students engage in investigating an anchor phenomenon and related lesson level phenomenon and use their learning from each lesson to figure out different aspects of the natural event through their investigations.	Throughout the instructional unit, students are investigating different lesson level phenomena that are conceptually connected or are exploring an anchor phenomenon but students do not figure out different aspects of the natural event or do not need to tie current learning with prior learning.	Throughout the instructional unit, students are engaged in science activities/laboratory experiences that relate to a big idea but students are not able to articulate that relationship.	Throughout the instructional unit, students engage in isolated lessons or investigations that are grouped together around a science topic or textbook chapter.
3C	The instructional unit is coherent and when asked students are able to identify how what they are learning on a given day was related to previous learning and/or how it will guide future learning.	The instructional unit has conceptual coherence; however, when asked, students may not consistently be able to identify how what they are learning on a given day was related to previous learning and/or how it will guide future learning.	The instructional unit appears to have a loose conceptual coherence but appears to be organized around a topic or theme instead of phenomena with sequenced lessons to build conceptual understanding.	The instructional unit is organized by content, each section/chapter having “cookbook labs” or activities that largely confirm learning about content.
3D	Student learning targets/objectives are three-dimensional learning performances that build towards the big ideas of the unit because they are designed and coordinated over time to ensure students build understanding of all three dimensions of the standards.	Student learning targets/objectives are three-dimensional learning performances that are designed to build student understanding.	Student learning targets/objectives are one or two-dimensional and are typically focused on student mastery of learning particular content or skills but are not focused on all three dimensions.	Student learning targets/objectives are performance expectations themselves and are treated as singular items to be learned in isolation from one another.
3E	Students and the teacher collaborate to establish driving question(s) and subsequent lesson-level questions build coherently to allow students to make sense of a phenomenon while building towards performance expectations.	Students and the teacher collaborate to establish driving question(s) then the teacher determines which questions will be investigated and subsequent questions/investigations are not necessarily sequenced to build understanding.	The teacher selects driving question(s) and the question is not complex enough to require building understanding over the course of several investigations.	Students answer content-based questions at the beginning and/or end each lesson, unit, and/or chapter. Questions/prompts do not offer opportunities for students to show understanding of crosscutting concepts or science/engineering practices.

Feature 3A Resources

Appendix F - Science and Engineering Practices in the NGSS provides K-12 learning progressions for the science and engineering practices.

Appendix G - Crosscutting Concepts provides K-12 learning progressions for the crosscutting concepts.

Disciplinary Core Ideas in the NGSS

Next Generation Science Storylines - A team of science educators from Northwestern University in partnership with K-12 teachers has developed sample elementary, middle and high school storylines.

Making Science Instruction Compelling for All Students: Using Cultural Formative Assessment to Build on Learner Interest and Experience provides professional learning focused on learner interest and identity.

The Iowa Science Standards as well as the NGSS are based on A Framework for K-12 Science Education that was developed by a committee of the National Research Council. This framework “...articulates a broad set of expectations for students in science (Framework, p. 1). The Framework along with the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) together describe a new vision for science learning and teaching.

Feature 3B Resources

Nurturing STEM Skills in Young Learners, PreK-3 describes the issues, key research and promising practices related to fostering STEM skills in early learning environments.

Next Generation Science Storylines has developed a Storyline Design Toolkit including instructional routines for developing and implementing units of instruction that are grounded in phenomenon-based instruction.

Phenomena for NGSS provides a searchable bank of phenomena that have the potential to be instructionally productive. The site also provides reasons for using phenomenon in science instruction.

#Project Phenomena developed by the San Diego County Office of Education and includes criteria for selecting phenomena and a phenomenon database.

Feature 3C Resources

NGSS EQuIP Rubric for Science

Feature 3D Resources

This video from Mississippi Bend AEA describes a process and provides a template (PDF in folder) for unwrapping/unpacking the science standards.

How to define meaningful daily learning objectives for science investigations

Feature 3E Resources

Next Generation Science Storylines has developed a Storyline Design Toolkit that provides a process for unpacking standards and developing a storyline based on the unpacked standards.

Criteria 4 - Appropriate Integration of ELA/Literacy and Mathematics

Outcome

Students will call on disciplinary literacy skills to allow them to communicate scientifically.

Feature	Expanding Implementation	Implementation	Beginning Implementation	No Implementation
4A	Students interact with each other and use appropriate disciplinary language/vocabulary when they conduct investigations; represent and interpret data; negotiate understanding; gather additional information; and develop explanations, models, and arguments.	Students interact through structured whole-class discussions and small group work to defend their claims with evidence and use their interactions to negotiate understanding and/or to revise their explanations/models/arguments. Students’ use of disciplinary language/vocabulary is an after-thought instead of a focus of the interactions.	Supports interact through structured whole-class discussions and small group work but the interactions do not promote student discourse that allows for negotiating understanding or providing peer feedback.	Students interact predominantly with the teacher through answering questions that communicate their understanding of science content or processes. Students experience science vocabulary as information/facts to be learned through disconnected practice or memorization.
4B	Students use journals/notebooks to record and reflect on data/evidence. Students appropriately communicate scientific ideas/designs to different audiences through multiple modes of expressions including drawing, writing, video, etc. and use self, peer or teacher feedback to revise their understanding or to improve their communication skills.	Students utilize science notebooks/journals as a way to record information in words, drawings, graphs, etc and as a way to organize their own ideas and explanations, but do not have the opportunity to use peer or teacher feedback to revise their understanding or to improve their communication skills.	Students use journals/notebooks to record and organize information and build on these ideas throughout their learning.	Students record information on worksheets or in class notes but do not refer to these items in subsequent learning experiences.
4C	Students create, evaluate, or analyze mathematical models and/or graphical displays of data in their explanations which encourage conceptual understanding, vocabulary development, and mathematical or computational thinking.	Students use scientific formulas, make calculations, and appropriately represent and analyze data to deepen their conceptual understanding.	Students perform mathematical calculations, graph their data and make sense of various displays of data but their analysis does not advance conceptual understanding.	Students use mathematical calculations to determine correct answers. Students learn graphing skills in isolation of context (i.e. there is a measurement and graphing unit).
4D	Students are able to obtain, evaluate, and utilize resources to assist in making sense of phenomena. Students look to a variety of expert resources to provide evidence for their scientific claims.	Students utilize a variety of sources of information to support their scientific claims but these sources are typically supplied by a teacher.	Students utilize teacher-provided expert texts to answer questions.	Students use their textbook as the predominant/sole source of information to analyze or interpret data or to construct their scientific explanations.

Feature 4A Resources

STEM Starts Early: Grounding Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math Education in Early Childhood

Supporting Scientific Thinking and Inquiry of Toddlers and Preschoolers through Play

Ambitious Science Teaching was developed by the University of Washington to provide tools and resources that support rigorous science instruction at the elementary, middle school and high school levels. This site provides classroom video examples and educator-developed lessons. There are also tools for planning and scaffolding instruction.

Appendix M of the NGSS provides grade-specific connections of the science standards to literacy standards for science and technical subjects.

Promoting Student Science Talk in the Classroom

Talk Science Primer describes the research behind and strategies that support student engagement in productive classroom discourse

Integrating Literacy Strategies into Science Instruction are videos and related resources showing classroom examples of incorporating paraphrasing, summarizing, using interactive read-alouds and more.

Ready, Set, SCIENCE! Putting Research to Work in K-8 Science Classrooms is a foundational synthesis of research into teaching and learning science in kindergarten through eighth grade. Based on a National Research Council report, this book summarizes a body of findings from the learning sciences and builds detailed cases of science educators at work to make the implications of research clear, accessible, and stimulating for a broad range of science educators.

Feature 4B Resources

Appendix M of the NGSS provides grade-specific connections of the science standards to literacy standards for science and technical subjects.

Feature 4C Resources

Appendix L of the NGSS provides grade-specific connections of the science standards to the mathematics standards.

Feature 4D Resources

Appendix M of the NGSS provides grade-specific connections of the science standards to literacy standards for science and technical subjects.

Criteria 5 - Supporting All Learners

Outcome

All students will be supported appropriately and provided opportunities to engage, learn, and be empowered to impact their world.

Feature	Expanding Implementation	Implementation	Beginning Implementation	No Implementation
5A	Materials utilized by teachers reflect diverse learners and allow all students to see themselves represented. Instructional materials foster learning experiences that all students can connect with and use to make progress toward common goals through multiple modes of learning. Materials are available to and usable by each and every student regardless of their personal and physical characteristics.	Materials help students learn the information while also growing students’ ability to see themselves as scientists and engineers. The materials provide students opportunities to make their thinking visible, revisit ideas, and engage in scientific discourse with peers. All students' needs and abilities are accommodated in the classroom.	Materials represent mostly dominant groups, but the instructor makes an effort to include materials and experiences that demonstrate a variety of student identities and interests, and provides accommodations and modifications for those students who require them.	Materials represent only dominant groups and there is little to no differentiation provided for the variety of learning needs and abilities of all students.
5B	All students are provided necessary support (e.g., scaffolding, extension, or accommodations) to aid in the sense-making process. Students use additional and/or related phenomena within the targeted DCI to stretch their use of the SEPs and conceptual understanding (CCCs) for enrichment when they demonstrate mastery. Engagement in these practices is language intensive and requires students to participate in intentional science discourse. Differentiation occurs within and across all three dimensions and allows all students to grow in their sense making abilities.	Learning experiences are designed to differentiate so that all students are appropriately challenged in their sense-making and communicate that each and every student is capable of learning and doing well. Planned learning provides opportunities for students to use multiple modes of communication as they present ideas or engage in reasoned argumentation. All students engage in the SEPs as part of the scientific sense-making process as they develop scientifically-based conceptual understandings (CCCs) to explain phenomena (DCIs).	Learning experiences are designed for the “average ability” student. Accommodations or modifications are in place for students, as required by documentation (i.e., IEP and/or 504 plan). Students’ use of the SEPs is limited and lacks intentionality and therefore does not support conceptual understanding (CCC) to explain phenomena (DCIs).	Learning experiences are aligned to the “average ability” student, with little-to-no differentiation for diverse learning styles and students’ needs. Planned learning provides limited or no opportunities for students to practice the SEPs, develop conceptual understanding (CCCs) or explain phenomena (DCIs).
5C	Students’ families and caregivers are supported in utilizing the relationship between science education and life outside the classroom to improve opportunities. Diverse community stakeholders regularly partner with classroom science experiences, leading students to apply content and skills. Technology is used to enhance partnerships in innovative and novel ways, allowing all students to engage in ways that would not be possible otherwise.	Students’ families and caregivers are made aware of the relationships between science education and life outside the classroom. Stakeholders have access to classroom and school science experiences, with partnerships being intentionally diverse. Technology facilitates the development and sustaining of partnerships while recognizing and accommodating for accessibility issues and limitations.	Students’ families and caregivers may be made aware of the experiences and relationships between science education and life outside the classroom. Stakeholders may have access to classroom and school science experiences, but these partnerships lack intentionality.	Students’ families and caregivers are largely unaware of the experiences students have in science classes. Stakeholders are not regularly provided access to classroom experiences and partnerships are not present.
5D	Classroom experiences do not underestimate or constrain what students are able to display intellectually. The teacher focuses on helping students find meaning in classroom experiences and ways to deepen engagement. Intentional and complex connections are made to students’ lives, and learning experiences leverage students’ sense of place, funds of knowledge and cultural experiences to improve engagement and outcomes.	Classroom experiences make space for students to contribute their cultural knowledge to the development of skills and understanding. Connections are explicit between a students’ engagement and learning in the lesson. Intentional connections are made to students’ sense of place, funds of knowledge and cultural experiences.	Classroom experiences provide students with minimal connections to funds of knowledge, expertise, cultural background, family work experiences. Limited consideration is given when planning instruction to students’ and family members’ knowledge and expertise based on roles in their family, community, and culture.	Classroom experiences do not utilize student funds of knowledge, expertise, cultural background, or family work experiences. No consideration is given to students’ and family members’ expertise and knowledge when planning instruction.

Feature 5A Resources

Appendix D of the NGSS provides seven case studies of diverse student populations and provides example strategies classroom teachers can use to ensure the standards are accessible to all students.

Primary Evaluation of Essential Criteria (PEEC) tool was designed to help educators who are reviewing curricular materials for potential adoption in determining how well those materials are designed to meet the NGSS. This site has a link to the tool and additional information on how to effectively use the tool.

National Science Teaching Association (NSTA) Disabilities Resources - A summary of best practices meeting the needs of all learners in science.

Engaging Teachers with Equity in Science Instruction provides a “playlist” or series of teaching briefs and tools teachers can use individually or in PLCs to discuss issues of equity and social justice in science education.

Promoting Student Science Talk in the Classroom

Feature 5B Resources

Appendix D of the NGSS provides seven case studies of diverse student populations and provides example strategies classroom teachers can use to ensure the standards are accessible to all students.

National Science Teaching Association (NSTA) Disabilities Resources - A summary of best practices meeting the needs of all learners in science.

Feature 5C Resources

National Science Teaching Association (NSTA) Disabilities Resources - A summary of best practices meeting the needs of all learners in science.

Appendix D of the NGSS provides seven case studies of diverse student populations and provides example strategies classroom teachers can use to ensure the standards are accessible to all students.

Feature 5D Resources

https://www.k12.wa.us/student-success/access-opportunity-education/migrant-and-bilingual-education/funds-knowledge-and-home-visits-toolkit-overview/funds-knowledge

National Science Teaching Association (NSTA) Disabilities Resources - A summary of best practices meeting the needs of all learners in science.

Appendix D of the NGSS provides seven case studies of diverse student populations and provides example strategies classroom teachers can use to ensure the standards are accessible to all students.

Promoting Student Science Talk in the Classroom

Created 2018 through the work of M. Sanderman, P. Christensen, K. Kilibarda; Updated 2020 through the work of E. Hall, M. Sanderman, T. Jarrett, S. Nelson, K. Schmidt

Chris Like, Science Consultant

Email Address

chris.like@iowa.gov

Phone(s)

515-336-3958