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The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) reflect an ambitious vision for science education where students investigate phenomena or solve problems through using and applying disciplinary core ideas in concert with science and engineering practices and crosscutting concepts. Because the NGSS are so different from prior standards, the need for high-quality curriculum materials is especially great. As new curricula go to scale, it will be important to conduct evidence-based research on their efficacy. We conducted a randomized experiment to examine the efficacy of a widely available NGSS-designed middle school curriculum for improving seventh grade students’ learning in physical science. A hierarchical linear modeling approach was applied to analyze student learning outcomes as measured by an NGSS-aligned assessment. Initial findings demonstrate evidence of promise of the curriculum materials for supporting three-dimensional teaching and learning. The findings provide support for further research on NGSS-designed materials at other grade levels and within other science domains.
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The State of Framework-aligned Assessment Tasks: Where are we?
The emphasis on an equitable vision of science learning in current science education reform efforts sees students as contributing to knowledge-building through drawing on their rich cultural and linguistic backgrounds while engaging in the three dimensions to make sense of compelling, relevant phenomena. However, this vision will not be fully realized without coherence between curriculum, instruction, and assessment. As a majority of states have now adopted standards aligned to or adapted from the Framework, we see an urgent need for assessments that can support rather than conflict with equitable science learning. In this study, we seek to understand the current state of Framework-aligned assessment tasks. We have amassed 352 middle school tasks, originating from state-level assessment banks and assessment developers at universities or research organizations. Our preliminary findings from characterizing 104 tasks revealed that the majority of tasks target dimensions of the NGSS or Framework-based standards and include a phenomenon. However, there are challenges in framing phenomena that attend to students’ interests and identities and engage students in three-dimensional sensemaking. Additionally, some phenomena are not based in real-world observations and are not authentic from students’ perspectives, which makes it difficult for students to see connections of local or global relevance.
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- Award ID(s):
- 2201438
- PAR ID:
- 10540024
- Publisher / Repository:
- National Association for Research in Science Teaching International Conference
- Date Published:
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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