A joint project of the National Center on Education and the Economy and the Learning Research and Development Center (LRDC) at the University of Pittsburgh, New Standards began in 1990 to create a system of internationally benchmarked standards (statements about what all students should know and be able to do) and an assessment system that would measure student performance against the standards.
The Science performance standards are built upon the National Research Council’s National Science Education Standards (1996) and the American Association for the Advancement of Science’s Project 2061 Benchmarks for Science Literacy (1993).
The following are Performance descriptions—descriptions
of what students should know and the ways in which they should demonstrate the
knowledge and skills they acquire in Middle School Science.
The
student produces evidence that demonstrate an understanding of:
S1a Properties and changes in
matter, such as density and boiling point; chemical reactivity; conservation of
matter.
S1b Motions and forces, such as
inertia and the net effects of balanced and unbalanced forces.
S1c
Transfer of
energy, such as transformation of energy as heat, light, mechanical motion, and
sound; and the nature of a chemical reaction.
The
student produces evidence that demonstrate an understanding of:
S2a
Structure
and function of living systems, such as the complementary nature of structure
and function in cells, organs, tissues, organ systems, whole organisms, and
ecosystems.
S2b
Reproduction
and heredity, such as sexual and asexual reproduction; and the role of genes
and environment on trait expression.
S2c Regulation and behavior,
such as senses and behavior; and response to environmental stimuli.
S2d Populations and ecosystems,
such as the producers, consumers, and decomposers in food webs; and the effects
of resources and energy transfer on populations.
S2e Evolution, diversity, and
adaptations of organisms, such as common ancestry, speciation, adaptation,
variation, and extinction.
The
student produces evidence that demonstrate an understanding of:
S3a
Structure of the earth system, such as crustal
plates and landforms; water and rock cycles; oceans, weather, and climate.
S3b Earth’s history, such as
Earth’s processes including erosion and movement of plates; change over time
and fossil evidence.
S3c Earth in the Solar System,
such as the predictable motion of planets, moons and other objects in the Solar
system including days, years, moon phases, and eclipses: and the role of the
Sun as the major source of energy for phenomena on the Earth’s surface.
S3d Natural resource management
The
student produces evidence that demonstrate an understanding of:
S4a Big ideas and unifying concepts, such as order and
organization; models, form and function; change and constancy; and cause and
effect.
S4b The designed world, such as
the reciprocal nature of science and technology; the development of agricultural
techniques; and the viability of technological design.
S4c Health, such as nutrition,
exercise and disease: effects of drugs and toxic substances: personal and
environmental safety; and resources and environmental stress.
S4d Impact of technology, such
as constraints and trade-offs; feedback; benefits and risks; and problems and
solutions.
S4e Impact o science, such as
historical and contemporary contributions; and interactions between science and
society.
The
student demonstrates scientific inquiry and problem solving by using thoughtful
questioning and reasoning strategies, common sense, and conceptual
understanding from Science Standards 1-4, and appropriate methods to
investigate the natural world; that is, the student:
S5a Frames questions to
distinguish cause and effect; and identifies and controls variables in
experimental and non-experimental research settings.
S5b Uses concepts form
Standards 1-4 to explain a variety of observations and phenomena.
S5c Uses evidence from reliable
sources to develop descriptions, explanations, and models.
S5d Proposes, recognizes
analyze, considers, and critiques alternative explanations; and distinguishes
from fact and opinion.
S5e Identifies problems,
proposes and implements solutions; and evaluates accuracy, design, and outcomes
of investigations.
S5f
Works
individually and in teams to collect and share information and ideas.
The
student demonstrates competence with the tools and technologies of science by
using them to collect data, make observations, analyze results, and accomplish
tasks effectively; that is, the student:
S6a Uses technology and tools
(such as traditional
laboratory
equipment, video, and computer aids) to observe and measure objects, organisms,
and phenomena, directly, indirectly, and remotely.
S6b
Records and
stores data using a variety of formats, such as databases, audiotapes, and
videotapes.
S6c Collects and analyzes data
using concepts and techniques in Mathematics Standard 4, such as mean, median,
and mode; outcome probability and reliability; and appropriate data displays.
S6d Acquires information from
multiple sources, such as print, the Internet, computer databases, and
experimentation.
S6e Recognizes sources of bias
in data, such as observer and sampling biases.
The
student demonstrates effective scientific communication by clearly describing
aspects of the natural world using accurate data, graphs, or other appropriate
media to convey depth of conceptual understanding in science, that is, the
student:
S7a Represents data and results
in multiple ways, such as numbers, tables, graphs; drawings, diagrams, and
artwork; and technical and creative writing.
S7b Argues from evidence, such
as data produced through his or her own experimentation or by others.
S7c Critiques published
materials.
S7d Explains a scientific
concept or procedure to other students
S7e Communicated in a form
suited to the purpose and the audience, such as writing instructions others can
follow; critiquing written and oral explanations; and using data to resolve
disagreements.
The
student demonstrates scientific competence by completing projects drawn from
the following kinds of investigations, including at least one full
investigation a year and, over the course of middle school, investigations that
integrate several aspects of Standards 1-7 and represent all four of the kinds
of investigations:
S8a
Controlled experiment
S8b Fieldwork
S8c Design
S8e Secondary research, such as
others’ data