KANSAS
Curricular
Standards for Science Education
Science Education
Standards
This
document is the Board-approved standards, (December 7, 1999) with recommended
changes by the writing committee (Fall, 2000).
Old language is struck through (old language); new language is in
italics (new language).
Table
of Contents
.
i
Dedication
. 1
Kansas Science Education
Standards Writing Committee 1
Introduction
.
. 1 - 4
Nature
of Science
.
4 - 6
Organization
of the Kansas Science Education Standards
.
. 6 - 8
Unifying
Concepts and Processes in the Kansas
Science Education Standards
.
.
8 - 11
Overview
of Kansas Science Education Standards
12
By
the End of Second Grade
. 13 - 17
Standard 1: Science as Inquiry
13
Standard 2: Physical Science
.. 13 - 14
Standard 3: Life Science
. 14
Standard 4: Earth and Space Science
.. 14 - 15
Standard 5: Science and Technology
.. 15 - 16
Standard 6: Science in Personal and Environmental
Perspectives
. 16
Standard 7: History and Nature of Science
. 17
Overview
of Science Standards K-4
18
By
the End of Fourth Grade
. 19 - 27
Standard 1: Science as Inquiry
19
Standard 2: Physical Science
.. 19 - 21
Standard 3: Life Science
. 21 - 22
Standard 4: Earth and Space Science
.. 22 - 23
Standard 5: Science and Technology
.. 23 - 25
Standard 6: Science in Personal and Environmental
Perspectives
. 25 - 26
Standard 7: History and Nature of Science
. 26 - 27
Overview
of Science Standards 5-8
. 28
By
the End of Eighth Grade
. 29 - 48
Standard 1: Science as Inquiry
29 - 31
Standard 2: Physical Science
.. 31 - 35
Standard 3: Life Science
. 35 - 39
Standard 4: Earth and Space Science
.. 39 - 43
Standard 5: Science and Technology
.. 43 - 45
Standard 6: Science in Personal and Environmental Perspectives
. 45 - 47
Standard 7: History and Nature of Science
. 47 - 48
Overview
of Science Standards 9-12
49
By
the End of Twelfth Grade
50 - 70
Standard 1: Science as Inquiry
50 - 52
Standard 2A: Physical Science Chemistry
52 - 54
Standard 2B: Physical Science Physics
54 - 56
Standard 3: Life Science
. 56 - 64
Standard 4: Earth and Space Science
.. 64 - 66
Standard 5: Science and Technology
.. 66 - 67
Standard 6: Science in Personal and Environmental
Perspectives
. 67 - 69
Standard 7: History and Nature of Science
. 69 - 70
Appendices
71 - 81
Appendix 1 - Glossary
72 - 75
Appendix 2 - Classical Process Skills
.
Appendix 2 - Diagram
Explanation of the Science Standards
... 76 - 77
Appendix 3 - Scientific
Thinking Processes
78
Appendix 4 - Process
Skills
79 - 80
The Kansas State Board of
Education writing committee dedicates
the Kansas Science Education Standards
to all Kansas students. Our students are the future of Kansas. With
this document, we pass on the legacy of our own teachers, who helped us to know
that as lifelong learners of science, we can live more productive, responsible,
and fulfilling lives.
Stephen Angel, Chemist,
Washburn University, Topeka, KS
Ramona Anshutz, Science Education Consultant,
Pomona, KS
Ken Bingman, Biology Teacher, Shawnee Mission USD
512, Shawnee Mission, KS
Mary Blythe, K-5 Science
Specialist, Kansas City USD 500, Kansas City, KS
Janeen Brown, Elementary Teacher, Wakeeney USD 208,
Wakeeney, KS
Steve Case, Director, Kansas
Collaborative Research Network, Lawrence, KS
Misty Gawith, Middle Level Teacher, Circle USD 375,
Towanda, KS
Letha Gillaspie, Chemistry
and Physics Teacher, Augusta USD 402, Augusta, KS
Betty Holderread, Science Education Consultant,
Newton, KS
Loren Lutes,
Superintendent, Oskaloosa USD 341,
Oskaloosa, KS and Committee Co-Chair
Naomi Nibbelink, Health Sciences Educational
Consultant, Topeka, KS
Jay Nicholson, Biology,
Chemistry, Physics Teacher, Rock Creek USD 323, Westmoreland, KS
Karen Peck, Elementary Teacher, Wichita Diocese
Schools, Wichita, KS
Linda Pierce, Elementary
Teacher, Circle USD 375, Towanda, KS
Barbara Prater, Middle School Teacher, Blue Valley
USD 229, Overland Park, KS
Linda Proehl, Assistant
Superintendent, Parsons USD 503, Parsons, KS
Greg Schell, Science Education Program Consultant,
KSDE, Topeka, KS
John Richard Schrock,
Biologist, Emporia State University, Emporia, KS
Twyla Sherman, Science Educator, Wichita State
University, Wichita, KS
Ben Starburg, Biology
Teacher, Chapman USD 473, Chapman, KS
John Staver, Science Educator, Kansas State
University, Manhattan, KS and Committee Co-Chair
David Steinmetz, Chemistry
and Physics Teacher, Arkansas City USD 470, Arkansas City, KS
Germaine Taggart, Science Educator, Fort Hays State
University, Hays, KS
Sandy Tauer, K-12 Science
and Mathematics Coordinator, Derby USD 260, Derby, KS
Patrick Wakeman,
Biology Teacher, Tonganoxie USD 464, Tonganoxie, KS
Brad Williamson, Biology
Teacher, Olathe USD 233, Olathe, KS
Carol Williamson, Pre K-12 Science Coordinator,
Olathe USD 233, Olathe, KS
The mission of science
education in Kansas is to utilize science as a vehicle to prepare all all students
as lifelong learners who can use science to make reasoned decisions, contributing
to their local, state, and international communities.
All
students, regardless of gender, creed, cultural or ethnic background, future aspirations or interest and
motivation in science, should have the opportunity to attain high levels of
scientific literacy, (Adapted
from Annenberg/CPM Math and Science Project, 1996, T-7).
The educational system must
prepare the citizens of Kansas to meet the challenges of the 21st century. The
Kansas Science Standards are intended to enhance the preparation of all
students with a focus on excellence and equity. With this in mind, the
intent for the Kansas Science Education Standards can be expressed in a single
phrase: Science standards for all students.
The phrase embodies both excellence and equity. These standards apply to all students,
regardless of age, gender, cultural or ethnic background, disabilities,
aspirations, or interest and motivation in science.
In seeking to serve all students, these standards give
students the opportunity to learn science by experiencing it. To reach the
focus on excellence and equity, this experience must include:
* highly qualified teachers,
* time on task, and
* multiple opportunities to learn, utilizing rich and varied
learning materials and environments.
Scientific inquiry is an
essential ingredient to enhance learning for all students. These standards
include a combination of discrete and process skills which are intended to
result in increased student knowledge as well as higher order thinking skills.
Additionally, it is hoped that these standards lead to a higher student
motivation for science and the development of new knowledge.
These standards rest on the premise that science is an
active process. Science is something that students and adults do, not something
that is done to them. Therefore, these standards are not meant to encourage a
single teaching methodology but instead should elicit a variety of effective
approaches to learning science.
The Kansas Science Education Standards:
* Provide criteria that
Kansas educators and stakeholders can use to
further scientific literacy.
* Offer a structure that can ultimately lead to improved science
education.
* Advocate that science education must be developmentally
appropriate and
reflect a systemic, progressive approach throughout the
elementary,
middle, and high school years.
By emphasizing both excellence and equity, these standards also
highlight the need to give students the opportunity to experience science to
learn science. Students can achieve
high levels of performance with:
·
access to skilled
professional teachers;
·
adequate classroom time;
·
a rich array of learning
material;
·
accommodating work spaces;
and
·
the resources of the
communities surrounding their schools.
Responsibility for providing this support
falls on all those involved with the system of education in Kansas.
Inquiry is central to science learning. These standards call for more than science
as a process, in which students learn discrete skills such as observing,
inferring, and experimenting. When engaging in inquiry, students describe
objects and events, ask questions, construct explanations, test those
explanations against current scientific knowledge, and communicate their ideas
to others. They identify their
assumptions, use critical and logical thinking, and consider alternative
explanations. In this way, students
actively develop their understanding of science by combining scientific
knowledge with reasoning and thinking skills. They also experience first-hand the thrill and excitement of
science. As a result of such
experiences, students will be empowered to add to the growing body of
scientific knowledge.
The importance of inquiry does not imply that all teachers should pursue
a single approach to teaching science.
Just as inquiry has many different facets, so do teachers need to use
many different strategies to develop the understandings and abilities described
here. These standards rest on the
premise that science is an active process.
Science is something that students and adults do, not something that is
done to them.
The Kansas Science Education
Standards:
·
Provide criteria Kansas
educators and stakeholders can use to judge whether particular actions will
serve the vision of a scientifically literate society.
·
Bring coordination,
consistency, and coherence to the improvement of science education.
·
Advocate that science
education must be developmentally appropriate and reflect a systemic,
progressive approach throughout the elementary, middle, and high school years.
These standards should not be viewed as a state
curriculum nor as requiring a specific local curriculum. Instead, these
standards are recommended as a framework for science education for all students
in Kansas to assist local districts in developing local curriculum
expectations. . A curriculum is the way content is organized
and presented in the classroom. The
content embodied in these standards can be organized and presented with many
different emphases and perspectives in many different curricula.
These standards, benchmarks,
indicators, and examples are designed to assist Kansas educators in selecting
and developing local curricula, carrying out instruction, and assessing students'
progress. Also, they will serve as the foundation for the development of state
assessments in science. Finally, these standards, benchmarks, indicators, and
examples represent high, yet reasonable, expectations for all students.
Students may need further
support in and beyond the regular classroom to attain these expectations.
Teachers, school administrators, parents, and other community members should be
provided with the professional development and leadership resources necessary
to enable them to help all students work toward meeting or exceeding these
expectations.
The original Kansas
Curricular Standards for Science were drafted in 1992, approved by the Kansas
State Board of Education in 1993, and updated in 1995. Although all of this
work occurred prior to the release of the National Science Education Standards
in 1996, the original Kansas standards reflect early work on the national
standards. At the August, 1997 meeting of the Kansas State Board of Education,
the Board directed that revised academic standards should do the following:
that academic standards committees
composed of stakeholders from throughout Kansas should be convened in each
curriculum area defined by Kansas law (reading, writing, mathematics, science,
and social studies).
The science committee was charged to:
1. Bring greater clarity and
specificity to what teachers should teach and students should learn at the
various grade levels.
2. Build on current state
curricular standards.
3. Prioritize the standards to
be assessed by the state assessments.
4. Provide guidance on
assessment methodologies.
Carrying out this charge, the writing committee
built upon and benefited from a great deal of prior work done on a national
level. Two principal expressions of a unified vision and content for science
education exist. One is the National
Science Education Standards published
by the National Research Council; the second is Benchmarks for Science Literacy
from Project 2061 of the American Association for the Advancement of
Science. According to representatives
of both groups, the vision and content overlap by at least 80%. These standards
embrace the vision and content of the National Science Education Standards
(National Research Council, 1996) and Benchmarks for Science Literacy (Project
2061 AAAS, 1993). Therefore, the Kansas
Science Education Standards are founded not only on the research base but also
on the work of over 18,000 scientists, science educators, teachers, school administrators
and parents across the country that produced national standards as well as the
school district teams and thousands of individuals who contributed to the
benchmarks. Thus, the Kansas Science Education Standards are consistent with
both expressions of a unified vision for science education. Moreover the National Science Teachers
Association recently published elementary, middle, and high school editions of
Pathways to the Science Standards. The
pathways documents provide a framework for aligning the Kansas Science
Education Standards with national standards.
All of the above mentioned documents contain many resources and teaching
applications for further development of the ideas presented in the Kansas Science
Education Standards. Permission to use
specific segments of text in the Kansas Science Education Standards has been
requested from the National Research Council, the American Association for the
Advancement of Science, the National Science Teachers Association, and other
sources of text and diagrams.
Nature of Science
Science is the human
activity of seeking logical natural
explanations for what we observe in the world around us. Science does so
through the use of observation, experimentation, and logical argument while
maintaining strict empirical standards and healthy skepticism. Scientific
explanations are built on observations, hypotheses, and theories. A hypothesis
is a testable statement about the natural world that can be used to build more
complex inferences and explanations. A theory is a well-substantiated
explanation of some aspect of the natural world that can incorporate
observations, inferences, and tested hypotheses.
* They must be logical.
* They must
be consistent with experimental and/or observational data.
* They must be testable by scientists through additional
experimentation and/or observation.
* They must follow strict rules that govern the repeatability of
observations and experiments.
Scientific explanations must
meet certain criteria. Scientific explanations are consistent with
experimental and/or observational data and testable by scientists through
additional experimentation and/or observation. Scientific explanation must meet
criteria that govern the repeatability of observations and experiments. The effect of these criteria is to insure
that scientific explanations about the world are open to criticism and that
they will be modified or abandoned in favor of new explanations if empirical
evidence so warrants. Because all scientific explanations depend on
observational and experimental confirmation, all scientific knowledge is, in
principle, subject to change as new evidence becomes available. The core
theories of science have been subjected to a wide variety of confirmations and
have a high degree of reliability within the limits to which they have been
tested. In areas where data or understanding are incomplete, new data may lead
to changes in current theories or resolve current conflicts. In situations
where information is still fragmentary, it is normal for scientific ideas to be
incomplete, but this is also where the opportunity for making advances may be
greatest. Science has flourished in different regions during different time
periods, and in history, diverse cultures have contributed scientific knowledge
and technological inventions. Changes in scientific knowledge usually occur as
gradual modifications, but the scientific enterprise also experiences periods
of rapid advancement. The daily work of science and technology results in
incremental advances in our understanding of the world about us.
Science studies natural
phenomena by formulating explanations that can be tested against the natural
world. Some scientific concepts and theories (e.g. blood transfusion, human
sexuality, nervous system role in consciousness, cosmological and biological
evolution, etc.) may conflict with a students religious or cultural beliefs.
The goal is to enhance understanding, and a science teacher has a
responsibility to enhance students understanding of scientific concepts and
theories. Compelling student belief is inconsistent with the goal of education.
Nothing in science or in any other field of knowledge should be taught
dogmatically.
A teacher is an important role model for demonstrating
respect and civility, and teachers should not ridicule, belittle or embarrass a
student for expressing an alternative view or belief. Teachers model and expect
students to practice sensitivity and respect for the various understandings, capabilities,
and beliefs of all students. No evidence or analysis of evidence that
contradicts a current science theory should be censored.
A teacher is an important role model for demonstrating
respect, sensitivity, and civility.
Teachers should not ridicule, belittle or embarrass a student for
expressing an alternative view or belief.
In doing this, teachers display and demand tolerance and respect for the
diverse ideas, skills, and experiences of all students. If a student should raise a question in a
natural science class that the teacher determines to be outside the domain of
science, the teacher should treat the question with respect. The teacher should explain why the question
is outside the domain of natural science and encourage the student to discuss
the question further with his or her family and other appropriate sources.
Science studies natural phenomena by formulating
explanations that can be tested against the natural world. Some scientific concepts and theories (e.g.,
blood transfusion, human sexuality, nervous system role in consciousness,
cosmological and biological evolution, etc.) may differ from the teachings of a
students religious community or their cultural beliefs. Compelling student
belief is inconsistent with the goal of education. Nothing in science or in any other field of knowledge shall be
taught dogmatically.
The central nature of
inquiry in learning science reflects substantive changes - steps forward - from
the previous Kansas Curricular Standards for Science, last updated in
1995. The Kansas Science Education Standards envision change throughout the
system of Kansas education. These
standards reflect the following changes in emphases, as shown in the chart
below:
Changing
Emphases in the Nature of Science Content
and Changing Emphases to
Promote Inquiry
Emphasize Less Emphasize More
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Less Emphasis On
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