What are standards and benchmarks in science education?

Standards-based instruction has been developing and building for some time. The standards movement is thought to have begun in 1981, with the formation of the National Commission on Excellence in Education tasked to present a report on the quality of education in the United States. The committee’s 1983 report, A Nation at Risk: The Imperative for Educational Reform, called for reform of the U.S. educational system. This report noted a steady decline in science achievement among 17-year olds, with declining achievement most prevalent in physics.

In 1985, the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) began Project 2061, a long-range effort to help American students achieve scientific literacy. (The name Project 2061 was derived from the fact that during the year the project was launched—1985—Halley’s comet passed by the Earth with an estimated date of its return of 2061. Hence, children entering school at the comet’s appearance were expected to become scientifically and technologically literate during their lifetime, which would span the years before the return of the comet in 2061.) As part of Project 2061, AAAS published Science for All Americans (Rutherford & Ahlgren, 1990), which provided a set of recommendations for mathematics, science, and technology education, followed by the 1993 publication of Benchmarks for Science Literacy. The benchmarks detail what all students should know and be able to do in science at Grades K-2, 3-5, 6-8, and 9-12.

Inspired by the publication of Science for All Americans and the initial development of Benchmarks for Science Literacy, the National Research Council (a part of the National Academies) began development of national science standards in 1992. The National Research Council (NRC) published the National Science Education Standards in 1996. The standards detail what all students should know and be able to do in science at Grades K–4, 5–8, and 9–12.

In 2001, the emphasis on content standards was further strengthened by the passage of the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act, which made students’ progress in science a required part of federal and state accountability systems. The law also mandates that beginning in the 2007–08 school year, schools must administer annual tests in science achievement at least once in Grades 3–5, 6–9, and 10–12, with the goal that all students are proficient, as determined by each state, in science by the 2014-15 school year.

In response to NCLB mandates, states have now written their own science content standards using the Benchmarks for Science Literacy, the National Science Education Standards, or both as a guide. States have chosen a variety of approaches to their coverage of standards. Some mirror the grade-level span of the national standards and benchmarks, while other states have chosen grade-level specific standards.

How can teachers use standards and benchmarks to improve classroom instruction?

Standards are guidelines that serve multiple purposes in education. Because they give educators clear parameters for what students should know and be able to do in Grades K–12 in most subject areas, standards also become helpful criteria to evaluate the quality of academic programs and instruction.

In a standards-based classroom, teachers start with the state standards as the basis for classroom instructional planning, rather than starting with a textbook or other classroom materials. Teachers select a unit of instruction that meets the standards, benchmarks and indicators and use the standards to determine how the unit shall be designed, assessed, delivered and evaluated.

The standards define the outcomes, or the expectations, of what the students need to know and be able to do. These outcomes include big ideas that students will acquire by the end of the unit and more discrete ideas that might be developed at the lesson or activity level within the unit.

These defined outcomes serve as the basis for assessment planning within instruction. The outcomes can help teachers to plan a pre-assessment that can be administered and used to determine the starting points and focus for instruction. A summative or final assessment should be planned to address both big ideas and discrete ones, thus assessing student performance and the success of instruction and identifying any needed re-teaching. In addition, the outcomes help to focus ongoing instructional assessment throughout the unit with teachers monitoring students’ progress. At times, students may also use self-assessment strategies to monitor their own progress. All of these assessments together provide teachers with the information that they need to plan and deliver focused, effective instruction for each student in their classrooms.

The primary science goal for early elementary science education is to support children’s development of scientific ways of thinking. It is particulary important for elementary school children to focus on the “how” of science. A science curriulum should not be a smorgasbord of science activities and facts, but a comprehensive research- and stardards-based program.

In summary, in standards-based instruction, standards:

• delineate what matters,
• provide clarity and a fixed point of reference for students and teachers,
• guide instruction so that it is focused on student learning,
• provide a common language to have conversations,
• help ensure equal educational opportunities,
• assist in identifying struggling students, and

• meet federal guidelines.

Additional Resources:

The following publications, initiatives, and programs in science education can assist teachers in classroom instruction using the standards:

American Association for the Advancement of Science (Project 2061) Atlas of Science Literacy. Washington, D.C., 2001.
http://www.project2061.org/publications/atlas/default.htm

In 2001, Project 2061 (AAAS) and the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) co-published the Atlas of Science Literacy, a collection of conceptual strand maps that show how students’ understanding of the ideas and skills that lead to literacy in science, mathematics, and technology might grow over time. Each map depicts how K–12 learning goals for a particular topic relate to each other and progress from one grade level to the next.

American Association for the Advancement of Science (Project 2061). Benchmarks for Science Literacy. New York: Oxford University Press, 1993. http://www.project2061.org/publications/bsl/online/bolintro.htm

Hovey, A., C. Hazelwood, & A. Svedkauskaite. Critical Issue: Science Education in the Era of No Child Left Behind—History, Benchmarks, and Standards. North Central Regional Educational Laboratory, 2006. http://www.ncrel.org/sdrs/areas/issues/content/cntareas/science/sc600.pdf

National Commission on Excellence in Education. A Nation at Risk: The Imperative for Educational Reform. 1983. http://www.ed.gov/pubs/NatAtRisk/index.html

National Research Council. National Science Education Standards. Washington, D.C.: National Academy Press, 1996. http://www.nap.edu/books/0309053269/html/index.html

Rutherford, F.J. & A. Ahlgren. Science for All Americans. New York: Oxford University Press, 1990. http://www.project2061.org/publications/sfaa/online/sfaatoc.htm

Science NetLinks. http://www.sciencenetlinks.com/

A useful curriculum development tool is Science NetLinks, developed by the American Association for the Advancement of Science. The tools contain reviewed Internet resources, as well as K–12 lessons sorted by grade level, lesson title, or benchmark.