Standards

Supporting Secondary Teachers’ Interest in Adopting Climate-Related Curricular Resources

The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) provide guidance for climate education and scientific epistemology in secondary schools. This includes tools like climate models and observational data to help students understand global climate patterns. Despite this, teachers often have limited access to standards-based instructional resources on Earth’s climate and global climate change (GCC).

Author/Presenter

Silvia-Jessica Mostacedo-Marasovic

Brenda Costello

Amanda A. Olsen

Cory T. Forbes

Lead Organization(s)
Year
2025
Short Description

The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) provide guidance for climate education and scientific epistemology in secondary schools. This includes tools like climate models and observational data to help students understand global climate patterns. Despite this, teachers often have limited access to standards-based instructional resources on Earth’s climate and global climate change (GCC). In 2022, we implemented a one-week national professional development program (PDP) for secondary teachers introducing two NGSS-aligned climate-related curricula: i) the EzGCM global climate model for students, and ii) carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) technologies. Our study explored, i) what demographic factors are associated with teachers’ assessments of these resources? and ii) what criteria do teachers consider when evaluating the potential adoption of climate-related curricula?

Supporting Secondary Teachers’ Interest in Adopting Climate-Related Curricular Resources

The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) provide guidance for climate education and scientific epistemology in secondary schools. This includes tools like climate models and observational data to help students understand global climate patterns. Despite this, teachers often have limited access to standards-based instructional resources on Earth’s climate and global climate change (GCC).

Author/Presenter

Silvia-Jessica Mostacedo-Marasovic

Brenda Costello

Amanda A. Olsen

Cory T. Forbes

Lead Organization(s)
Year
2025
Short Description

The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) provide guidance for climate education and scientific epistemology in secondary schools. This includes tools like climate models and observational data to help students understand global climate patterns. Despite this, teachers often have limited access to standards-based instructional resources on Earth’s climate and global climate change (GCC). In 2022, we implemented a one-week national professional development program (PDP) for secondary teachers introducing two NGSS-aligned climate-related curricula: i) the EzGCM global climate model for students, and ii) carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) technologies. Our study explored, i) what demographic factors are associated with teachers’ assessments of these resources? and ii) what criteria do teachers consider when evaluating the potential adoption of climate-related curricula?

Co-designing Citizen Science Projects for Elementary Schools in New Hampshire Through Teacher and Community-based Extension Science Volunteer Partnerships

In the United States, reforms put forth by Next Generation Science Standards have increased the demand for K-12 teacher professional development in science instruction. This study investigates a new professional development model, entitled Schoolyard SITES, that partners elementary teachers with University of New Hampshire Cooperative Extension science volunteers to create a community-based partnership that improves teachers' understanding of NGSS-aligned instruction.

Author/Presenter

Lara M. Gengarelly

Sameer V. Honwad

Megan E. Glenn

Erik A. Froburg

Malin E. Clyde

Haley A. Andreozzi

Lead Organization(s)
Year
2025
Short Description

In the United States, reforms put forth by Next Generation Science Standards have increased the demand for K-12 teacher professional development in science instruction. This study investigates a new professional development model, entitled Schoolyard SITES, that partners elementary teachers with University of New Hampshire Cooperative Extension science volunteers to create a community-based partnership that improves teachers' understanding of NGSS-aligned instruction.

Ten Years of Three-Dimensional Science and Its Implementation in the Secondary Classroom: A Scoping Review

In the decade following the release of the Next-Generation Science Standards in the United States, many efforts have occurred to reform K-12 science teaching. While not all states have adopted NGSS, 48 of 50 have adopted standards that are consistent with the underlying philosophy and research base of NGSS: three-dimensional (3D) science. This scoping review explores the research activity on classroom implementation of 3D Science in secondary schools in the US.

Author/Presenter

Clara M. Smith

Heather M. Leary

Jamie L. Jensen

Rebecca L. Sansom

Lead Organization(s)
Year
2024
Short Description

In the decade following the release of the Next-Generation Science Standards in the United States, many efforts have occurred to reform K-12 science teaching. While not all states have adopted NGSS, 48 of 50 have adopted standards that are consistent with the underlying philosophy and research base of NGSS: three-dimensional (3D) science. This scoping review explores the research activity on classroom implementation of 3D Science in secondary schools in the US.

Development of a Questionnaire on Teachers' Beliefs, Preparedness, and Instructional Practices for Teaching NGSS Science with Multilingual Learners

The limited availability of research instruments that reflect the vision of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) restricts the field's understanding of whether and how teachers are making instructional shifts called for by the standards. The need for such instruments is particularly urgent with teachers of multilingual learners (MLs), who are called on to make shifts in how they think about and enact instruction related to both science and language.

Author/Presenter

Scott E. Grapin

Courtney Plumley

Eric Banilower

Alycia J. Sterenberg Mahon

Laura Craven

Kristen Malzahn

Joan Pasley

Abigail Schwenger

Alison Haas

Okhee Lee

Lead Organization(s)
Year
2024
Short Description

The limited availability of research instruments that reflect the vision of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) restricts the field's understanding of whether and how teachers are making instructional shifts called for by the standards. The need for such instruments is particularly urgent with teachers of multilingual learners (MLs), who are called on to make shifts in how they think about and enact instruction related to both science and language. The purpose of this study was to develop and gather validity evidence for a questionnaire that measures elementary teachers' beliefs, preparedness, and instructional practices for teaching NGSS science with MLs.

Uncovering Middle School CS Students’ Understanding of Variables and Control Structures: A Cognitive Think-Aloud Approach

This poster presents findings on middle school students’ understanding of core computer science (CS) concepts, such as variables and control structures, using cognitive think-aloud interviews with eight students. Each student worked on 16-22 formative assessment tasks designed to assess understanding on the ‘Algorithms and Programming’ middle school CS standards. Our study describes students’ interpretations of the CS concepts and discusses potential factors influencing student interpretations. Significance and next steps are described.

Author/Presenter

Hui Yang

Satabdi Basu

Daisy Rutstein

Arif Rachmatullah

Carol Tate

Christopher Ortiz

Eliese Rulifson

Lead Organization(s)
Year
2023
Short Description

This poster presents findings on middle school students’ understanding of core computer science (CS) concepts, such as variables and control structures, using cognitive think-aloud interviews with eight students.

Exploring Middle School Students’ Understanding of Algorithms Using Standards-aligned Formative Assessments: Teacher and Researcher Perspectives

‘Algorithms’ is a core CS concept included in the K-12 CS standards, yet student challenges with understanding different aspects of algorithms are still not well documented, especially for younger students. This paper describes an approach to decompose the broad middle-school ‘algorithms’ standard into finer grained learning targets, develop formative assessment tasks aligned with the learning targets, and use the tasks to explore student understanding of, and challenges with, the various aspects of the standard.

Author/Presenter

Satabdi Basu

Daisy Rutstein

Carol Tate

Arif Rachmatullah

Hui Yang

Christopher Ortiz

Lead Organization(s)
Year
2023
Short Description

‘Algorithms’ is a core CS concept included in the K-12 CS standards, yet student challenges with understanding different aspects of algorithms are still not well documented, especially for younger students. This paper describes an approach to decompose the broad middle-school ‘algorithms’ standard into finer grained learning targets, develop formative assessment tasks aligned with the learning targets, and use the tasks to explore student understanding of, and challenges with, the various aspects of the standard.

Designing Standards-aligned Formative Assessments to Explore Middle School Students’ Understanding of Algorithms

'Algorithms’ is a core CS concept included in the K-12 CS learning standards, yet student challenges with understanding and using algorithms are still not well documented. This paper describes an approach to decompose the broad middle-school ‘algorithms’ standard into finer grained learning targets, develop formative assessment tasks aligned with the fine-grained learning targets, and use the tasks to explore student understanding of and challenges with the various concepts underlying the standard.

Author/Presenter

Satabdi Basu

Daisy Wise Rutstein

Arif Rachmatullah

Carol Tate

Hui Yang

Christopher Ortiz

Lead Organization(s)
Year
2023
Short Description

'Algorithms’ is a core CS concept included in the K-12 CS learning standards, yet student challenges with understanding and using algorithms are still not well documented. This paper describes an approach to decompose the broad middle-school ‘algorithms’ standard into finer grained learning targets, develop formative assessment tasks aligned with the fine-grained learning targets, and use the tasks to explore student understanding of and challenges with the various concepts underlying the standard.

Multidimensional Science Assessment: Design Challenges and Technology Affordances

Contemporary views on what students should learn increasingly emphasize that students need to acquire more than a base of knowledge; they need to acquire the skills and abilities to use such knowledge in dynamic and flexible ways. To be most effective, learning environments need assessments that are aligned to these perspectives. Using a principled design framework can help guide assessment development toward such targets. Even when using a framework, however, thorny design challenges may arise.

Author/Presenter

Brian D. Gane

Diksha Gaur

Samuel Arnold

Daniel Damelin

Lead Organization(s)
Year
2024
Short Description

In this paper, we describe three challenges (conflict between multiple dimensions of science proficiency, authentic data, and grade-appropriate graphing tools) that we faced when designing for a specific Next Generation Science Standard, and the theoretical and design principles that guided us as we ideated design solutions. Through these designs we maintained alignment to our multidimensional assessment targets, a critical component of our larger assessment validity argument.

Multidimensional Science Assessment: Design Challenges and Technology Affordances

Contemporary views on what students should learn increasingly emphasize that students need to acquire more than a base of knowledge; they need to acquire the skills and abilities to use such knowledge in dynamic and flexible ways. To be most effective, learning environments need assessments that are aligned to these perspectives. Using a principled design framework can help guide assessment development toward such targets. Even when using a framework, however, thorny design challenges may arise.

Author/Presenter

Brian D. Gane

Diksha Gaur

Samuel Arnold

Daniel Damelin

Lead Organization(s)
Year
2024
Short Description

In this paper, we describe three challenges (conflict between multiple dimensions of science proficiency, authentic data, and grade-appropriate graphing tools) that we faced when designing for a specific Next Generation Science Standard, and the theoretical and design principles that guided us as we ideated design solutions. Through these designs we maintained alignment to our multidimensional assessment targets, a critical component of our larger assessment validity argument.