Students will learn rigorous science content through active engagement in Science and Engineering Practices.

It is an exciting time for science and science education.  In this rapidly changing, high-technology world, students must be equipped with the content knowledge, and as importantly, the science practices and tools in order to be competitive in college and career.

WCPS has aligned its K-12 Science Curriculum to the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), which were adopted by the Maryland State Board of Education in 2013.  More information on the NGSS may be found here: www.nextgenscience.org or https://thewonderofscience.com/standards/

According to the National Science Teaching Association (NSTA):

The Next Generation Science Standards aim to eliminate the practice of “teaching to the test.” Instead, they shift the focus from merely memorizing scientific facts to actually doing science—so students spend more time posing questions and discovering the answers for themselves.

Often, students can answer specific questions about concepts they covered in class, but can't translate that knowledge in applied situations. The standards avoid this disconnect by combining knowledge with practice, teaching students to develop ideas and evaluate them according to scientific principles.

NSTA has produced a Q&A for parents to help them the understand and anticipate the instructional changes their students should be experiencing in science class.  It is accessible on this link.

  @WicomicoScience

• @ScienceWCBOE

The NGSS integrate three dimensions necessary to understand science.  The Disciplinary Core Ideas (DCI) are the core science content that scientifically literate people should know.  The Science & Engineering Practices (SEP) are the things that working scientists and engineers do as they seek to answer questions and develop solutions to problems.  The Crosscutting Concepts (CCC) are the overarching ideas that students encounter in each of the scientific disciplines (Life, Earth/Space, Physical Sciences). 

When students do science, they are not just memorizing a list of science facts; they are engaged in the SEP and CCC as a means to develop explanations of scientific phenomena.  Science Instruction should be '3-Dimensional' engaging students equally in DCI, SEP, and CCC

Science and Engineering Practices

1. Asking questions (for science) and defining problems (for engineering)
2. Developing and using models
3. Planning and carrying out investigations
4. Analyzing and interpreting data
5. Using mathematics and computational thinking
6. Constructing explanations (for science) and designing solutions (for engineering)
7. Engaging in argument from evidence
8. Obtaining, evaluating, and communicating information

Crosscutting Concepts

1.  Patterns
2. Cause and effect
3. Scale, proportion, and quantity
4. Systems and system models
5. Energy and matter: Flows, cycles, and conservation
6. Structure and function
7. Stability and Change

More information on the SEP and CCC may be found at the following links:

• Science and Engineering Practices
• Crosscutting Concepts

 Supervisor of Science 
 Ms. Hemalatha Bhaskaran

 Science Specialist 
 Kevin Hill

 Science Specialist 
 Anna Ball

Office Associate - Central Office 
Mary Kay Morgan