Oklahoma Administrative Code › Title 210 - State Department of Education › Chapter 15 - Curriculum and Instruction › Subchapter 3 - Oklahoma Academic Standards › Part 9 - SCIENCE › Section 210:15-3-70 - Overview and organization of standards

Current through Vol. 41, No. 20, July 1, 2024
(a)
Introduction.
Science uses
				  observation and experimentation to explain natural phenomena. Science refers to
				  an organized body of knowledge that includes core ideas to the disciplines of
				  science and common themes that bridge the disciplines. The Oklahoma Academic
				  Standards for Science include performance expectations for Pre-Kindergarten
				  (Pre-K) through grade twelve (12). The performance expectations are arranged by
				  grade levels at grades Pre-K through grade eight (8), and by course subject at
				  the high school level (grades nine (9) through twelve (12)). The Oklahoma
				  Academic Standards include the integration of scientific and engineering
				  practices with core content from Physical Science, Life Science, Earth/Space
				  Science, and Engineering/Technology. This integrated approach will provide
				  students with a coordinated, coherent understanding of the necessary skills and
				  knowledge to be sufficiently literate citizens.
(b)
Use of the standards.
The
				  standards in this Part describe the specific areas of student learning that are
				  considered the most important for proficiency in the discipline of science at
				  the particular level and provide a basis for the development of local curricula
				  and statewide assessments. The standards in this Part are not sequenced for
				  instruction and do not prescribe classroom activities, materials, or
				  instructional strategies, approaches, or practices. The standards in this Part
				  are not a curriculum and they do not represent a scope, sequence, or curriculum
				  guide. They provide a framework for schools and teachers to develop an aligned
				  science curriculum. Such curriculum includes instructional units, lessons, and
				  tasks; formative and summative assessments; opportunities for remediation and
				  acceleration; and other selected activities, interventions, and strategies
				  deemed appropriate and meaningful for the academic success of students. Because
				  each of the standards subsumes the knowledge and skills of the other standards,
				  they are designed to be used as a whole. Although material can be added to the
				  standards, using only a portion of the standards will leave gaps in the
				  scientific understanding and practice of students. Standards in this Part are
				  organized into the following components:
(1)
Performance expectations.
Performance expectations represent the
				  things students should know, understand, and be able to do to be proficient in
				  science. Performance expectations are the standards. Each Performance
				  Expectation is built upon the three dimensions of science:
(A)
Science and engineering
				  practices.
The Science and Engineering Practices that scientists employ
				  as they investigate and build models and theories about the world, and a key
				  set of engineering practices that engineers use as they design and build
				  systems. Performance Expectations that emphasize engineering are designated
				  with an asterisk (*). The eight (8) science and engineering practices are:
(i)
Asking questions and defining
				  problems.
A practice of science is to ask and refine questions that lead
				  to descriptions and explanations of how the natural and designed world(s)
				  works. Engineering questions clarify problems to determine criteria for
				  successful solutions.
(ii)
Developing and using models.
A practice of both science and
				  engineering is to use and construct models as helpful tools for representing
				  ideas and explanations. These tools include diagrams, drawings, physical
				  replicas, mathematical representations, analogies, and computer
				  simulations.
(iii)
Planning
				  and carrying out investigations.
Scientists and engineers plan and carry
				  out investigations in the field or laboratory, working collectively as well as
				  individually. Their investigations are systematic and require clarifying what
				  counts as data and identifying variables or parameters.
(iv)
Analyzing and interpreting
				  data.
Scientific investigations produce data that must be analyzed in
				  order to derive meaning, and engineering investigations include analysis of
				  data collected in the tests of designs.
(v)
Using mathematics and computational
				  thinking.
In both science and engineering, mathematics and computation
				  are fundamental tools for representing physical variables and their
				  relationships. They are used for constructing simulations; solving equations
				  exactly or approximately; and recognizing, expressing, and applying
				  quantitative relationships.
(vi)
Constructing explanations and designing solutions.
End products of
				  science are explanations, and end products of engineering are solutions. The
				  construction of theories provides explanatory accounts of the world and
				  scientific knowledge is utilized in the development of solutions to
				  problems.
(vii)
Engaging
				  scientific argument from evidence.
Argumentation is the process by which
				  evidence-based conclusions and solutions are reached. In science and
				  engineering, reasoning and argument based on evidence are essential to
				  identifying the best explanation for a natural phenomenon or the best solution
				  to a design problem.
(viii)
Obtaining, evaluating, and communicating information.
Scientists
				  and engineers must be able to communicate clearly and persuasively the ideas
				  and methods they generate. Critiquing and communicating ideas individually and
				  in groups is a critical professional activity.