As such, it is critical to examine how alignment is conceptualized and reform ideas are represented at each level in the SBR system in order to understand how standards impact teaching and learning.Īs most proximal to student learning, teachers play a critical role in the success or failure of science education reforms. Additionally, there are other key reform ideas present within the NGSS documents that may be translated differently across these levels and channels including use of phenomena, integration of science and content, incorporation of design or engineering, and others (NGSS Lead States, 2013). The NGSS present a particular challenge for alignment given their three-dimensional nature (Fulmer et al., 2018). Alignment has been defined and calculated numerically (Webb, 2007), but has also been defined broadly by examining what components of standards and key reform ideas are operationalized during implementation (Massell et al., 1997 Smith & O’Day, 1990). Researchers who study SBR assert that alignment between each of these channels is necessary for effective translation of reforms into improved outcomes for students (Smith & O’Day, 1990). The artifacts developed within each of these channels convey to stakeholders what it means to enact and align to the standards. These channels include curriculum, assessment, policy, and teacher development materials, among others (NRC, 2001). At each of these layers the standards themselves, and the messages regarding the conceptual shifts inherent in the standards documents are translated and interpreted through various channels (Spillane et al., 2002). However, the mechanism of standards-based reform (SBR) dictates that standards written at the national level must pass through several layers of the educational system before reaching teachers and students in the classroom (NRC, 2001). Standards-based reforms like the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) are developed with the intention to improve teaching and learning in science education (NGSS Lead States, 2013). Future work should consider how teachers use and understand these representations as they enact the NGSS in their local contexts. Additionally, we see a need for further development of coherence among the research community regarding alignment to the NGSS and agreement on definition of key reform ideas.
#Ngss phenomena how to#
Our work suggests a need for intentional consideration of how to design representations for practitioners that consider teacher sensemaking around novel reforms. Findings indicate that teachers receive numerous messages regarding what it means to align to the NGSS and few elaborations on how to operationalize reforms. However, qualitative analysis of these representations indicate that reforms are often superficially portrayed, variably defined, or missing altogether. Additionally, alignment to broader reform ideas like engaging in science practices, integration, engineering, and focus on phenomena were represented to teachers. Analysis indicates some coherence with national messaging around alignment to performance expectations and science and engineering practices. To examine translation of NGSS reforms across levels, we provide a content analysis of alignment messages conveyed to teachers through practitioner literature. The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) are an example of this type of reform and pose significant challenges for alignment between levels given their three-dimensional nature alongside inclusion of ambitious and novel reform ideas. Teachers are a critical component to standards-based reform systems, which require that reforms conceived at the national level pass through several layers of the educational system before impacting learning in the classroom.
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