SC COllege- And career-ready Science Standards 2021

Update on the New Science Standards (2/9/22)

Where are we right now?

Here is the link to the OFFICIAL NEW Science Standards on the SC Department of Education (SCDE) website.

• South Carolina College- and Career- Ready Science Standards 2021

What does this mean for planning for the 2021-2022 school year?

Elementary Schools in Richland School District Two will continue to use the 2014 South Carolina Academic Standard and Performance Indicators for Science for the purposes of planning science units, daily lessons, and assessment for the 2021-2022.

This will give us time to make a smooth transition to the new standards without struggling with the disruption a sudden change in standards would ordinarily bring. The 2021-2022 school year will be used to roll out professional development focused on the structure and function of the new standard as well as the significant content shifts that occur across all K-5 grade levels. Additionally, this will allow us to prepare for the training and gradual implementation of a new science curriculum and new science instructional materials that we anticipate will roll out for the 2022-2023 school year. Full implementation and assessment of the SCCCR Science Standards will take place at the start of the 2023-2024 school year.

What does this mean for testing in 4th grade?

According the Office of Assessment at the SCDE, 4th grade will still be tested to the 2014 science standards during the 2021-2022 and the 2022-2023 school years. At present, the Office of Assessment says that spring of the 23-24 school year to be the first time students are assessed to the new standards on state tests.

What does this mean for PD?

At the start of the 2021-2022 school year, professional development will focus on the major structural differences in the new science standards, specifically on the 3D nature of these standards and on the inclusion of the Crosscutting Concepts as a major element within them. As the year progresses, the focus will move to the grade-level specific content shifts so that teachers are prepared to teach science concepts they may not have taught before. The SCDE will also be rolling out professional development in the coming year that we may want to take part in.

What does this mean for science refurbishment spending?

How your school decides to use their science refurbishment funds for the 2021-2022 school year will depend on the needs of your teachers and students. Schools that need supplies for the 2021-2022 school year will want to use their funds on materials that support the 2014 science standards. Schools that are well stocked for what they need for the coming year and want to look ahead to the 2022-2023 school year when we will fully implement the new standards will want to use the new standards to inform spending decisions. Also keep in mind that the district will adopt new science instructional materials that will be delivered and in place for the start of the 2022-2023 school year (assuming they are funded).

What does this mean for science curriculum?

For the 2021-2022 school year we will continue to use the current science curriculum guide and accompanying instructional materials (Pearson SC Interactive Science Textbook and FOSS & DSM kits). During the coming year, I will begin building a framework for a new K-5 Science Curriculum Guide. This will provide a structure for a team of Richland 2 teachers next summer to fully develop an updated science curriculum site/guide that will incorporate newly adopted materials (see below), with best practices, guides, existing materials, lesson ideas, informational text resources, assessments, etc...

What does this mean for science instructional materials?

At present, teams working with the Office of Instructional Materials at the SCDE are reviewing publisher-submitted science instructional materials. From this work, approved options will be made available in the coming year for consideration by school districts. Caravan, review, vetting, and selection will take place in the spring of 2022. Assuming the state legislature adequately funds science instructional materials, these materials should be delivered sometime in late spring or summer 2022. Once our district adoption decision is made, these resources will be incorporated into the curriculum guide that will be developed during the summer of 2022. Professional development on the use of these new instructional materials will begin summer and fall of 2022.

I hope this answers your questions about the new science standards. If you have more questions, please contact Dr. Emmer (eemmer@richland2.org)

Crosswalk Comparison of 2014 to 2021 ELementary Science Standards

K-5 Science Standards 2014-2021 Comparison Chart

This document is a crosswalk that compares each K-5 science standard performance indicator from the 2014 science standards with the K-5 standards in the 2021 science standards. The document identifies which standards are congruent, which ones are added, which one are removed, and which ones are moved to a different elementary grade level, along with a brief description of any change in the scope of the science content in the standards.