Secondary Science Newsletter
Summer, 2019
Refresh and Reload
"Education is what remains after one has forgotten what one has learned in school." ~Anonymous
WELCOME BACK to another fresh start! A new chance to make a difference in students' lives and to be an inspiration for someone who needs it! During what we hope was an amazing and rejuvenating summer experience, our summer curriculum writing teams labored to review your feedback and student input to make revisions to our first year of FULL IMPLEMENTATION of NGSS core curriculum in grades 6-12. While we will always look for ways to make the curriculum better and fix errors, we made great strides toward our goal of perfecting our curricula! In short, we made significant changes to the Grade 8, Earth Systems, and Living Systems Courses (see below for more details). These revisions reflect better alignment to the NGSS Performance Expecations and improve the clarity of summative assessment implementation. We also revised and added resources to IPC and Grades 6 and 7, developed Learning Cycles and assessments for NGSS Chemistry, and began the NGSS-ification of Physics. With the grander-than-anticipated revisions and limited workshop time, some documents are not currently as polished as they will be. Please continue to provide your feedback on: discrepancies between curriculum documents, e.g., titles of learning cycles, mismatched standards, or recommended time allotments; broken links; as well as any questions you have about culminating event and learning cycle summative assessment implementation.
We look forward to welcoming you back in person on August 28 at New Town High School!
Tiffany Wendland
Coordinator, Secondary Science
Curriculum Updates
Information about curriculum updates will be shared at August Professional Study Day, but we know many of you like to start planning before then. We wanted to give you as much time as possible to review the changes and to start working with the revised documents prior to PSD.
Middle School Updates
Grade 6
•Some Learning Cycles (LCs) combined and streamlined, e.g., number of LCs reduced from six to four in Unit 4: Space
•Some LCs reordered within the unit, e.g., previous Ecosystems Interactions LC1 is now LC3
•Success Criteria developed for Culminating Events (CE)
•Suggestions for “chunking” CE throughout the unit
•MISA Rubric scoring suggestions for CEs and Learning Cycle Summatives
•Student and teacher resource sheets provided for LC Summatives
•Additional sample lessons developed
Grade 7
•Unit 4 is now titled "Survive and Thrive"
•Unit 4 has a new Culminating Event and updated Learning Cycle Summative Assessments
•Success Criteria developed for Culminating Events
•CEs and LC Summative Assessments modified to better align to Performance Expectation(s)
•Student and teacher resource sheets for LC Summatives created or updated to improve clarity
•MISA Rubric scoring suggestions for CEs and Learning Cycle Summatives
•Option to adjust Unit order - Unit 4 may be moved to the end of the year - school choice
Grade 8
•Collapsed Fast and Furious Flowers and Birds of a Feather Units into a NEW Unit 3 = Designer Dogs; all documents revised
•Success Criteria developed for Culminating Events
•Learning Cycle Summatives amended
•Learning Cycles streamlined, combined, and resources added
•Included Advanced Academics Lesson Seeds in all units
•Unit Overviews revised and updated
High School Updates
Earth Systems
CoEvolution Unit was removed
•to reduce redundancy of content and to provide an authentic context for learning about these standard
•Performance Expectations and learning activities moved to Climate Change Learning Cycle 1 and Learning Cycle 3
New order of units
•to improve the course storyline and to ensure sufficient time for the Climate Change Unit which has 9 MISA-tested PEs
- Space
- Our Complex Crust
- Climate Change
- Maryland’s Changing Hydrosphere
Space
•Learning Cycle 1: Added PS4-1 (properties of waves)
•Learning Cycle 3: Added PS2-1 (Newton’s 2nd Law)
Our Complex Crust
•LC1: Added PS4-1
•LC2: Added a local/national option for the Summative
•LC3: Added PS3-3 (energy transfers)
•New Culminating Event
Climate Change
•Revised Pre-Assessment and chunked Qs by LC
•LC1: Added ESS2-7 and LS4-5 from CoEvolution
•LC3: Added PS1-5; revised “reef build” to shoreline erosion mitigation plan, data required for Summative Assessment
Maryland’s Changing Hydrosphere
•LC2: modified Summative Assessment to better reflect ESS2-5 (properties of water)
•LC2: added stream table investigation suggestions
•LC4: Summative Assessment now used as a tool during the CE
Living Systems
It’s All Relative Unit removed
•Performance Expectations and learning activities moved to Superbugs
Numbering of Units updated
- Building the Ultimate You
- You Are What You Eat
- Decoding Your Future
- Superbugs
- Top Predators
Building the Ultimate You
•Learning Cycle 1: Added HS-LS1-4 (cell division and differentiation) and resources from Decoding Your Future Unit
•Updated I Cans and Summative Assessment
•Minor modifications to Culminating Event
You Are What You Eat
•LC1: Added PS1-2 (atomic structure); revised Summative Assessment
•LC2: Added PS3-2 (energy transfers in chemical reactions)
•LC3: Added PS1-2; revised Summative Assessment
•Modified Culminating Event
Decoding Your Future
•New Culminating Event with option for Advanced Academics
•Reduced number of Learning Cycles (three to two; “old” LC2 content moved to LC1 of Building the Ultimate You
•Revised LC1 Summative Assessment
•LC2: new Advanced Academics option for Summative Assessment
Superbugs
•Now 3 Learning Cycles (previously 2)
•LC1: modified Summative Assessment to better reflect PE
•LC2: added LS2-8 (group behavior) from It’s All Relative; modified Summative Assessment
•LC3: New Learning Cycle (Evidence of Evolution) migrated from It’s All Relative
•CE scenario modified to the proper use of antibiotics
Top Predators
•Now Unit 5 (of five)
•CE revised to evaluating the feasibility of introducing the cougar to control deer population
•LC1: added PS3-1 (calculating changes in energy in trophic levels)
•LC1 and LC2 Summative Assessments revised to better reflect PEs
•LC3: modified Summative Assessment examines the impact of unchecked deer population on forest biodiversity
For the most up-to-date NGSS news and resources, visit the NGSS website. Also, be sure to join the National Science Teachers Association for great lesson ideas and NGSS updates.
All Units
•Reduced I cans
•Added Sample Unit Plans
•Added and/or modified resources in the LC documents
Fireworks
•Added resources by topic question
Disasters
•Revised LC4 Oil Spills Summative Assessment
Powering the World
•Reordered learning cycles
•Revised LC1 Calorimetry Summative Assessment
Innovations:
•Revised Culminating Event - MISA style assessment
Capstone
•Updated Success Criteria
NGSS Chemistry
For all units
•Modified/Updated Unit Overviews, Culminating Events, Pre-assessments, and I Cans
•Developed Learning Cycle Summative Assessments
•Developed Learning Cycle documents with resources in 5E format, organized by Topic Question(s)
NGSS Physics
•Completed gap analysis for BCPS Physics CLGs and NGSS Physical Science PEs
•Bundled topics into four Units
•Created Culminating Events – SR and TR
•First drafts of Success Criteria, I Cans, and Unit Overviews
Show Us Your Stuff!!
Want to be the next featured teacher? Send us an email, tag us on Twitter, or call the Office of Science.
Maryland Integrated Science Assessment (MISA) Updates
High School MISA
On July 23, the State Board of Education approved a two-year continuation of the waiver for the HS MISA as a graduation requirement. COMAR now reads:
For all students taking the Maryland Integrated Science Assessment in the 2017—2018, 2018—2019, 2019—2020, and 2020—2021 school years, taking the Maryland Integrated Science Assessment will meet the graduation assessment requirement for science.
During the discussion period prior to a unanimous vote, the Board and MSDE leadership raised four concerns/questions:
1. Students having to take multiple courses prior to sitting for an assessment and the cognitive demands involved in preparing for such a test.
2. The need for AP and IB science assessments to be eligible to serve as substitutes for the HS MISA.
3. The impact of the MISA structure on student transfers.
4. Can the science assessment be utilized as a final exam?
MSDE and Local Education Agency Leadership are charged with addressing these concerns while ensuring that science assessment remains aligned to the Maryland Next Generation Science Standards and instructional resources continue to promote inquiry in the science classroom. MSDE will be conducting two research studies as well as holding a series of meetings to address the concerns raised by the State Board.
Supporting Success on the High School MISA
The Office of Science has and will put into place several supports for student success on the High School MISA. Current and planned supports are:
- The inclusion of MISA-style assessments, e.g., Learning Cycle Summative Assessments, in our NGSS courses
- The integration of the seven tested Physical Science Performance Expectations (PEs) into existing Earth and Living Systems units so that students can develop understanding of these concepts prior to taking the MISA.
- Schoology modules aligned to the 22 tested PEs that can be used for remediation
In addition, HS MISA Practice items are available on the Measured Progress website. Two sets of released items and sample student responses are available on the MSDE MISA webpage. We will add these resources to the High School MISA Supports folder within the Secondary Science Group in Schoology.
The Office of Science will consult with executive leadership in the Division of Curriculum & Instruction and the Division of Research, Accountability, and Assessment to determine which - if any - students will sit for the MISA this coming school year. If you have additional questions about the High School MISA and/or graduation requirements related to science, please contact the Office of Science, speak with your Department Chair or post your questions to this padlet.
register for professional study day!!
Professional Study Day is Wednesday, August 28th. With the exception of select Grade 6 teachers, all middle and high school science teachers will meet at New Town High School from 8am to 3pm. The coffee will be ready by 7:30 :-)
To assist with field trip planning and preparation for our new Ecosystems Interaction program at Camp Puh'tok, one Grade 6 teacher from each school is allowed to register for this optional professional learning opportunity. Teachers should verify their participation with their Department Chair prior to registering.
Please register for PSD as soon as possible so that we can ensure adequate space and supplies for the day's learning activities. If the links below do not work or you receive an error message, please access the offerings through the Professional Learning tile of BCPSOne. Select the Professional Study Day - 2019 Catalog. The offering titles begin with "SEC SCI."
August 28th at New Town High School
Contact Julie Damico at jdamico@bcps.org if you have any questions.
Contact us
Email: officeofscience@bcps.org
Website: http://www.bcps.org/offices/science/
Location: 105 W Chesapeake Ave, Towson, MD, United States
Phone: 443-809-4251
Facebook: www.facebook.com/BCPSOfficeofScience
Twitter: @BCPSSci