Horizon Research, Inc

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Promoting Lifelong STEM Learning Through a Focus on Conservation, Geospatial Technology, and Community Engagement

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University of Connecticut

The Promoting Lifelong STEM learning through a Focus on Conservation, Geospatial Technology, and Community Engagement project, based at the University of Connecticut (UCONN), is a collaboration among the Department of Natural Resources and the Environment (NRE), the Neag School of Education, the Center for Land Use Education and Research (CLEAR), and the Center for Environmental Sciences and Engineering (CESE). Funded by the National Science Foundation, the primary goal of the project is to promote lifelong STEM learning and engagement fostered by intergenerational partnerships between high school students and adult community members working on environmental conservation projects.

Horizon Research, Inc. serves as the external evaluator for the project.

What does “Implementing the NGSS” Mean? Operationalizing the science practices for K–12 classrooms.

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Authors: Joan D. Pasley, Peggy J. Trygstad, Eric R. Banilower

Date: November 2016

The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) are composed of three intertwined dimensions—disciplinary core ideas, science and engineering practices, and crosscutting concepts—that provide a foundation for what students should know and be able to do at various grade levels. The eight science practices outlined in the NGSS are critical components of scientific sense making, but currently there is limited guidance on what these practices should “look like” in K–12 classrooms.

Based on an extensive literature review and a multi-round modified-Delphi panel of expert practitioners, HRI developed a primer to unpack the science practices. The primer outlines key elements of each practice—what students should be doing when engaging with each science practice—and provide illustrative examples of how these key elements might play out in classrooms across different grade bands and subject areas.

What does “Implementing the NGSS” Mean? Operationalizing the science practices for K–12 classrooms

Copyright and Usage: Horizon Research, Inc. (HRI) holds the copyright on this report. HRI grants permission for unlimited use, whether the entire report or excerpts, for non-commercial purposes. The report should be cited as follows:

Pasley, J. D., Trygstad, P. J., & Banilower, E. R. (2016). What does “Implementing the NGSS” Mean? Operationalizing the science practices for K–12 classrooms. Chapel Hill, NC: Horizon Research, Inc.

Operationalizing the Science and Engineering Practices

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Authors: Peggy J. Trygstad, Eric R. Banilower, Joan D. Pasley

Date: April 2016

This paper, presented at the 2016 AERA Annual Meeting, describes the development of two products to facilitate measurement of the extent to which classroom instruction aligns with the Framework for K–12 Science Education and the subsequently released Next Generation Science Standards, particularly the science practices. The first product is a primer that operationalizes the science practices for different grade levels and content areas. The second product is a selected-response survey for measuring how often teachers implement the practices in their science instruction.

Operationalizing the Science and Engineering Practices (PDF, 252kb)

Copyright and Usage: Horizon Research, Inc. (HRI) holds the copyright on this report. HRI grants permission for unlimited use, whether the entire report or excerpts, for non-commercial purposes. The report should be cited as follows:

Trygstad, P. J., Banilower, E. R., & Pasley, J. D. (2016). Operationalizing the Science and Engineering Practices. Presented at the 2016 AERA Annual Meeting, Washington, DC.

PEARL: Peers Engaged As Resources for Learning

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National Science Foundation

Horizon Research, Inc. is collaborating with the Center for Developmental Science at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill on the PEARL project to create an interdisciplinary team to: (1) study small group work in mathematics classrooms; (2) understand the challenges involved in promoting successful small groups; and (3) determine ways to help teachers deliver on the promise of group work. The team will integrate three conceptual frameworks—Mathematics Task, Mathematics Discourse Matrix, and Peer Cultures of Effort and Achievement—to understand the challenges involved in promoting successful small group learning environments.  The PEARL study involves a carefully sequenced set of research phases to develop and test both a framework for understanding small group learning environments and strategies to help teachers support successful group work.  Results of the study will inform teacher preparation and ongoing education, mathematics teaching practice, and educational research.