Curriculum Resources

Common Core

In California, the State Board of Education decides on the standards for all students, from kindergarten through high school. Since 2010, a number of states across the nation have adopted the same standards for English and math. These standards are called the Common Core State Standards (CCSS). The Common Core State Standards are research and evidence based, aligned with college and work expectations, rigorous, and internationally benchmarked.

Common Core Overview

Common Core Information from CDE

Myths vs. Facts: Myths and facts aimed to address the more common misconceptions about the Common Core

Next Generation Science Standards Resources

NGSS Newsletters:

• September NGSS Newsletter- Phenomena 
• October NGSS Newsletter- Engineering
• November NGSS Newsletter - Transformation 
• December NGSS Newsletter - Makerspace 
• January NGSS Newsletter - Coding
• February NGSS Newsletter - Cause & Effect
• March NGSS Newsletter - Structure & Function
• April NGSS Newsletter - Model
• May NGSS Newsletter - Perseverance

Per the Next Gen Science group (nextgenscience.org), the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) is a multi-state effort to create new education standards that are rich in content and practice, arranged in a coherent manner across disciplines and grades to provide all students an internationally benchmarked science education.

NGSS rests on a view of science as both a body of knowledge and an evidence-based, model and theory building enterprise that continually extends, refines, and revises knowledge. It presents three dimensions that will be combined to form each standard: Disciplinary Core Ideas, Cross-Cutting Concepts, and Engineering Practices.

Disciplinary Core Ideas have the power to focus K–12 science curriculum, instruction and assessments on the most important aspects of science. To be considered core, the ideas should meet at least two of the following criteria and ideally all four:

• Have broad importance across multiple  sciences or engineering disciplines or be a key organizing concept of a single discipline;
• Provide a key tool for understanding or investigating more complex ideas and solving problems;
• Relate to the interests and life experiences of students or be connected to societal or personal concerns that require scientific or technological knowledge;
• Be teachable and learnable over multiple grades at increasing levels of depth and sophistication.

Disciplinary ideas are grouped in four domains: the physical sciences; the life sciences; the earth and space sciences; and engineering, technology and applications of science.

Cross-Cutting Concepts have application across all domains of science. As such, they are a way of linking the different domains of science. They include: Patterns, similarity, and diversity; Cause and effect; Scale, proportion and quantity; Systems and system models; Energy and matter; Structure and function; Stability and change. The Framework emphasizes that these concepts need to be made explicit for students because they provide an organizational schema for interrelating knowledge from various science fields into a coherent and scientifically-based view of the world.

Engineering Practices describe behaviors that scientists engage in as they investigate and build models and theories about the natural world and the key set of engineering practices that engineers use as they design and build models and systems. The NRC uses the term practices instead of a term like “skills” to emphasize that engaging in scientific investigation requires not only skill but also knowledge that is specific to each practice. Part of the NRC’s intent is to better explain and extend what is meant by “inquiry” in science and the range of cognitive, social, and physical practices that it requires.

Although engineering design is similar to scientific inquiry, there are significant differences. For example, scientific inquiry involves the formulation of a question that can be answered through investigation, while engineering design involves the formulation of a problem that can be solved through design. Strengthening the engineering aspects of the Next Generation Science Standards will clarify for students the relevance of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (the four STEM fields) to everyday life.

Additional Sage Oak NGSS Resources:
NGSS by Content Area
NGSS by Grade Level
NGSS at a Glance by Topic and Grade Level

Intervention Resources

The Sage Oak Intervention Program is a multi-tiered approach to help students perform at grade level standards. An instructional intervention is a specific program or set of steps to help a child improve in an area of need. Instructional interventions focus on subjects like reading or math. The Sage Oak intervention program consists of support through the Student Study Team (SST) process and specifically targeted student populations.

Tier 1: Students receive quality instruction that is differentiated based on their needs. Parent educators may use any of the Intervention Strategies for the Home Environment listed here to assist in their child’s education.

Tier 2: Specific student populations who are not making adequate progress towards state standards are offered an intervention option. This may include the use of tutoring or intervention specific curriculum. All students have access to intervention specific curriculum through the purchasing of items with instructional funds. Here are recommend resources for Reading and Math.

Tier 3: Student who are not making adequate progress after participating in Tier 2, may participate in the Student Study Team process, to have an individual, intensive plan created to help them meet grade level standards.

Free Educational Websites