Michigan Science Standards (MSS) Open House 2018

Why New Standards? Science is how we understand the world around us! Science and engineering knowledge transcends into many careers: Technology Business Entertainment To understand and solve many of the biggest issues and problems we face today we need to inspire more students to become engaged in science and engineering Medical Agricultural Many others Why New Standards? (health, energy, security, environmental sustainability)

Equips all students with: A high quality science education A deep understanding of core ideas Skills and competencies Critical thinking Problem solving Communication Collaboration Aligns to: Requirements for admission to post secondary education A Strong Science Education is Essential for College and/or Career Readiness!

Michigan Science Standards (MSS) Adopted November 2015 The MSS are based on the NGSS NGSS = Next Generation Science Standards Emphasizes common practices (skills) that scientists use every day Focuses on big content ideas Integrates crosscutting concepts of science Michigan Science Standards (MSS) Adopted November 2015 Phenomena based

Michigan Science Standards (MSS) Perhaps show a list of 8 engineering practices and 7 crosscutting concepts as examples.

How Will This Affect My Child? Michigan Science Standards are a shift . . . from students “learning about” science concepts . . . to students “figuring out” the science concepts. How Will This Affect My Child?

What Can Students Expect? Lessons begin with a phenomenon Example: How can I smell things from a distance? Independent and small group work Students investigate, model and construct explanations of phenomenon Whole class consensus discussions Class discusses and “figures out” what they all agree on Class decides on next steps What Can Students Expect?

What Can Students Expect? Teacher Facilitates large group discussions Monitors small group discussions Encourages students to make their thinking public Summary tables Replace traditional review guides It is an organized table of what students have “figured out” Content might be the similar to the past How students will interact with the content is different What Can Students Expect?

What Can I Expect? Fewer: Daily lectures Summative = 60% Formative = 30% Classwork = 10% What Can I Expect? Letter Grade Grade Scale Percentages A 3.66 – 4.00 92 - 100 A- 3.42 – 3.65 86 – 91 B+ 3.18 – 3.41 80 – 85 B 2.90 – 3.17 73 – 79 B- 2.66 – 2.89 67 – 72 C+ 2.42 – 2.65 61 – 66 C 2.14 – 2.41 54 – 60 C- 1.90 – 2.13 48 – 53 D+ 1.66 – 1.89 42 – 47 D 1.38 – 1.65 35 – 41 D- 1.18 – 1.37 29 – 34 F 0.00 – 1.17 0 – 29 Fewer: Daily lectures Memorization of facts and vocabulary Worksheet driven lessons that ask for recall

Initially, students may feel that, "my teacher is not giving me the answers." Encourage: Active participation in the problem solving process through discussion with peers Perseverance When helping your child with homework or school assignments: Ask them to explain how they acquired an answer Ask them to relate it to an activity conducted in class Reinforce critical thinking skills at home How Can I Help My Child? Your child will gain confidence that it is okay to not know the answer right away. There will be opportunities to revise thinking during the journey of learning. Students will adapt to this style of instruction.

How Can I Help My Child? Attendance The new standards rely heavily on investigations and discussions conducted during class time. When students are absent from school they miss opportunities to learn. Teachers can make students and parents aware of the learning targets they missed, but they cannot recreate the lesson that took place during class. Please support your child by encouraging regular attendance. How Can I Help My Child?

Know that we are focused on your child’s success Know that we are focused on your child’s success. We thank you for your support! Trust in this research-based process. Know that we are focused on your child's success. Student + Parent + Teacher = Success