Science Standards
Research, Articles & Editorials

Academic Excellence for All Urban Students: Their Accomplishment In Science and Mathematics
Systemic Research, Inc. (2001)
This report offers a summary of initial findings from the National Science Foundation's Urban Systemic Initiative in 22 large urban school districts. The focus of the initiative has been standards-based curriculum and instruction, aligned assessments, policies, professional development, resource alignment, leadership, and partnerships. Overall, the report demonstrates important gains in student achievement, with the largest benefits for districts that have been participating in initiative the longest.

TIMSS Resource Page from the AFT
American Federation of Teachers (2000)
Beginning in 1997,  the Third International Mathematics and Science Study presented the U.S. and the rest of the world with comprehensive international educational comparisons.  The AFT's resource page presents news, research, policy reports and editorials pertaining to various aspects of the TIMSS study and its impact on the way we view our education system, subject standards, curriculum and the way we teach.

Learning from the TIMSS: Results from the Third International Mathematics and Science Study
National Research Council (1997)
What exactly is the Third International Mathematics and Science Study and what does it mean for our schools? In 1997, a symposium was held to answer these questions and to initiate a discussion in hopes of advancing reform. This conference summary opens with a detailed look at the very complex nature of TIMSS. It also includes questions that were raised about the study and address difficult policy issues. The symposium’s major themes are also presented.

Press Release: What College-Bound Students Abroad
Are Expected to Know
American Federation of Teachers (1996)
This 1996 report from the AFT and the National Center for Improving Science Education (NCISE) illustrates how an integrated system of high standards, a common curriculum that reflects those standards, exams based on that curriculum, and student incentives help a substantial proportion of students in high-performing nations to master demanding material.

National Science Education Standards
National Research Council (1995)
This document is designed to guide the nation toward a "scientifically literate society."  Beginning with standards for teaching science, NRC lays out expectations for the development of student understanding and ability over the course of a K-12 education; establishes criteria for judging the quality of school and district science programs; and sets standards for quality assessment practices.

Science Framework for the 1996 and 2000 National Assessment of Education Progress
U.S. Department of Education (1996)
This document contains the framework and rationale for assessing science achievement of students throughout the United States in 1996 and 2000.  It provides a general overview of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) and reviews the process by which the Framework was developed.

Benchmarks for Science Literacy
American Association for the Advancement of Science (1993)
This companion report to Science for All Americans defines what constitutes adult science literacy, makes recommendations for what students should know and be able to do in science, math, and technology by the time they graduate high school, and specifies how students should progress toward science literacy at each grade level.

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