How to Use the K-8 Science Standards

The following is a description of the organizational format used in the Tennessee Science Standards: Kindergarten through Eight. This information explains how the Science Standards are presented within the Volume II document. The K-8 Curriculum Standards incorporates the following terminology.

Content Area - major areas of science study (life, physical, earth/space) addressed in the K-8 standards.

Standard - specific content within a larger Content Area.

Learning Expectations - major concepts related to the content of the standards. Statements for Benchmark grades are the knowledge and skills that students are expected to know and be able to do by the end of a particular grade cluster (K-3, 4-5, 6-8).

Performance Indicators - evidence that the knowledge and skills for the Standard have been met. More than one Learning Expectation within a Standard may be measured by a particular Performance Indicator.

State Performance Indicators are evidence that is measured in the state assessment.

Teacher Performance Indicators are evidence exhibited as student behavior that can be observed by teachers.

Level 1 - basic knowledge and skills needed for successful understanding of Level 2.

Level 2 - proficient knowledge and skills that all students should know and be able to do by the end of the Benchmark grade (3, 5, 8).

Level 3 - advanced knowledge and skills that prepare students for success in the next grade cluster or course.

Accomplishments - a set of scaffolded learning experiences that provide opportunities to attain a level of proficiency in the content of the Learning Expectations at the Benchmark (3, 5, 8) grades. A concerted effort was made to ensure that the K-8 standards are foundational in nature and prepares students for high school courses. Thus, the standards for the major content areas are aligned with the standards in the courses that are designated as End of Course (Biology and Physical Science) and Earth Science. Research indicates that curriculum typically addresses the same content at multiple grade levels. To prevent redundancy in high quality standards-based curriculum planning for grades K-8, duplicate learning expectations were eliminated, allowing teachers the time to teach the concepts listed in greater depth. Therefore, when there is no accomplishment listed for a particular grade level, it means that although that standard is benchmarked to the grade cluster, it is not targeted for focus at that particular grade level.