Instruction

Science

News & AnnouncementsPress enter to expand or close

Science Standards of Learning (SOL) Review – On January 28, 2016, the Virginia Board of Education accepted the Superintendent of Public Instruction’s report that provided a rationale and recommended timeline for the review and revision of the 2010 Science Standards of Learning and 2010 Science Standards of Learning Curriculum Framework. For more information, see Superintendent's Memo 052-16.

Science Email Update Registration – Teachers, principals and science coordinators are encouraged to register to receive the VDOE Science Update distributed by the science office about twice a month. Copies of recent emails are available in the General Resources tab below.

Professional DevelopmentPress enter to expand or close

The Virginia Department of Education is pleased to announce several different summer professional development opportunities for teachers. Teachers must apply for these different professional development opportunities; selection will be made to ensure the different regions have equitable access to the professional developments. In addition, teachers that are from warned or denied schools will have priority in the participant selection process. There is no cost to attend any of these professional developments and food and lodging for each will be provided.

Teachers on the Estuary (TOTE): Estuary Science for Life Science and Biology Teachers – This standards-based professional development workshop focuses on life science and biology environmental concepts related to Chesapeake Bay and its estuaries. The TOTE workshop supports Governor McAuliffe’s commitment of engaging students in meaningful outdoor education by supporting teacher professional learning. The Teacher on the Estuary (TOTE) workshop is a three-day professional development opportunity that will be held from August 1-3, 2017 at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) in Gloucester, Virginia. Registration for teachers can be completed online at Teacher on the Estuary Registration. Registration for TOTE workshop will be open from February 24- May 1, 2017. Notifications of acceptance will be provided to applicants and the applicants’ school principals by e-mail on or before May 26, 2017. For more information, refer to Superintendent’s Memo 055-17 – Teachers on the Estuary (TOTE): Estuary Science for Life Science and Biology Teachers.

Environmental Literacy: Implementing and Assessing Meaningful Watershed Experiences – This standard based professional development will provide participants with lessons and experience through Project Aquatic WILD, a nationally recognized supplementary curriculum, and will demonstrate how performance based assessments can be used to determine student learning and increase science and environmental literacy K-12. The Environmental Literacy workshop is a three-day professional development opportunity that will be held from June 26-28, 2017, at Matthews State Forest near Galax, Virginia. Registration for teachers can be completed online at Environmental Literacy MWEE Workshop Registration. Registration for the Environmental Literacy: Implementing and Assessing Meaningful Watershed Experiences workshop will be open from February 24-May 1, 2017. Notifications of acceptance will be provided to applicants and the applicants’ school principals by email on or before May 26, 2017. For more information refer to Superintendent’s Memo 054-17 – Environmental Literacy: Implementing and Assessing Meaningful Watershed Experiences

Teaching Inquiry Learning Together (TILT) – The Virginia Department of Education is seeking two-member teams from individual middle and high schools to attend this two-day program. TILT is based on the science process and skills standard in each grade level/discipline and will include strategies for implementing inquiry laboratory opportunity in science classrooms as well as combined pedagogy sessions with opportunities to model effective instructional strategies and co-teaching practices. Time will be structured on a daily basis to support school team planning and coordination. Priority will be given to teachers who teach in schools that have not met the state benchmarks on the Grade 8 Science, Earth Science, or Biology Standards of Learning assessments. Workshop participants will receive a $200 stipend for their successful completion in this professional development. For more detailed information regarding this program and how to register, please visit the CTA Web site.

Standards of Learning

Science K-12

Includes:

Curriculum Frameworks
Enhanced Scope & Sequence Sample Lesson Plans
Test Blueprints
Released Tests
Practice Items
Instructional and Assessment Resources

Photo of students in science lab. The Science Standards of Learning identify academic content for essential components of the science curriculum at different grade levels. Standards are identified for kindergarten through grade six and for a core set of middle and high school courses – life science, physical science, Earth science, biology, chemistry and physics.

In addition to the standards, curriculum frameworks, enhanced scope and sequence guides, test blueprints and released tests, the following K-12 science instructional resources are available.

Professional Development Resources

VDOE continues to provide professional development for school divisions and teachers to support the implementation of the 2010 Science Standards of Learning. School divisions and teachers are encouraged to utilize the professional development resources to improve student achievement through quality instruction. Go to Professional Development Resources.

Environmental Literacy

The Standards of Learning (SOL) for Virginia Public Schools establish expectations of what students should know and be able to do at the end of each grade or course in English, mathematics, science, history/social science and other subjects. The SOL in certain disciplines support Environmental Literacy explicitly and in others implicitly.

Environmental Literacy offers connections to the Virginia Standards of Learning, school programs in action, teaching resources, grant programs, and more.

Green Ribbon Schools

The U.S. Department of Education recognizes schools where staff, students, officials and communities have worked together to produce energy efficient, sustainable and healthy school environments and to ensure the sustainability and environmental literacy of graduates. More about Green Ribbon Schools. As part of the Green Ribbon Schools Application, schools and districts need to provide information on three different areas.

Goal 1: Reduce environmental impact and costs. Support for this goal can be found at VDOE Healthy Buildings.
Goal 2: Improve the health and wellness of students and staff. Support for this goal can be found at VDOE School Nutrition and VDOE Physical Education.
Goal 3: Provide effective environmental and sustainability education, incorporating STEM, civic skills, and green career pathways. VDOE support for this can be found in the 2010 Science Standards of Learning.

Science Instructional Resources

General
Elementary
Middle School
High School

Science Update Email

Teachers, principals and science coordinators are encouraged to register to receive the VDOE Science Update distributed by the science office about twice a month. Copies of recent emails are available as PDF or Word files.

May 17, 2017 (Word)
April 19, 2017-This is a Word document. (Word)
March 22, 2017 (Word)
February 22, 2017 -This is a Word document.(Word)
January 25, 2017 -This is a Word document.(Word)
January 11, 2017-This is a PDF document. (PDF)

Assessment Resources

SOL Practice Items – Practice items provide examples of the new content and increased rigor of the 2010 Science SOL.
Released SOL Tests – Released SOL tests in all subjects.
Science SOL Test Blueprints – Much like the blueprint for a building, a test blueprint serves as a guide for test construction. The blueprint indicates the content areas that will be addressed by the test and the number of items that will be included by content area and for the test as a whole. There is a blueprint for each test.

Award Programs

Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching – The Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST) is the highest recognition that a kindergarten through 12th-grade mathematics or science teacher may receive for outstanding teaching in the United States.

Professional Organizations

Safety

Manuals available from ACS Chemical Science Safety in the classroom include:
- Safety in the Elementary Classroom (Grades K-6)
- Chemical Safety for Teachers and Their Supervisors (Grades 7-12)
- Guidelines and Recommendations for the Teaching of High School Chemistry (Grades K-12)
Manuals available from OSHA Laboratory Safety Documents include:
- Laboratory Safety Guidance
- Chemical Hygiene Plan Fact Sheet
- Working with Small Animals Quick Facts
CDC School Chemistry Laboratory Safety Guide
Manuals available from the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries include:
- Wildlife in the Classroom: What is Required to Display Wildlife in the Classroom
- Elementary & Secondary Wildlife Display Reporting Form
Safety Observation Tool (Word)
Science Safety Self-Assessment Checklist (Word)

Additional Science Resources

Instructional and assessment resources

Teaching & Learning Resources

ESS Sample Lesson Plans – Align instruction with the 2010 Science SOL by providing examples of how the knowledge, skills and processes found in the SOL and curriculum framework can be presented to students in the classroom.
Lessons From the Bay – Activities and projects for grades 3-6 related to protecting and restoring the Chesapeake Bay watershed
Virginia Animals and their Habitats – A model comprehensive, cross-curricular second-grade unit that addresses 40 grade-two Virginia Standards of Learning (SOL) in science, mathematics, English, and history and social science.
Project PROMISE – Hands-on, problem-based, inquiry-based K-3 science curriculum and related professional development resources.
Practices for Science Investigation Progression (PDF) – The Practices for Science Investigation Progression chart identifies the grade level at which specific science skills/practices are formally introduced and how they progress throughout the 2010 Science Standards of Learning.

Science Standards of Learning Crosswalk Between the 2010 and 2003 Standards

Teaching & Learning Resources

Virginia BIOSTEM Resources – The Virginia BioSTEM Resources project offers middle and high school educators a range of bioscience and technology resources they can use with their students.
Energy in Virginia – Curriculum guide and supporting materials related to the Grade Six Science Standards of Learning energy standards.
Virginia Science Activities, Models & Simulations (SAMS) – Activities, models and simulations correlated to the 2010 Science Standards of Learning and Curriculum Framework.
ESS Sample Lesson Plans – Align instruction with the 2010 Science SOL by providing examples of how the knowledge, skills and processes found in the SOL and curriculum framework can be presented to students in the classroom.
Using Significant Digits in Chemistry (PDF) – This technical assistance document provides some basic rules for determining significant digits and using significant digits in calculations.
Practices for Science Investigation Progression (PDF) – The Practices for Science Investigation Progression chart identifies the grade level at which specific science skills/practices are formally introduced and how they progress throughout the 2010 Science Standards of Learning.
GreenSTEM@VCU – Lesson plans and videos integrating science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education with a focus on energy and the environment using service-learning techniques for middle school science, mathematics and technology teachers.
SOL Physical Science Activities, University of Virginia Physics Department – Investigations and lesson plans designed for each of the Physical Science SOL
Technology Sparks, Ideas for Teachers: Integrating Technology with the Virginia Standards of Learning (PDF) – Resources and suggestions for incorporating technology into sixth-grade science, life science and physical courses.

Award Programs

Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching – The Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST) is the highest recognition that a kindergarten through 12th-grade mathematics or science teacher may receive for outstanding teaching in the United States.

Assessment Resources

SOL Practice Items – Practice items provide examples of the new content and increased rigor of the 2010 Science SOL
Released SOL Tests – Released SOL tests in all subjects.
Science SOL Test Blueprints – Much like the blueprint for a building, a test blueprint serves as a guide for test construction. The blueprint indicates the content areas that will be addressed by the test and the number of items that will be included by content area and for the test as a whole. There is a blueprint for each test.

Professional Organizations

Additional Science Resources

Instructional and assessment resources

Teaching & Learning Resources

Virginia BIOSTEM Resources – The Virginia BioSTEM Resources project offers middle and high school educators a range of bioscience and technology resources they can use with their students.
Virginia Science Activities, Models & Simulations (SAMS) – Activities, models and simulations correlated to the 2010 Science Standards of Learning and Curriculum Framework.
ESS Sample Lesson Plans – Align instruction with the 2010 Science SOL by providing examples of how the knowledge, skills and processes found in the SOL and curriculum framework can be presented to students in the classroom.
Practices for Science Investigation Progression (PDF) – The Practices for Science Investigation Progression chart identifies the grade level at which specific science skills/practices are formally introduced and how they progress throughout the 2010 Science Standards of Learning.
SOL Physical Science Activities, University of Virginia Physics Department – Investigations and lesson plans designed for each of the Physical Science SOL
GreenSTEM@VCU – Lesson plans and videos integrating science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education with a focus on energy and the environment using service-learning techniques for middle school science, mathematics and technology teachers.
Technology Sparks, Ideas for Teachers: Integrating Technology with the Virginia Standards of Learning (PDF) – Resources and suggestions for incorporating technology into sixth-grade science, life science and physical courses.
Using Significant Digits in Chemistry (PDF) – This technical assistance document provides some basic rules for determining significant digits and using significant digits in calculations
LENS Project Cornerstone Assessments

Award Programs

Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching – The Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST) is the highest recognition that a kindergarten through 12th-grade mathematics or science teacher may receive for outstanding teaching in the United States.

Assessment Resources

SOL Practice Items – Practice items provide examples of the new content and increased rigor of the 2010 Science SOL
Released SOL Tests – Released SOL tests in all subjects.
Science SOL Test Blueprints – Much like the blueprint for a building, a test blueprint serves as a guide for test construction. The blueprint indicates the content areas that will be addressed by the test and the number of items that will be included by content area and for the test as a whole. There is a blueprint for each test.

Professional Organizations

Additional Science Resources

Instructional and assessment resources

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