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First 60-Day Public Review Draft

November 2015

Introduction to Grades Six Through Eight

Chapter 6

Chapter at a Glance

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Introduction
Preferred Integrated Model
Works Cited
Discipline Specific Model
Works Cited
CA NGSS defines two possible progressions for middle school: the preferred

11Integrated Model which interweaves science disciplines in a developmentally

12appropriate progression, and the Discipline Specific Model where each grade level
13focuses in depth on a different science discipline.
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The two models differ only in the sequence; every student is expected to meet

15every middle school performance expectation by the end of 8 th grade. Sequence here
16refers to which course (6th, 7th, or 8th grade) a particular PE is mastered; this Framework
17makes no requirements about the order in which PEs are taught within a given year.
18(The example course sequences in this Framework describe possible storylines, but are
19not the only way). Table 1 shows a comparison of which DCIs are emphasized in the
20PEs required at each grade level in the two models. For both models, all eight SEPs are
21developed and all seven CCCs are highlighted at some point during the course of every
22year (though each lesson may only focus on one or two and each year may have a
23slight emphasis on a subset).
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As districts consider the progression that works best for their resources and local

25context, they should be aware of the historical context, rationale for each model, and
26potential limitations of each. This chapter outlines some of those issues.
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28Historical Background
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The CA NGSS are aligned to the nationally developed NGSS. This nationwide

30effort specified specific PEs for grades K-5 but presented middle grade standards in a
31grade span of sixth through eighth grade. Because California is a kindergarten through
32eighth grade instructional materials adoption state, it requires that standards be placed
33at specific grade levels sixth, seventh, and eighth. Therefore, the Superintendent of
34Public Instruction recommended that the State Board of Education adopt specific
35placement of the standards for middle grades at each grade level.
36Table 1. Comparison of when DCIs are primarily addressed in the two middle school
37models

Earth &
Space

Disciplinary Core
Idea

Subtopic

Earths Place in
the Universe

Earths Systems

Universe, Stars, Solar

System
History of Planet Earth
Water Cycle, Weather,
Climate
Rock cycle, Plate
tectonics
Global climate change
causes
Resources availability
Natural hazards
Resource consumption
Cells & Body Systems
Photosynthesis &
Respiration

Life

2
3

Physical

4
1
2
3

Earth and Human

Activity

From Molecules
to Organisms:
Structures and
Processes
Ecosystems: Interactions, Energy, and
Dynamics
Heredity:
Sexual v. Asexual
Inheritance and
reproduction
Variation of Traits Mutations
Biological Evolution: Unity and Diversity
Matter and its
Atoms, Molecules, States
Interactions
of Matter
Chemical Reactions
Motion and Stability: Forces and
Interactions
Energy
Kinetic Energy &

Preferred
Integrated
6 7 8
X

X
X

X
X
X
X

X
X

X
X
X
X

X
X

X
X

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X
X
X

Discipline
Specific
6 7 8

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ETS
SEP
CCC

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Collisions
Heat & Heat Flow
Potential Energies &
Gravity
4 Waves and Their Applications in
Technologies for Information Transfer
Every course includes integrations with ETS
Every course utilizes all 8 SEPs
Every course highlights all 7 CCCs

X
X
X

X
X
X

X
X
X

X
X
X

X
X
X

X
X
X

The Superintendent of Public Instruction convened the Science Expert Panel

41comprising kindergarten through grade twelve teachers, scientists, educators, business,

42industry representatives and informal science educators. This panel evaluated a range
43of options for the appropriate organization and sequence of the PEs. The public
44provided feedback to the Science Expert Panel via three open forums and a webinar.
45The full list of events that led to the adoption of the preferred integrated course model is
46described at the CDE Web site: http://www.cde.ca.gov/pd/ca/sc/ngssintrod.asp. On
47November 6, 2013, the State Board of Education unanimously passed the following
48motion: To adopt the CDE staff recommendation that the SBE adopt the proposed
49integrated model as the preferred model for middle grades (6,7, and 8) science
50instruction, and requested that the CDE reconvene the Science Expert Panel to develop
51as an alternative model a discipline specific model based upon the domain specific
52model outlined by Achieve in the NGSS Appendix K. In December 2014, the Science
53Expert Panel reconvened to develop a discipline specific model of the NGSS.
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The Boards intent in their November action was for there to be one Integrated

55Model in California for grades 6-8 that was preferred by both the Superintendent of
56Public Instruction and the State Board of Education, and one Discipline Specific Model
57as an alternative.
58Learning from Other Successful Countries
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The Science Expert Panel preferred the Integrated Model based in part on

60evidence of the performance of other countries and provinces. Analyzing the science
61standards of ten countries that produce significant scientific innovations and score
62highly on international benchmark tests, Achieve (2010) found that all ten of these
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63countries use an integrated science model through middle school, and 7 of the 10
64countries keep science integrated all the way through Grade 10. Summarizing
65qualitative trends from their analysis, Achieve (2010) conclude that, "Standards based
66around 'unifying ideas' for Primary through Lower Secondary seem to confer more
67benefits than a discipline-based structure. " This statement articulates part of the
68rationale behind the seven crosscutting concepts from CA NGSS that link together all
69disciplines of science and engineering. Given that these CCCs cannot be
70comprehended within a single context or even a single scientific discipline, the State
71Board adopted the Integrated model as the preferred model.
72Matching University Training with Middle School Teaching
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Many science teachers receive a university degree in a specific discipline of

74science within a specific university department (i.e., biology, chemistry, physics,

75geology), so they likely have stronger content knowledge in that field. Linda Darling76Hammond summarizes the research on the weak but measurable link between a
77teachers subject matter knowledge and student achievement by saying that, the
78findings are not as strong and consistent as one might suppose. [perhaps] because
79subject matter knowledge is a positive influence up to some level of basic competence
80in the subject but is less important thereafter. (Darling-Hammond 2000) Teachers with a
81general science certification teaching middle school exceed that basic level of
82competence in all sciences and should be able to teach effectively in both models.
83Perhaps more important than university learning within a discipline is the pedagogical
84content knowledge learned from years of experience teaching a specific subject area.
85Some of this PCK is discipline specific (such as awareness of specific misconceptions
86within ones discipline) (Sadler et. al. 2013), but much of it relates to SEPs and CCCs
87that span all disciplines of science and will transfer fluidly from one course model to the
88other. It was the judgment of the Science Expert Panel that teachers will remain highly
89qualified to teach in both the Preferred Integrated and Discipline Specific models.
90Sequencing in a Developmentally-Based Learning Progression
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CA NGSS is intentionally designed so that students slowly build up knowledge

92and skills in all three dimensions, addressing more sophisticated challenges or revisiting
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93simple ones at a deeper level as they progress through the grades. Achieve also noted
94that even in exemplary standards, most countries paid insufficient attention to
95developmental learning progressions. They suggest, developers of new standards will
96need to tease-out the prerequisite knowledge and skills, to provide a conceptual basis
97for understanding (Achieve 2010). Appendix E of CA NGSS spells out the
98developmental progression of ideas within each discipline, but there is also prerequisite
99knowledge from one discipline that is applied in a separate discipline within CA NGSS,
100such as those illustrated in Table 2. The Preferred Integrated model was arranged with
101this sequencing in mind and the prerequisite knowledge is often placed within the same
102course so that it can be taught alongside the application. Successful implementation of
103the Discipline Specific model will require some remediation of the missing prerequisite
104knowledge, and the specific courses in this Framework identify when these situations
105occur in each course.
Table 2. Cross disciplinary learning progressions

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Prerequisite

Gravity & Forces

Heat flow
Heat flow
Chemical reactions
Chemical reactions
Chemical reactions
Fossil Record
Scientific Notation

Application

Astronomy
Weather/Climate
Plate Tectonics
Photosynthesis
Energy from food
Carbon Cycle, Global
Warming
Geologic Time Scale
Scale in the Universe

Grade level introduced

(PrerequisiteApplication)
Preferred
Discipline
Integrated
Specific
88
86 *
66
86 *
66
86 *
77
87 *
77
87 *
77, 8
87, 6 *
88
88

76 *
86 *

* (There are two columns which

compare the two progressions for
the middle grades: The left column is
Preferred Integrated and the column
on the right is Discipline Specific)

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California Department of Education
Posted November 2015
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