Alignment of the 2003 NSTA Standards for Science Teacher Preparation with the NCATE Assessment System

Abstract

The 2003 National Science Teachers Association Standards for Science Teacher Preparation (NSTA-SSTP) were developed to provide guidelines and expectations for science teacher preparation programs. This article is the second in a special JSTE series on accreditation written to assist science teacher educators in meeting the NSTA-SSTP and to answer questions that may arise such as: What are the requirements for NSTA science teacher preparation program recognition? How are the 2003 NSTA-SSTP aligned with the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education assessments? In this article, the authors focus on the three themes that science teacher preparation programs must address: content, pedagogy, and student learning. Included is a description of the priorities of the review process and the minimum competencies needed for a science teacher preparation program to be nationally recognized.

Appendix

• Standard 1a: Understand and can successfully convey to students the major concepts, principles, theories, laws, and interrelationships of their fields of licensure and supporting fields as recommended by the National Science Teachers Association.

• Standard 1b: Understand and can successfully convey to students the unifying concepts of science delineated by the National Science Education Standards;

• Standard 1c: Understand and can successfully convey to students important personal and technological applications of science in their fields of licensure;

• Standard 1d: Understand research and can successfully design, conduct, report and evaluate investigations in science.

• Standard 1e: And understand and can successfully use mathematics to process and report data, and solve problems, in their field(s) of licensure.

• Standard 2a: Understand the historical and cultural development of science and the evolution of knowledge in their discipline;

• Standard 2b: Understand the philosophical tenets, assumptions, goals, and values that distinguish science from technology and from other ways of knowing the world;

• Standard 2c: Engage students successfully in studies of the nature of science including, when possible, the critical analysis of false or doubtful assertions made in the name of science.

• Standard 3a: Understand the processes, tenets, and assumptions of multiple methods of inquiry leading to scientific knowledge;

• Standard 3b: Engage students successfully in developmentally appropriate inquiries that require them to develop concepts and relationships from their observations, data, and inferences in a scientific manner.

• Standard 4a: Understand socially important issues related to science and technology in their field of licensure, as well as processes used to analyze and make decisions on such issues;

• Standard 4b: Engage students successfully in the analysis of problems, including considerations of risks, costs, and benefits of alternative solutions; relating these to the knowledge, goals and values of the students.

• Standard 5: Teachers of science create a community of diverse learners who construct meaning from their science experiences and possess a disposition for further exploration and learning. They use, and can justify, a variety of classroom arrangements, groupings, actions, strategies, and methodologies (5a through 5f).

• Standard 6a: Understand the curricular recommendations of the National Science Education Standards, and can identify, access, and/or create resources and activities for science education that are consistent with the standards;

• Standard 6b: Plan and implement internally consistent units of study that address the diverse goals of the National Science Education Standards and the needs and abilities of students.

• Standard 7a: Identify ways to relate science to the community, involve stakeholders, and use community resources to promote the learning of science.

• Standard 7b: Involve students successfully in activities that relate science to resources and stakeholders in the community or to the resolution of issues important to the community.

• Standard 8a: Use multiple assessment tools and strategies to achieve important goals for instruction that are aligned with methods of instruction and the needs of students;

• Standard 8b: Use the results of multiple assessments to guide and modify instruction, the classroom environment, or the assessment process;

• Standard 8c: Use the results of assessments as vehicles for students to analyze their own learning, engaging students in reflective self-analysis of their own work.

• Standard 9a: Understand the legal and ethical responsibilities of science teachers for the welfare of their students, the proper treatment of animals, and the maintenance and disposal of materials;

• Standard 9b: Know and practice safe and proper techniques for the preparation, storage, dispensing, supervision, and disposal of all materials used in science instruction;

• Standard 9c: Know and follow emergency procedures, maintain safety equipment, and ensure safety procedures appropriate for the activities and the abilities of students;

• Standard 9d: Treat all living organisms used in the classroom or found in the field in a safe, humane, and ethical manner and respect legal restrictions on their collection, keeping, and use.

• Standard 10: Teachers of science strive continuously to grow and change, personally and professionally, to meet the diverse needs of their students, school, community, and profession (10a through 10d).