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Oregon Science Educator Update September 9, 2024
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Welcome to the School Year
We hope you were able to have some well-deserved rest and relaxation this summer. Dr. Charlene Williams, Director of the Oregon Department of Education, said it best, "There’s something truly special about the energy and excitement that fills our schools at the start of the year—a feeling of hope, possibility, and a fresh start."
We are grateful for your dedication and commitment to science education and to the students who already have or will be entering your classrooms. Welcome back, and thank you for the difference you will make during this school year!
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ODE Science Ignite Sessions
Looking for resources or ways to elevate your science teaching and learning strategies but are limited on time? Join ODE Science Education Specialist, Jamie Rumage, and Science Assessment Specialist, Dr. Mariela Salas Bao, for dynamic 30-minute sessions packed with practical insights and innovative approaches to science teaching and learning.
These brief sessions will take place on the first Wednesday of each month from 4:00 PM to 4:30 PM starting October 2nd. Register here and don’t miss this opportunity to ask questions, connect with fellow educators, and enhance your science classroom experience!
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Sustainability and Climate Change Educational Resources
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Learning in Places (LiP): This project, funded by National Science Foundation (NSF), is a collaboration between educational researchers and teachers that are designing, implementing, and studying a model of field-based science education that centers equity and families’ cultural ways of knowing through a Rhizome Model. It is a model of pedagogy that centers racial equity, ethical, evidence-based decision-making, and just relations with the natural world. Each framework includes vignettes that show the ideas in practice and self-assessments that can use to reflect on current and future thinking and practice.
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National Center for Science Education: The five climate change lesson sets were developed to support high school educators tackle the most common climate change misconceptions that students bring to the classroom.
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Smithsonian Science Education Center: The Earth Optimism ten-part education series includes videos and lessons on steps towards sustainability and the impact of optimism.
- Smithsonian Science for Global Goals Project, which provides youth around the world, ages 8-17, with the knowledge and skills to understand the world’s most pressing issues and to become agents for change in their own communities. Through a series of freely-available community research guides, young people use their communities as their laboratory to investigate the science that underlies the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
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STEM Teaching Tool Practice Brief: The brief, "How might climate educators leverage the diverse funds of knowledge of rural communities?," explores how to raise powerful questions to focus classroom inquiry, but making connections between local examples and global climate change.
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The interactive overview and full report puts forth a framework to guide decision makers short- and long-term goals for equity and to make decisions about policy and practice. While each frame is described as distinct, the concepts and principles can overlap in practice and do not have to be completed in the sequential order. The frames were created with the intention to meet education and community partners where they currently are and help them move toward more equitable opportunities within the education system.
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K-5 Science Resources
OpenSciEd has released six elementary science units. These lessons are licensed under creative commons to use freely within elementary classrooms. These units were field-tested in hundreds of classrooms and have been designed for ease of use. Each unit is centered on an authentic phenomenon that will ignite students' curiosity and set them on a lifelong journey of scientific exploration. These resources are also located on the Oregon Open Learning Hub within the K-2 and 3-5 Science Groups.
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ODE OSAS Interim and Local Performance Assessment Updates
Science Interim Assessments:
OSAS Science interim assessments are designed to be used formatively to guide teaching and learning. Interim assessments are available at no cost to educators. They are not benchmark assessments that test students over a full year's worth of standards. Rather, they are short tests designed to be embedded in curriculum maps throughout the academic year.
The ODE's Interim Assessment Webpage contains a number of useful resources including a list of all OSAS interim assessments for ELA, Math and Science. These overview documents are updated each year as more interim assessments are made available. Test items can be previewed in the OSAS Portal before being administered.
Here are two new resources to support science classrooms:
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OSAS Interim Assessment Overview This document provides detailed descriptions of the interim assessments, including their purpose, type, and use. It also includes a list of available interim assessments for each grade and subject, now covering all three content areas: Science, Math, and ELA.
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Science Quick Guide to Administering Interim Assessments: This guide offers step-by-step instructions for administering the OSAS Science Interim Assessments, covering essential tools like the Assessment Viewing Application, Secure Browser, TA Interface, and Centralized Reporting System.
If you are an educator, please contact your School or District Test Coordinator to request access. For more information please visit the ODE Interim Assessment webpage.
Local Performance Assessment:
Performance-based assessments are a vital component of a district’s balanced assessment system. OAR 581-022-0615 requires public school districts and charter schools to administer Local Performance Assessments (LPAs) in grades 3-8 and once in high school in the content areas of writing, speaking, mathematical problem solving, and scientific inquiry. This two-page Practice Brief is designed to help educators and leaders take a student-centered approach to meeting the requirements of the policy by understanding the benefits of performance-based assessments, how to use district-adopted instructional materials as a source of LPAs, and how to use a single task across multiple content areas. For more information please visit the Local Performance Assessment Requirement webpage.
Please contact Dr. Mariela Salas Bao, Science Assessment Specialist, with questions or support needs.
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Capturing the Cosmos: Images from the James Webb Space Telescope
Discover how the James Webb Space Telescope’s striking images expand what we know about galaxies, stars, and planets. Images will be on view at the University of Oregon Museum of Natural and Cultural History from Saturday, September 14 - December 31, 2014.
Join special guest astronomer, Scott Fisher, Director of Pine Mountain Observatory for opening night on Friday, September 13th from 7:00 - 9:00 pm. Come watch the moon rise above the university courtyard and enjoy using the telescopes for a closer look.
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NASA TechRise Student Challenge
The NASA TechRise Student Challenge is an exciting opportunity for students in grades six through 12 to engage in scientific exploration by designing, building, and launching experiments on NASA-supported high-altitude balloon flights. This challenge, open to teams affiliated with U.S. public, private, and charter schools, encourages students to test their experiments with exposure to Earth’s atmosphere and views of our planet. Sixty winning teams will be selected to receive $1,500 to construct their experiment, along with technical support from Future Engineers, and a reserved spot for their experiment on a balloon flight. No prior experience is necessary to participate.
The contest opens in August 2024, with entries due by November 2024, and winners beginning their build in January 2025. The experiments are expected to launch between June and July 2025. Educators and students can register to stay informed about the challenge and upcoming free workshop opportunities. For more information and to register, visit NASA TechRise Student Challenge.
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Oregon Science Leaders
Oregon Science Leaders is a free, regional network for K-16 science educators and science leaders. This organization is co-led by multiple Oregon ESDs and school districts.
These monthly gatherings will occur on the First Tuesday of the month from October to May (12:00 - 1:00 pm PT). They are specifically designed for science TOSAs, specialists, building administrators, and district administrators. Register here and join next month's conversation on the key recommendations in OSL's Action Guide and other curriculum implementation efforts.
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Sign Up for the ODE K-5 Newsletter
The Oregon Department of Education’s (ODE) Office of Teaching, Learning, and Assessment is launching a new quarterly newsletter for K-5 educators. This newsletter provides resources, opportunities, guidance, and ODE updates tailored specifically to support the integrated and well-rounded instruction that elementary education entails. It aims to streamline information related to K-5 academic standards and instruction into one convenient communication.
Please subscribe or share the link with K-5 teachers who might be interested.
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if you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to reach out to:
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The materials contained in the Department of Education’s Oregon Science Educator Update are drawn from both internal and external sources and inclusion of external materials does not necessarily indicate Oregon Department of Education endorsement.
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