Lessons Learned From the Investigating and Questioning Our World Through Science and Technology (IQWST) Project Regarding the Use of Learning Progressions in the Design of Instruction and Teacher-Student Discourse

• In Event: Approaches to the Use of Learning Progressions Within Multidimensional Formative Assessment Activities in Science

Abstract

1. Purpose: IQWST is a sequenced, 12-unit middle school science curriculum, developed with support from the National Science Foundation. The content, pedagogies, and practices embody the principles that undergird the National Research Council’s Framework for K-12 Science Education (2011) and the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS, 2013). IQWST’s foundation can be seen as a series of learning progressions of scientific ideas and practices that are interwoven throughout the curriculum. This presentation will focus the development across units and grade levels of two practices within the NGSS: developing and using models and engaging in argumentation from evidence. Lessons learned regarding the use of these learning progressions in the design of instruction and formative assessments will be discussed.

2. Theoretical Frameworks:

Curriculum coherence--“presenting a complete set of interrelated ideas and making connections among them explicit” (Roseman, Linn, & Koppal, 2008)—was identified as the greatest predictor of student learning in the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study ( 2005). However, most traditional U.S. science curricula do not support deep, integrated student learning due to their lack of coherence (Kesidou & Roseman, 2002; National Research Council, 2007). The effects of curricular coherence on learning remain largely untested in the U.S. due to a dearth of such curricula and of measures to assess them.


3. Methods:
Assessments were developed for each unit based on its learning performances, content, and representations (Krajcik et al., 2008); thus, the items can be considered “near measures” of student understanding. Each unit used a pre/posttest design that included 15 multiple-choice questions and 3 open-ended, constructed-response items. After drafting, items were assessed using the Project 2061 Item Analysis Procedure (DeBoer, Herrmann Abell, & Gogos, 2007) to ensure alignment with learning performances. Assessments were piloted prior to National Field Trials. The test procedure was designed to yield students’ gain scores and to track learning across all three grades.




4. Data Sources:

Approximately 8,000 students, 101 teachers, and 19 schools participated in the IQWST research from 2007-2010. Students attended middle schools in four states and represent a range of ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds and academic abilities.

5. Results/Substantiated conclusions:

Using pre and post test data, the studies concluded that students experienced significant learning gains after participating in each of the IQWST chemistry units This finding shows that student learning improved across the grades and supports the hypothesis regarding the importance of curriculum coherence as operationalized through learning progressions.


6. Significance: The Next Generation Science Standards, which are more rigorous than most existing state standards, are expected to be adopted by many states.. Building coherent curricula and instructional activities that utilize research-based learning progressions to build deep understandings holds promise in leading to stronger educational performance of students.

Author

• Joseph S. Krajcik, Michigan State University