HS Earth and Space Science A/B
Core Code Alignment
Science
Earth Science
08040000010: Earth Science (9-12)
Earth Science
08040000010: Earth Science (9-12)
Recommendation
Recommended Limited
Evaluation
A very basic Earth Science program. Doesn't effectively incorporate the 3Ds of science teaching. Assessments are basic, mostly multiple choice. Not totally aligned to Utah curriculum. Not as accessible by all students as other online programs I have used. Some YouTube videos offer more exciting phenomena, in a fraction of the video length, with better and simpler explanation. It's not even that great for credit recovery.
Educators Using These Materials
No educators found.
Rubric : Science 2025
Compliance with State Law (Required)
| Item | 3 - Extensive | 2 - Adequate | 1 - Inadequate | 0 - None | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sensitive Materials and Prohibited Submission 53G-10-103, R277-628 | This item has not been graded. | |||||
| Prohibited discriminatory practices 53G-2-103-5, 53B-1-118 and 67-27-107 | This item has not been graded. | |||||
| Maintaining constitutional freedom in the public schools. 53G-10-202 | This item has not been graded. | |||||
| Free from advertising, e-commerce, or political interest | This item has not been graded. | |||||
Standards
| Item | 3 - Extensive | 2 - Adequate | 1 - Inadequate | 0 - None | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Presence of Three Dimensions of Science: Builds understanding of the science and engineering practices (SEPs), disciplinary core ideas (DCIs), and crosscutting concepts (CCCs). i. Provides opportunities to develop and use specific elements of the SEP(s) ii. Provides opportunities to develop and use specific elements of the DCI(s) iii. Provides opportunities to develop and use specific elements of the CCC(s) | 3 of the Criteria Indicators are met | 2 of the Criteria Indicators are met | 1 of the Criteria Indicators are met | None of the Criteria Indicators are met | ||
| The program does not do well to build understanding of, develop, or use many of the SEPs and CCCs. For example, the SEP "Develop and Use a Model:" When I teach, not only would I have the students develop and use a model, I also have students explore one another's models, evaluate them, optimize them, and talk about different kinds of models such as conceptual, visual, physical, and mathematical. The ASPIRE+ test also asks questions about building and optimizing models. Lessons should continuously link back to CCCs, which "cross-cut" through curricula. A principle or process that I teach about energy in week 1 will be referenced in the same fashion again and again through any subsequent week that includes an energy CCC. I'll have the class repeat it even in week 30. That's the idea of "cross-cutting." | ||||||
| Integration of Three Dimensions of Science: Materials integrate elements of the SEPs, CCCs, and DCIs for student sense‐making: Three dimensions of science (SEPs, CCCs, and DCIs) are integrated (consistently utilized in conjunction with each other) to help students make sense of phenomenon and solve problems. | Three dimensions of science (SEPs, CCCs, and DCIs) are consistently integrated. | Three dimensions of science are integrated in certain portions of the instructional material. | Three dimensions of science are rarely integrated in the instructional material. | Three dimensions of science (SEPs, CCCs, and DCIs) are separated and not integrated for student sense making. | ||
| The three dimensions are rarely integrated. The key word is integrated. In a classroom, if an SEP were "Plan and Carry Out an Investigation," then the central theme would be the planning and carrying out an investigation. The entire unit would be an investigation, with the content trickling in at one piece at a time. Some of the content would come through the process of investigating, or even at the conclusion of the investigation. The KEY is to teach people experimentation. The content will come and can be delivered in a dozen ways. A CCC is patterns. students should be trained to recognize patterns as they observe the world. I have questions that I use in my room that are standard and re-used that redirect students to concentrate on patterns. This program dumps lots of content, and then says: "Now, you're gonna make a model." The end. Doesn't teach model making or talk about what makes a model good through the lessons. | ||||||
| Alignment to Standards: The DCI Concepts (science content) in the instructional materials align to the Utah Science with Engineering Education (SEEd) Standards | DCI concepts (science content) in the instructional material align to 100% the SEEd Standards for the Grade/Course. | DCI concepts (science content) in the instructional material align to 75% the SEEd Standards for the Grade/Course. | DCI concepts (science content) in the instructional material align to 50% the SEEd Standards for the Grade/Course. | DCI concepts (science content) in the instructional material align to less than 50% the SEEd Standards for the Grade/Course. | ||
| It aligns about 50% of the time. The issue is depth and state-alignment. Teachers can go as deep as they go. The state standards are the minimum. But at the same time, Utah has very specific DCI's having rejected the adoption of the full NGSS. This program seems to deliver the same Earth and Space science curriculum that's been offered for 30 years in textbooks across the country. Having taught ES&S, I know the specific, quirky list of standards included in Utah's core and I don't think this program was tailored to it. | ||||||
| Scientific Accuracy: Uses scientifically accurate and grade‐appropriate scientific information, phenomena, and representations to support students’ three‐dimensional learning. | Instructional materials are scientifically accurate and grade appropriate. | N/A | N/A | Instructional materials are NOT scientifically accurate and grade appropriate. | ||
| Never saw anything inaccurate. | ||||||
Pedagogy
| Item | 3 - Extensive | 2 - Adequate | 1 - Inadequate | 0 - None | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Focus on Phenomena (Science) or Problems (Engineering): Making sense of phenomena and/or designing solutions to a problem drive student learning. i. Student questions and prior experiences related to the phenomenon or problem motivate sense‐making and/or problem solving ii. The focus of the lesson is to support students in making sense of phenomena and/or designing solutions to problems iii. When engineering is a learning focus, it is integrated with developing disciplinary core ideas from physical, life, and/or earth and space sciences | 3 of the Criteria Indicators are met | 2 of the Criteria Indicators are met | 1 of the Criteria Indicators are met | None of the Criteria Indicators are met | ||
| There are phenomena. Yes. But just like the SEPs and CCCs, they aren't quite integrated. The key word is integrated. Students aren't going to make sense of it. Going back to the OER guides... those are guides. Teachers can use them just to look for an idea. But even those make the phenomenon a central theme that needs to be solved or made clear or explained. They don't do it well, but it does it. This class really doesn't do it in a centralized way or consistently. | ||||||
| Scaffolding: Identifies and builds on students’ prior learning in all three dimensions i. Provides supports to help students engage in the practices and gradually adjusts supports over time so that students are increasingly responsible for making sense of phenomena and/or designing solutions to problems (Required) ii. Explicitly identifies prior student learning expected for all three dimensions iii. Clearly explains how the prior learning will be built upon | 3 of the Criteria Indicators are met | 2 of the Criteria Indicators are met (i MUST BE MET) | Only Criteria Indicator i has been met | None of the Criteria Indicators are met | ||
| It does not consistently explicitly identify prior learning, reference it, use it, and build upon it. Whenever I teach, on Mondays, I remind students what we have done and where we are going and what is next... and how it all relates. Building upon this prior knowledge also helps incorporate CCCs much easier. This program does not do it clearly or well. | ||||||
| Teacher Supports: Supports teachers in facilitating coherent student learning experiences over time i. Provides strategies for linking student engagement across lessons (e.g. cultivating new student questions at the end of a lesson in a way that leads to future lessons) ii. Providing strategies for ensuring student sense‐making and/or problem‐solving is linked to learning in all three dimensions (e.g. Claim Evidence Reasoning-CER Framework for communicating sense-making, teacher probing questions) iii. Provides additional resources for student learning (e.g. Models, simulations, and/or data sets for students investigation) | 3 of the Criteria Indicators are met | 2 of the Criteria Indicators are met | 1 of the Criteria Indicators are met | None of the Criteria Indicators are met | ||
| The program does indeed provide models, simulations, and other media for student investigation. But it does not in any effective and organized manner link student engagement across lessons. Again, in my previous comment, I have my Monday narratives where I talk about where we are, how we got there, and where we are going next. Flow. There wasn't a lot of sense-making or problem-solving. It's implied and assumed that they would. Questions need to be designed in a manner that are sort-of a guided practice that leads students into learning the process they will utilize. They need to flow in a progression to train the brain to think in a certain manner or end up in a certain line of questioning. Even on the ASPIRE+ exam, certain introductory questions in a cluster set up answers to the more difficult questions later in the cluster by causing students to focus on certain elements of that cluster. | ||||||
| Assessments: Includes formative, summative, and guidance measures for interpreting student performances that assess three‐dimensional science learning. i. Embeds formative assessment processes throughout conceptual development that surfaces student understanding to inform instruction ii. Embeds summative assessment processes following conceptual development that evaluate student learning and measure understanding iii. Includes aligned rubrics or scoring guidelines that provide guidance for interpreting student performance | 3 of the Criteria Indicators are met | 2 of the Criteria Indicators are met | 1 of the Criteria Indicators are met | None of the Criteria Indicators are met | ||
| There are many types of assessments, even beyond summative and formative. There's many ways to ask a question. There's many types of questions. There's many reasons to give an assessment. This program was written by people who don't know what an assessment is or why we give them. The reason it's a 1 and not a 0 is that there are indeed pretests and embedded formatives in the program. They are not great, but they are there. | ||||||
Accessibility
| Item | 3 - Extensive | 2 - Adequate | 1 - Inadequate | 0 - None | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Relevant and Authentic: Engages students in authentic and meaningful scenarios that reflect the practice of science and engineering as experienced in the real world. i. Students experience phenomena or design problems as directly as possible (first-hand or through media representations) ii. Includes suggestions for how to connect instruction to the students' home, neighborhood, community and/or culture as appropriate iii. Provides opportunities for students to connect their explanation of a phenomenon and/or their design solution to a problem to questions from their own experience | 3 of the 4 Criteria Indicators are met | 2 of the 4 Criteria Indicators are met | 1 of the 4 Criteria Indicators are met | None of the 4 Criteria Indicators are met | ||
| Students will experience real-world phenomena through media. There are times in which a student can connect instruction to experience or explanation, but not consistent. Same with home, neighborhood, or community, but not consistent. | ||||||
| Teacher Supports for Diverse Learners: Provides guidance for teachers to support differentiated instruction i. Includes appropriate reading, writing, listening, and/or speaking alternatives (e.g., translations, picture support, graphic organizers, etc.) for students who are English language learners, have special needs, or read well below grade level ii. Provides extra support (e.g., phenomena, representations, tasks) for students who are struggling to meet the targeted expectations iii. Provides extensions for students with high interest or who have already met the performance expectations to develop a deeper understanding of the practices, disciplinary core ideas, and crosscutting concepts | 3 of the Criteria Indicators are met | 2 of the Criteria Indicators are met | 1 of the Criteria Indicators are met | None of the Criteria Indicators are met | ||
| There is some tailoring to diverse learners. It's lacking in graphic organizers and ways to collect and organize information while going through the course. There's a notes pad. But I know, when I look at the manipulatives and organizers that I hand out, and the notes students take, there needs to be a diverse way of supporting instruction. Students need something to do as they're not going to stare at a screen for an hour listening attentively. Sometimes there's video and audio with no text. It's great for ELL's with the translator. It has a highlighter. But it doesn't do well for poor populations, or inner-city populations, and I teach at a poor, inner-city school. It doesn't do well for autistic students either. | ||||||
| Accessible for all students: Engages students using methods, vocabulary, representations, and examples that are accessible and unbiased for all learners (e.g., Deaf and Blind, English Learners, Gifted and Talented, Special Education). | Instructional Materials are accessible for all students | N/A | N/A | Instructional Materials are NOT accessible for all students | ||
| I don't know how a blind or deaf person can use an online class. I have no expertise on that. It's not really great for the gifted/talented either. Vocabulary is an issue as well. I teach at a school where 76% of my students are IEP, ELL, 504, or emotionally affected, or absent more than 15% of the time. We are also 46% free lunch. This program hits basic levels of accessibility like translation, highlighter, progress-checking, and TTS. Accessibility is so much more than that. | ||||||
| Physical Characteristics | This item has not been graded. | |||||
| Technical Standards | This item has not been graded. | |||||
| Ethnic Studies- (Ethnic studies in core standards and curriculum should be a narrowly tailored incorporation of age-appropriate opportunities that naturally arise through education without pretextual effort in courses, programs, or activities where ethnic studies is not a primary focus. The material should incorporate a curriculum of people and cultures that reflect the state’s various demographics without commentary that seeks to violate the neutrality standard established in codes: 53B-1-118, 53G-2-103, 53G-2-104, 53G-2-105, 67-27-107, | This item has not been graded. | |||||
| Shared Values and Character Traits | This item has not been graded. | |||||
UTAH STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION
250 East 500 South
Salt Lake City, UT 84111-3204
Phone: 801.538.7807