An efficacy study of a comprehensive, middle school science curriculum that integrates disciplinary core ideas, science and engineering practices, and crosscutting concepts

探索研究K-12计划（DRK-12）旨在通过研究和开发创新资源，模型和工具（RMT），显着提高学前班学生和教师的科学，技术，工程和数学（STEM）的学习和教学。DRK-12计划中的项目建立在STEM教育的基础研究和先前的研究和开发工作的基础上，为拟议的项目提供理论和经验依据。SRI国际（SRI）与劳伦斯科学大厅（The Hall）合作，将对6-8年级的新综合科学课程进行有效性研究，称为放大科学中学（ASMS）。这所学校的科学课程整合了学科核心思想，科学和工程实践，以及交叉概念。该研究的总体目标是了解课程对学生成绩，课堂实施和教师实践的影响，以及“K-12科学教育框架”和下一代科学标准的建议。虽然完全采用NGSS的州的数量徘徊在20个左右，但另有近20个州已将该框架或NGSS的大部分纳入其州框架。目前，为该框架设计的课程材料数量相对较少，因此，国家统计局设计的课程的功效证据基础有限。随着越来越多的课程材料可用于支持该框架的愿景，科学教育领域需要对课程的有效性和实施这些课程所需的条件进行严格的研究。ASMS是大厅的第一个全面的6-8年级课程，专门设计，以满足框架和NGSS的愿景。ASMS的实地试验有超过475名教师和34，000名学生在各种各样的环境中，包括城市，农村和郊区学校，显示出对学生成绩的积极影响，这是一个令人信服的理由，该研究将涉及定量和定性的方法在实验设计，将允许检查上下文之间的关系，因素和学生的学习收益，以帮助解释结果。因此，这项研究将是重要的移动教育研究人员对增加了解如何有意义的研究和支持教学和学习的地区，将试图实施下一代的科学课程材料。将在有大量学生来自STEM领域代表性不足的群体的地区开展工作，以便教育工作者能够更好地了解NGSS对齐课程在促进科学教育的获取和公平方面的承诺。该研究小组将在2018-19学年开始的7年级教室进行随机分配功效研究，并在2019-20学年与这些学生一起作为8年级学生进行随访。这两种情况下的教师都将接受NGSS的专业发展;治疗条件下的教师也将接受ASMS材料使用方面的专业发展。招募对象是加州和/或华盛顿最多6个大中型地区内的48所中学的样本。研究人员将试图招募一个地区的所有中学和所有7年级的科学教师。预计每所学校平均将有两名教师教授7年级科学的3个部分，每部分30名学生，总共约96名教师和8，640名学生。所有学生都应该有机会学习科学。这项研究的目的是得出有效的推论课程的影响，在高度集中的学生谁一直在STEM历史上代表性不足的地区。这项工作还将有助于更大的，全国性的努力，以支持基于标准的教学改革，在科学，帮助确定成功实施NGSS设计的课程材料所需的条件。调查结果将为新课程材料的投资提供重要依据，并将引起科学教育和学习科学人士以及关注扩大严格课程的地区领导人和决策者的浓厚兴趣。

The Discovery Research K-12 program (DRK-12) seeks to significantly enhance the learning and teaching of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) by preK-12 students and teachers, through research and development of innovative resources, models and tools (RMTs). Projects in the DRK-12 program build on fundamental research in STEM education and prior research and development efforts that provide theoretical and empirical justification for proposed projects.SRI International (SRI) in partnership with Lawrence Hall of Science (the Hall) will conduct an efficacy study of a new comprehensive science curriculum for middle grades 6-8 called Amplify Science Middle School (ASMS). This school science curriculum integrates disciplinary core ideas, science and engineering practices, and crosscutting concepts. The overarching aim of the study will be to understand the impact of the curriculum on student achievement, classroom implementation, and teacher practice in relation to the recommendations of "A Framework for K-12 Science Education" and the Next Generation of Science Standards. While the number of states fully adopting NGSS hovers at around 20, nearly another 20 states have either incorporated the Framework or substantial portions of the NGSS into their state frameworks. Currently, the number of curriculum materials that have been designed for the Framework are relatively few, and thus the efficacy evidence basis for NGSS-designed curricula is limited. As more and more curriculum materials become available for supporting the Framework vision, the science education field needs rigorous research on the efficacy of curricula and the conditions required to implement them. ASMS is the Hall's first comprehensive 6-8 grade curriculum that has been designed specifically to meet the vision of the Framework and NGSS. Field trials of ASMS with more than 475 teachers and 34,000 students in a wide variety of settings, including urban, rural and suburban schools, have shown positive impact on student achievement, providing a compelling reason for a large-scale efficacy trial at this time.The study will involve both quantitative and qualitative methods within an experimental design that will allow the examination of relations between contextual factors and student learning gains to help explain the results. Thus, this study will be important for moving education researchers toward increased understanding of how to meaningfully study and support teaching and learning in districts that will be trying to implement the next generation of science curriculum materials. Work will be conducted in districts with large numbers of students from groups that are underrepresented in STEM fields so that educators can better understand the promise of NGSS-aligned curricula in promoting access and equity in science education. The research team will conduct a random assignment efficacy study in 7th grade classrooms beginning in academic year 2018-19 and following up with these students as 8th graders in academic year 2019-20. Teachers in both conditions will receive professional development on the NGSS; teachers in the treatment condition will also receive professional development in the use of the ASMS materials. The recruiting target is a sample of 48 middle schools within up to 6 medium to large districts in California and/or Washington. The researchers will attempt to recruit all middle schools and all 7th gradescience teachers in a district. It is anticipated that each school will have an average of two teachers teaching 3 sections of 7th grade science with 30 students per section for an approximate total of 96 teachers and 8,640 students. All students should have opportunities to learn science. This study will aim to draw valid inferences about the impact of curricula in districts with high concentrations of students who have been historically underrepresented in STEM. This work will also contribute to the larger, nationwide effort to support standards-based instructional reforms in science by helping to identify conditions needed for successful implementation of NGSS-designed curriculum materials. The findings will provide an important basis for investments in new curriculum materials and will be of strong interest to those in science education and the learning sciences, as well as to district leaders and policymakers concerned with scaling up of rigorous curriculum.