Mstep Science

• How the standards are written.

• Describe what students should be able to do in order to demonstrate that they have met the standard.

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​Science and Engineering Practices describe behaviors that scientists engage in as they investigate and build models and theories about the natural world and the key set of engineering practices that engineers use as they design and build models and systems.

Disciplinary core ideas have the power to focus K–12 science curriculum, instruction, and assessments on the most important aspects of science. To be considered core, the ideas should meet at least two of the following criteria and ideally all four:

• Have broad importance across multiple sciences or engineering disciplines or be a key organizing concept of a single discipline;

• Provide a key tool for understanding or investigating more complex ideas and solving problems;

• Relate to the interests and life experiences of students or be connected to societal or personal concerns that require scientific or technological knowledge;

• Be teachable and learnable over multiple grades at increasing levels of depth and sophistication.

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Physical Science is a disciplinary core idea. This science domain covers ideas in both physics and chemistry.

The other disciplinary core ideas are, Life Science, Earth and Space Science and Engineering, Technology and the Application of Science

​Crosscutting concepts have application across all domains of science. As such, they are a way of linking the different domains of science.

​There are 7 cross cutting concepts that apply across all four science domains and span through all grade levels.