Pieces of the Puzzle 2. In reviewing state and district standards, indicators, or expectations, a match with a particular NAEP content objective is determined by examining the content, the verbs, and the elaboration (if any) in the text of the state and/or district content standards. Here are some options: a. The science content matches exactly or closely. b. The content of the NAEP content objective is foundational to the content encompassed by the state and/or district standard. c. A state or district standard is broader than a single NAEP content objective and will match to more than one NAEP objective. d. Two or more state or district standards (at the same or at different grades) match to a single NAEP content objective. The supporting curricular and instructional materials may be referenced to help determine the content boundaries of a state or district standard. 3. Content is entered for grade 5 only when (a) it matches an NAEP content objective AND there is no applicable grade 3 or grade 4 state and/or district standard OR (b) when grade 5 elaborates and expands on grades 3 and 4 in ways that represent a closer or clearer match. 4. In making these matching decisions, err on the side of being inclusive. It is much easier to decide later in the process that a match does not really hold than it is to reconstruct a match that was not made. 5. When available, published research on how students learn is used to support identified implicit matches. Resources for such research include Benchmarks for Science Literacy (AAAS, 1993); Atlas of Science Literacy, Vol. 1 (AAAS, 2001); and Atlas of Science Literacy, Vol. 2 (AAAS, 2007).
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Council of the Great City Schools and the American Institutes for Research Council of the Great City Schools • American Institutes for Research • Fall 2011
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