Understanding the New Science Standards

The Science standards have changed for the 2024-2025 school year.  The new TEKS were adopted by the State Board of Education in 2021 and should be implemented in Kindergarten through 12th grade this school year.  Based on A Framework for K-12 Science Education (2012)(Framework), our new standards are broken into three sections - Scientific and Engineering Practices (SEPs), Content, and the Recurring Themes and Concepts (RTCs).  Let’s examine each of these to see the implications for the classroom.

Previously, in Science, we had Scientific Investigation and Reasoning standards, which were widely known as Process Standards.  The move to include engineering and referring to the skills as practices was intentional. Students require distributed practice with these skills for them to be acquired and used with automaticity. Additionally, the need for engineering skills has grown exponentially for our state.  The skills outlined in the Scientific and Engineering Practices, or SEPs, are what scientists and engineers do.  They include the following key ideas from the Framework:

An analogy from the National Science Teachers Association illustrates the new standards as a piece of cake. In this analogy, the SEPs are the specialized tools and techniques necessary to bake a rich, moist, delicious cake layer.  Students will grow these skills over time and with practice.

 

The content, the cake itself, represents the disciplinary core ideas.  With the adoption of the new standards, we see a more consistent alignment, more coherence as concepts build across grade bands, and several concepts beginning earlier such as speed in Grade 1 and chemical energy in Grade 5. Some concepts have been combined to help students make connections, while others have been broken apart to allow for more scaffolding.  Several concepts have moved grade levels, and many standards incorporate new verbs which will highly impact how the lessons must be delivered in the classroom.  Teachers will need to carefully analyze their new standards to be sure they are teaching to the new expectations.

 

Last, we have the Recurring Themes and Concepts, or RTCs.  These are not completely new to science; however, they have become more forward-facing with the implementation of the new TEKS.  In Kindergarten through 8th grade, there are specific standards for the RTCs, such as K.5A-G for Kindergarten, while in high school science TEKS, they are addressed in the introduction section of the standards.  These aid students to engage with cross-curricular concepts and provide a lens for viewing new situations and ideas.  They are how students should think and include the following:

Think of the RTCs as the icing that helps the tools and skills stick together with the disciplinary core ideas and allows students to make connections and apply their knowledge in new situations.

 

The completed cake represents the overall performance expectation and the three dimensions are the components that represent the skillsets necessary for the creation of the cake. The core disciplinary ideas are practiced through doing with the SEPs and making connections with the RTCs to build a stronger understanding within the learner.  Teachers who familiarize themselves with the new TEKS and analyze how they work together within the units of instruction will see greater mastery levels with their students.  

 

To support teachers who were not previously able to attend workshops on the new TEKS, we’ve created an online course, Transitioning to the New K-12 Science TEKS #332283.

Teachers are also supported via a series of courses, TEKS Treks workshops, that address the various grade band changes by reporting category.  The TEKS Treks are cohorts of science teachers working together throughout the school year as they implement the new standards.  

Administrators and teachers can also visit the Region 7 Science webpage for the latest resources and subscribe to our newsletter to stay up-to-date on developments.