INSTRUCTIONAL LEADERSHIP FOR SCIENCE PRACTICES (ILSP)

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Science Practices Continuum – Students’ Performance

This continuum is intended for teachers and administrators to use in guiding and evaluating student performance in the science
practices. The levels reflect increasingly sophisticated engagement in the practices and are not grade-level specific; students can
engage in the practices in developmentally appropriate ways at any of these levels. Appendix F in the NGSS provides significantly
more detail for each practice (that should be integrated as both students and teachers develop greater fluency with each practice).
The practices are grouped into the “Investigating” “Sensemaking” and “Critiquing” practices.

Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Level 4

1. Students do not ask Students ask questions. Students ask questions. Students ask questions.
Asking questions questions. Students’ questions are Students’ questions are Students’ questions are
both scientific and non- typically scientific (i.e. typically scientific (i.e.
scientific questions (i.e., not answerable through answerable through
answerable through the gathering evidence about gathering evidence about
gathering of evidence or the natural world). the natural world). Students
about the natural world). Students do not evaluate do evaluate the merits and
Investigating Practices

the merits and limitations limitations of the questions.

of the questions.

3. Students do not design or Students conduct Students design or conduct Students design and conduct
Planning and conduct investigations. investigations, but these investigations to gather investigations to gather
carrying out opportunities are typically data. Students make data. Students make
investigations teacher-driven. Students do decisions about decisions about
not make decisions about experimental variables, experimental variables,
experimental variables or controls or investigational controls and investigational
investigational methods methods (e.g. number of methods (e.g. number of
(e.g. number of trials). trials). trials).

5. Students do not use Students use mathematical Students use mathematical Students make decisions
Using mathematical skills (i.e., skills or concepts but these skills or concepts to about what mathematical
mathematics and measuring, estimating) or are not connected to answer a scientific question. skills or concepts to use.
computational concepts (i.e., ratios). answering a scientific Students use mathematical
thinking question. skills or concepts to answer
a scientific question.
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2. Students do not create or Students create or use Students create or use Students create or use
Developing and use models. models. The models focus models focused on models focused on
using models on describing natural predicting or explaining the predicting or explaining the
phenomena rather than natural world. Students do natural world. Students do
predicting or explaining the not evaluate the merits and evaluate the merits and
natural world. Students do limitations of the model. limitations of the model.
not evaluate the merits and
limitations of the model.
Sensemaking Practices

4. Students may record data, Students work with data to Students work with data to Students make decisions
Analyzing and but do not analyze data. organize or group the data organize or group the data about how to analyze data
interpreting data in a table or graph. in a table or graph. (e.g. table or graph) and
However, students do not Students make sense of work with the data to create
recognize patterns or data by recognizing the representation.
relationships in the natural patterns or relationships in Students make sense of data
world. the natural world. by recognizing patterns or
relationships in the natural
world.

6. Students do not create Students attempt to create Students attempt to create Students construct
Constructing scientific explanations. scientific explanations but scientific explanations but explanations that focus on
explanations students’ explanations are students’ explanations are explaining how or why a
descriptive instead of descriptive instead of phenomenon occurs and use
explaining how or why a explaining how or why a appropriate evidence to
phenomenon occurs. phenomenon occurs. support their explanations.
Students do not use Students use appropriate
appropriate evidence to evidence to support their
support their explanations. explanations.
 INSTRUCTIONAL LEADERSHIP FOR SCIENCE PRACTICES (ILSP)
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7. Students do not engage in Students engage in Students to engage in Students engage in student-
Engaging in argumentation. argumentation where they student-driven driven argumentation. The
argument from support their claims with argumentation. The student discourse includes
evidence evidence or reasoning, but student discourse includes evidence, reasoning that
the discourse is primarily evidence and reasoning to links the evidence to their
teacher-driven. support their claim. claim and critique of
Critiquing Practices

Students also agree and competing arguments

disagree, but rarely engage during which students build
in critique. on and question each
other’s ideas.

8. Students do not read text Students read text to obtain Students read and evaluate Students read and evaluate
Obtaining, for scientific information. scientific information, but text to obtain scientific text to obtain scientific
evaluating, and do not evaluate this information. Students do information. Students
communicating information. Students also not compare or combine compare and combine
information do not compare or combine information from multiple information from multiple
information from multiple texts considering the texts considering the
texts considering the strengths of the strengths of the information
strengths of the information and sources. and sources.
information and sources.

Classroom Culture Prioritizing Science Practices

Less ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------More
Connected to the Natural World
Focused on Scientific Evidence
Student Directed and Collaborative
Informed by Critique