Resources

SIPS Resources

The SIPS partners are producing a wide range of science assessment resources for public access and use that are coordinated and aligned across all parts of a standards-based system of curriculum, instruction, and assessment. With coherence as a guiding principle, SIPS is engaging state and local educators from all six partner states to identify meaningful bundles of Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) performance expectations for grades 5 and 8 and to create four unit maps (i.e., instructional frameworks) to cover those expectations. Each unit map is accompanied by a suite of curriculum, instruction, and assessment resources designed to support high-quality, three-dimensional science teaching and learning along a year-long instructional pathway.

For more information about the SIPS resources, see the SIPS Assessment Model Interpretive Guide (.pptx, .pdf).

Grade 5 Unit 1: Matter and Its Interactions

The Grade 5 Unit 1 topic, “Matter and Its Interactions,” organizes the Next Generation Science Standards performance expectations with a focus on helping students develop an understanding of matter and its interactions and the structure, properties, and conservation of matter.

Grade 5 Unit 1 Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment Resources

Unit Map / Instructional Framework (.docx, .pdf)

Curriculum
  • Claim, Measurement Target, and PE Bundle (.docx, .pdf)
  • Storyline Overview (.ppt, .pdf)
  • Student Profile (.docx, .pdf)
  • Policy and Range Performance Level Descriptors (.docx, .pdf)
  • Stage 1 Learning Goals* (See Unit Map / Instructional Framework)

Assessment
  • Stage 2 Instructionally-embedded Assessments* (See Unit Map / Instructional Framework)
  • Designing Equitable Assessments for Diverse Learners (.docx, .pdf)
  • Sample Instructionally-embedded Assessments:
    • Segment 3: “Weight of Water”
    • Segment 4: “How Did the Balloon Fill?”
  • End-of-Unit Assessment (.docx, .pdf)
    • Assessment Scoring Guide (.docx, .pdf)
    • Design Tools:
      • Unpacking Tool (.docx, .pdf)
      • Design Pattern (.docx, .pdf)
      • Task 1 Specification Tool: “What’s the Matter” (.docx, .pdf)
      • Task 2 Specification Tool: “What Just Happened?” (.docx, .pdf)
      • Task 3 Specification Tool: “Change or Not?” (.docx, .pdf)

Instruction
  • Stage 3 Learning Plan* (See Unit Map / Instructional Framework)
  • Differentiation Strategies and Resources (.docx, .pdf)
  • Sample Lessons:
    • Segment 1: “What is Air?” (.docx, .pdf)
    • Segment 3: “Where Did it Go?” (.docx, .pdf)

*Embedded within Unit Map / Instructional Framework

Grade 5 Unit 2: Matter and Energy in Organisms and Ecosystems

The Grade 5 Unit 2 topic, “Matter and Energy in Organisms and Ecosystems” organizes the Next Generation Science Standards performance expectations with a focus on helping students develop an understanding of the interconnectedness of organisms and environments within ecosystems, and how matter cycles and energy flows within these ecosystems that enable living things to grow and survive.

Grade 5 Unit 2 Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment Resources

Unit Map / Instructional Framework (.docx, .pdf)

Curriculum
  • Claim, Measurement Target, and PE Bundle (.docx, .pdf)
  • Storyline Overview (.ppt, .pdf)
  • Student Profile (.docx, .pdf)
  • Policy and Range Performance Level Descriptors (.docx, .pdf)
  • Stage 1 Learning Goals* (See Unit Map / Instructional Framework)

Assessment
  • Stage 2 Instructionally-embedded Assessments* (See Unit Map / Instructional Framework)
  • Designing Equitable Assessments for Diverse Learners (.docx, .pdf)
  • Sample Instructionally-embedded Assessments:
    • Segment 1: “The Life of a Bear”
    • Segment 2: “Lights for Plants, On or Off?”
    • Segment 3: “Movement and Decomposition of Matter in an Ecosystem”
  • End-of-Unit Assessment (.docx, .pdf)
    • Assessment Scoring Guide (.docx, .pdf)
    • Design Tools:
      • Unpacking Tool (.docx, .pdf)
      • Design Pattern (.docx, .pdf)
      • Task 1 Specification Tool: “What it Takes to Grow” (.docx, .pdf)
      • Task 2 Specification Tool: “Our Friend the Worm” (.docx, .pdf)
      • Task 3 Specification Tool: “Cycling Through a System” (.docx, .pdf)

Instruction
  • Stage 3 Learning Plan* (See Unit Map / Instructional Framework)
  • Differentiation Strategies and Resources (.docx, .pdf)
  • Sample Lessons:
    • Segment 1: “Matter Matters” (.docx, .pdf)
    • Segment 3: “Matter Cycles through Decomposition: What’s the Breakdown?” (.docx, .pdf)

*Embedded within Unit Map / Instructional Framework

Grade 5 Unit 3: Earth Systems and the Solution of Water Problems

The Grade 5 Unit 3 topic, “Earth Systems and the Solution of Water Problems,” organizes performance expectations with a focus on the interconnectedness of how different Earth systems interact with each other and how water plays an important role for each of the four Earth systems, especially the biosphere.

Grade 5 Unit 3 Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment Resources

Unit Map / Instructional Framework (.docx, .pdf)

Curriculum
  • Claim, Measurement Target, and PE Bundle (.docx, .pdf)
  • Storyline Overview (.ppt, .pdf)
  • Student Profile (.docx, .pdf)
  • Policy and Range Performance Level Descriptors (.docx, .pdf)
  • Stage 1 Learning Goals* (See Unit Map / Instructional Framework)

Assessment
  • Stage 2 Instructionally-embedded Assessments* (See Unit Map / Instructional Framework)
  • Designing Equitable Assessments for Diverse Learners (.docx, .pdf)
  • Sample Instructionally-embedded Assessments:
    • Segment 1: “Fresh Water by the Numbers”
    • Segment 1: “Clean Water on the Trail”
  • End-of-Unit Assessment (.docx, .pdf)
    • Assessment Scoring Guide (.docx, .pdf)
    • Design Tools:
      • Unpacking Tool (.docx, .pdf)
      • Design Pattern (.docx, .pdf)
      • Task 1 Specification Tool: “Every Drop Counts” (.docx, .pdf)
      • Task 2 Specification Tool: “Searching for Freshwater” (.docx, .pdf)
      • Task 3 Specification Tool: “Protecting Earth’s Soil” (.docx, .pdf)

Instruction
  • Stage 3 Learning Plan* (See Unit Map / Instructional Framework)
  • Differentiation Strategies and Resources (.docx, .pdf)
  • Sample Lessons:
    • Segment 2: “Water, Water Everywhere and Not a Drop to Drink” (.docx, .pdf)
    • Segment 2: “Can You Catch the Water?” (.docx, .pdf)

*Embedded within Unit Map / Instructional Framework

Grade 5 Unit 4: Earth and its Gravitational Force and Motion

The Grade 5 Unit 4 topic, “Earth and its Gravitational Force and Motion,” organizes the Next Generation Science Standards performance expectations with a focus on helping students develop an understanding of how Earth’s spin is related to how much sunlight is received in any location, how Earth’s gravitational force is always directed downwards, and how the distance of Earth from the sun and stars influences their brightness.

Grade 5 Unit 4 Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment Resources

Unit Map / Instructional Framework (.docx, .pdf)

Curriculum
  • Claim, Measurement Target, and PE Bundle (.docx, .pdf)
  • Storyline Overview (.pptx, .pdf)
  • Student Profile (.docx, .pdf)
  • Policy and Range Performance Level Descriptors (.docx, .pdf)
  • Stage 1 Learning Goals* (See Unit Map / Instructional Framework)

Assessment
  • Stage 2 Instructionally-embedded Assessments* (See Unit Map / Instructional Framework)
  • Designing Equitable Assessments for Diverse Learners (.docx, .pdf)
  • Sample Instructionally-embedded Assessments:
    • Segment 1: “Star Light, Star Bright”
    • Segment 4: “How Does My Constellation Move?”
  • End-of-Unit Assessment (.docx, .pdf)
    • Assessment Scoring Guide (.docx, .pdf)
    • Design Tools:
      • Unpacking Tool (.docx, .pdf)
      • Design Pattern (.docx, .pdf)
      • Task 1 Specification Tool: “Here Comes the Sun” (.docx, .pdf)
      • Task 2 Specification Tool: “Meet the Beetles” (.docx, .pdf)
      • Task 3 Specification Tool: “Turn, Turn, Turn” (.docx, .pdf)

Instruction
  • Stage 3 Learning Plan* (See Unit Map / Instructional Framework)
  • Differentiation Strategies and Resources (.docx, .pdf)
  • Sample Lessons:
    • Segment 1: “Big, Small, it is all Relative” (.docx, .pdf)
    • Segment 4: “How Does My Constellation Move?” (.docx, .pdf)

*Embedded within Unit Map / Instructional Framework

Grade 8 Unit 1: Forces and Energy

The Grade 8 Unit 1 topic, “Forces and Energy,” organizes the Next Generation Science Standards performance expectations with a focus on helping students develop an understanding of the motion of objects and how interactions between objects can be explained and predicted.

Grade 8 Unit 1 Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment Resources

Unit Map / Instructional Framework (.docx, .pdf)

Curriculum
  • Claim, Measurement Target, and PE Bundle (.docx, .pdf)
  • Storyline Overview (.pptx, .pdf)
  • Student Profile (.docx, .pdf)
  • Policy and Range Performance Level Descriptors (.docx, .pdf)
  • Stage 1 Learning Goals* (See Unit Map / Instructional Framework)

Assessment
  • Stage 2 Instructionally-embedded Assessments* (See Unit Map / Instructional Framework)
  • Designing Equitable Assessments for Diverse Learners (.docx, .pdf)
  • Sample Instructionally-embedded Assessments:
    • Segment 3: “Kinetic Energy vs. Mass/Speed Investigation”
    • Segment 4: “Designing Solutions to a Problem Involving a Collision”
  • End-of-Unit Assessment (.docx, .pdf)
    • Assessment Scoring Guide (.docx, .pdf)
    • Design Tools:
      • Unpacking Tool (.docx, .pdf)
      • Design Pattern (.docx, .pdf)
      • Task 1 Specification Tool: “Storing Grocery Carts” (.docx, .pdf)
      • Task 2 Specification Tool: “Barriers on the Highway” (.docx, .pdf)
      • Task 3 Specification Tool: “Roller Coaster Thrills” (.docx, .pdf)

Instruction
  • Stage 3 Learning Plan* (See Unit Map / Instructional Framework)
  • Differentiation Strategies and Resources (.docx, .pdf)
  • Sample Lessons:
    • Segment 1: “Newton’s Third Law” (.docx, .pdf)
    • Segment 2: “Getting to the Bottom of Newton’s Second Law” (.docx, .pdf)

*Embedded within Unit Map / Instructional Framework

Grade 8 Unit 2: Gravity and Motion of Objects in the Solar System

The Grade 8 Unit 2 topic, “Gravity and Motion of Objects in the Solar System,” organizes the Next Generation Science Standards performance expectations with a focus on helping students deepen their knowledge of the force of gravity between objects with mass and its role in keeping planetary objects in orbit within the solar system, and of Earth’s place in the universe.

Grade 8 Unit 2 Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment Resources

Unit Map / Instructional Framework (.docx, .pdf)

Curriculum
  • Claim, Measurement Target, and PE Bundle (.docx, .pdf)
  • Storyline Overview (.pptx, .pdf)
  • Student Profile (.docx, .pdf)
  • Policy and Range Performance Level Descriptors (.docx, .pdf)
  • Stage 1 Learning Goals* (See Unit Map / Instructional Framework)

Assessment
  • Stage 2 Instructionally-embedded Assessments* (See Unit Map / Instructional Framework)
  • Designing Equitable Assessments for Diverse Learners (.docx, .pdf)
  • Sample Instructionally-embedded Assessments:
    • Segment 1: “Forces Modeling How Gravitational Forces Affect Motion”
    • Segment 2: “Comparing Our Model to Other Models”
  • End-of-Unit Assessment (.docx, .pdf)
    • Assessment Scoring Guide (.docx, .pdf)
    • Design Tools:
      • Unpacking Tool (.docx, .pdf)
      • Design Pattern (.docx, .pdf)
      • Task 1 Specification Tool: “Orbiting Around” (.docx, .pdf)
      • Task 2 Specification Tool: “Earth, Moon, and Sun” (.docx, .pdf)
      • Task 3 Specification Tool: “Earth’s Solar System” (.docx, .pdf)

Instruction
  • Stage 3 Learning Plan* (See Unit Map / Instructional Framework)
  • Differentiation Strategies and Resources (.docx, .pdf)
  • Sample Lessons:
    • Segment 1: “Analyze and Interpret Data” (.docx, .pdf)
    • Segment 3: “Gravity Pulls Us All Together” (.docx, .pdf)

*Embedded within Unit Map / Instructional Framework

Grade 8 Unit 3: Understanding Earth History and the Origin of Species

The Grade 8 Unit 3 topic, “Understanding Earth History and the Origin of Species,” organizes the Next Generation Science Standards performance expectations with a focus on helping students deepen their knowledge of evidence of a common ancestor interpreted through fossil records and how differences in their structure help explain present day organisms, and how rock strata help us explain the history of Earth.

Grade 8 Unit 3 Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment Resources

Unit Map / Instructional Framework (.docx, .pdf)

Curriculum
  • Claim, Measurement Target, and PE Bundle (.docx, .pdf)
  • Storyline Overview (.pptx, .pdf)
  • Student Profile (.docx, .pdf)
  • Policy and Range Performance Level Descriptors (.docx, .pdf)
  • Stage 1 Learning Goals* (See Unit Map / Instructional Framework)

Assessment
  • Stage 2 Instructionally-embedded Assessments* (See Unit Map / Instructional Framework)
  • Designing Equitable Assessments for Diverse Learners (.docx, .pdf)
  • Sample Instructionally-embedded Assessments:
    • Segment 2: “Building a Tree of Life”
    • Segment 4: “Environmental and Physical Factors Impact Traits in Populations”
  • End-of-Unit Assessment (.docx, .pdf)
    • Assessment Scoring Guide (.docx, .pdf)
    • Design Tools:
      • Unpacking Tool (.docx, .pdf)
      • Design Pattern (.docx, .pdf)
      • Task 1 Specification Tool: “A Whale of a Tale!” (.docx, .pdf)
      • Task 2 Specification Tool: “Hold Your Horses!” (.docx, .pdf)
      • Task 3 Specification Tool: “What Beak-ame of You?” (.docx, .pdf)

Instruction
  • Stage 3 Learning Plan* (See Unit Map / Instructional Framework)
  • Differentiation Strategies and Resources (.docx, .pdf)
  • Sample Lessons:
    • Segment 2: “What Was Their Life Like?” (.docx, .pdf)
    • Segment 4: “Populations Change Over Time” (.docx, .pdf)

*Embedded within Unit Map / Instructional Framework

Grade 8 Unit 4: Providing Solutions to Problems Using Simple Wave Properties

The Grade 8 Unit 4 topic, “Providing Solutions to Problems Using Simple Wave Properties,” organizes the Next Generation Science Standards performance expectations with a focus on helping students deepen their knowledge of properties of mechanical light and light waves and how they can be used to define and solve engineering problems. Students learn how to determine success criteria and constraints needed to solve problems related to properties and behaviors of simple waves.

Grade 8 Unit 4 Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment Resources

Unit Map / Instructional Framework (.docx, .pdf)

Curriculum
  • Claim, Measurement Target, and PE Bundle (.docx, .pdf)
  • Storyline Overview (.pptx, .pdf)
  • Student Profile (.docx, .pdf)
  • Policy and Range Performance Level Descriptors (.docx, .pdf)
  • Stage 1 Learning Goals* (See Unit Map / Instructional Framework)

Assessment
  • Stage 2 Instructionally-embedded Assessments* (See Unit Map / Instructional Framework)
  • Designing Equitable Assessments for Diverse Learners (.docx, .pdf)
  • Sample Instructionally-embedded Assessments:
    • Segment 1: “Representing Wave Properties Mathematically”
    • Segment 3: “I Can See You, but You Can’t See Me!”
  • End-of-Unit Assessment (.docx, .pdf)
    • Assessment Scoring Guide (.docx, .pdf)
    • Design Tools:
      • Unpacking Tool (.docx, .pdf)
      • Design Pattern (.docx, .pdf)
      • Task 1 Specification Tool: “Now You See It” (.docx, .pdf)
      • Task 2 Specification Tool: “Color My World” (.docx, .pdf)
      • Task 3 Specification Tool: “Sounds of Silence” (.docx, .pdf)

Instruction
  • Stage 3 Learning Plan* (See Unit Map / Instructional Framework)
  • Differentiation Strategies and Resources (.docx, .pdf)
  • Sample Lessons:
    • Segment 1: “What is a Wave?” (.docx, .pdf)
    • Segment 3: “Bending and Bouncing Light Rays” (.docx, .pdf)

*Embedded within Unit Map / Instructional Framework

SIPS Assessments Complexity Framework (.docx, .pdf)

This framework describes four components of complexity that support the principled design and evaluation of prompts, tasks, and assessments that elicit evidence about the degree to which students can demonstrate proficiency in integrating Scientific and Engineering Practices with important Disciplinary Core Ideas and Crosscutting Concepts to scientifically investigate and understand natural phenomena and solve important science and engineering design problems. 

SIPS Assessments Pilot Study Technical Report (.pdf)

The SIPS End-of-Unit (EoU) Assessments are stackable, instructionally-embedded, portable science assessment tasks designed to measure students’ learning and support science instruction. These assessments are stackable as they can be used together in different orders, they are instructionally-embedded because they can be integrated into existing instruction, and they are portable as they can be used with a variety of curricula and in a variety of instructional settings. The pilot study, described in detail in this report, was designed and implemented to explore the quality of the SIPS EoU science assessments and the validity of the scores they produce to make claims about students’ proficiency related to three-dimensional science learning.

SIPS Embedded Standard Setting Technical Report (.pdf)

Embedded Standard Setting (ESS) was employed to establish the SIPS cut scores. ESS (Lewis & Cook, 2020) is the logical extension of Principled Assessment Design to standard setting. ESS transforms the standard setting from a standalone workshop that typically occurs after test administration and just prior to score reporting to a set of processes that are an active part of the assessment development lifecycle. This report describes the methods, analyses, and results supporting the SIPS standard setting activities. 

Functional Requirements of a Learning Management System (.docx, .pdf)

This guide offers a list of considerations and specifications for the selection of a web-based learning management  system that states, districts, and schools could use to store and deliver the SIPS unit maps, assessments, and instructional resources, ensure students and educators have access to flexible learning environments and content delivery, and support real-time data access, analysis, and reporting.