KISD Secondary Science Newsletter

Hello, Science Team!

February is here already—can you believe it? By now, hopefully, you've reviewed your historical assessment data and identified the science concepts your students need to focus on to be prepared for the next grade level or the STAAR/EOC in April.

This month, we celebrate both Valentine’s Day and, more importantly, Black History Month. Take a moment to highlight the contributions of influential Black scientists such as Katherine Johnson, Mae Jemison, Alice Ball, and George Washington Carver, to name just a few. For more information, check out Science Buddies.

I'll leave you with a powerful quote from Frederick Douglass: “It is easier to build strong children than repair broken men.”

Sandra

From TEA:

· Mathematics and Science Assessment Office Hours: The TEA curriculum and assessment teams are coming together to provide an opportunity for educators to ask questions about the spring mathematics and science STAAR assessments. Please join us on February 4, 2025, at 4 p.m. Central. If possible, please register in advance.

· UPDATED: Assessed Curriculum Documents Effective Beginning Spring 2026: The Assessed Curriculum documents that will be in effect beginning with the Spring 2026 administration were updated on Jan. 15, 2025. Based on the feedback received from the field, the readiness and supporting labels have been added to the documents. As a reminder, the readiness and supporting labels are used only to build test forms. Per state law and rule, ALL TEKS are required to be taught; these documents should NOT truncate the curriculum taught in the classrooms. [Texas Education Code Sec. 28.002; Texas Administrative Code §74.2, §74.3] The Assessed Curriculum documents and other science STAAR materials are available on the STAAR Science Resources webpage of the TEA website.

The 2024-2025 school year is considered a “Transition Year” for science. Grades 5, 8, and Biology will have a bridge assessment for STAAR and EOC. This means that students will be assessed only on what is common between the previous TEKS and the current TEKS.

TEA has provided documents outlining what could be assessed on STAAR and EOC. Before accessing those documents, let's review a few examples in this table.

• The content in the black font is eligible to be assessed in the 2024-2025 school year.
• The content in red is new and therefore not eligible.

Remember, content that overlaps between the prior and new TEKS will be assessed this school year only.

Notice that the Grade 8 example below is actually a Grade 6 standard. This means Grade 8 teachers will need to ensure students have mastered the content in black, as it could be assessed this year.

Some standards that are no longer taught in Grades 5 and 8 are still eligible to be assessed on this year's Science STAAR. We refer to these as "Gap standards."

TEA's STAAR Science Resources is where you can find what could be assessed on the Bridge Assessment for the 2024-2025 school year as illustrated in the previous table.

Follow the steps to access these documents:

1. Go to TEA's STAAR Science Resources

2. Scroll down to "Assessed Curriculum" and click on the arrow to expand.

3. Find "2024-202 Transition Year" and select one you are interested in.

Use the following links for direct access to these documents:

Grade 8

Biology

Caution: You will notice assessment documents for school year 2025-2026. Let's not worry about those just yet. 😉

A mini-professional development session will be offered each quarter to support science teaching and learning in the classroom. Click on image below to watch the video.

The following actions and strategies observed during class, embedded in lesson plans or evident in student work. Provide evidence for every strategy/action you check in each domain.

Classroom Culture:

• Routines, procedures, and expectations are established and clearly communicated by the teacher.

• Routines and procedures are efficiently and independently carried out by learners with few reminders or corrections.

• Interest in and excitement about the learning is evident; learners are fully engaged/invested in the learning.

• Learners are respected, valued, and supported by their peers and the teacher.

• Routines and teacher supports are differentiated to meet learner needs.

• Engage in respectful discourse with peers.

Instructional Practices:

Learning Experiences . . .

• Are intellectually challenging and all learners are actively engaged in productive struggle

• Include formative assessment opportunities for gauging student comprehension on an individual level

• Include time for the teacher or peers to provide feedback to learners and for learners to review and respond to the feedback

• Provide opportunities for learners to collaborate

• Incorporate time for learner self-reflection/assessment

• Maximize learner access through incorporation of two or more learning modalities (check all that apply)

• Texts

• Videos

• Simulations

• Discussions

• Writing

• Creation of digital or physical models

• Other _______

From the lead4ward Strategy Playlist: Nine Squares -This strategy helps students deepen their understanding by engaging with a text, image, or concept through thinking, discussion, and writing. They work to identify key facts, make inferences, and draw conclusions. It promotes critical thinking, collaboration, and clarification of concepts, while also offering opportunities for differentiation through supports like peer assistance and thinking stems. Consider using this strategy when students are working on the "Read About It" section during the Explain Phase of your lesson.

September 2024: https://secure.smore.com/n/5vb9h

October 2024: https://secure.smore.com/n/1jray

November/December 2024: https://secure.smore.com/n/bf09kq

January 2025: https://secure.smore.com/n/fp1uq

Hello, I am Sandra Marcussen the District Instructional Specialist for Secondary Science. I'm excited to help you in any way that you need. You can reach me at sandra.marcussen@killeenisd.org, text at 254-371-9692 or call my desk phone at 254-336-0300.