3.3d The Scope, Sequence and Coordination Project

The Project on Scope, Sequence, and Coordination (SS&C) was initiated by the National Science Teachers Association as a major reform effort to restructure secondary science teaching (NSTA, 1990). One major feature of this reform proposal was the elimination of tracking of students (survey, general, and advanced courses, for example), and its replacement with a science program in which all students study science in a well-coordinated science curriculum teaching each year physics, chemistry, biology, and Earth and space science. An outcome of this concept is a school science curriculum that provides for "spacing" the study of sciences over grades 6 to 12.

SS&C has also integrated the outcomes of Project 2061 and the National Science Education Standards as the goals for the science curriculum. Although these are separate projects, each having its own staff, infrastructure, and dissemination centers, each "contend that less content taught more effectively over successive years will result in greater scientific literacy of the general public (NSTA, 1990).

According to the NSTA, the fundamental goal of SS&C is to make science understandable to essentially all students. To do this, the project emphasizes that students should become actively engaged with experiencing phenomena rather than the customary approach of naming phenomena. The outcome of this concept is that the reformed science curricula will contain a greatly reduced number of topics and "their accompanying baggage of facts and terminology.

SS&C Curriculum Models

One might assume that the SS&C project would lead to a single curriculum. the evidence is that a number of models have been developed rather than a single approach. Through a series of science curriculum grants by SS&C to sites in Texas (Houston), California, North Carolina, Iowa, and Puerto Rico, curriculum reform efforts were underway in hundreds of schools. A number of different models of curriculum reform are possible based on the central tenets of SS&C. For example, the model described in the rationale statement of SS&C suggested a science curriculum that moved from the concrete to the abstract from grades 7 to 12 (see the table below).

.	7th	8th	9th	10th	11th	12th	Total Time
Biology	1 hr/week	2	2	3	1	1	360
Chemistry	1	1	2	2	2	2	396
Physics	2	2	1	1	2	3	396
Earth Sci.	3	2	1	1	1	1	360
Hrs/Week	7	7	7	7	7	7	.

7th & 8th: descriptive & phenomenological; 9th & 10th: empirical & semi-quantitative; 11th & 12: theoretical & abstract

The general concept to keep in mind with this revised model is that students would begin their secondary science experience by having concrete experiences with phenomena prior to naming or symbolizing them. Students would engage in the exploration of phenomena to construct concepts based on personal experience. As the students mature and develop a repertoire of science concepts at the concrete and conceptual level, they would move to increasingly more complex and abstract concepts and experiences.

A number of approaches are possible. For example, in the Houston model a "block" approach in which a sequenced collection of laboratories focusing on a series of coordinated concepts from biology, chemistry, earth and space science, and physics has been adopted. An example of a block, "Floating and Sinking," will help illustrate the Houston approach to curriculum:

"What is density and how can it be experienced directly? How is the density of a solid or a liquid measured? Why do some things float while others sink? Before the Block was over, students discussed density (physics), solutions (chemistry), oceans (earth science) and marine organisms (biology). These and other topics led students to experience the effect of density on familiar objects for themselves and they more easily learned the concepts involved" (Currents, 1991, p.3).

In the Iowa project of SS&C, the emphasis is on STS (see Chapter 6 for more details on STS). In California, referred to as the One Hundred Schools Project (actually there were more than 250 schools in the project), a bottom-up approach, with strong involvement of local teachers and local networks, has resulted in a wide range of curriculum change. According to the California developers, one aim is to create a challenging, nontracted science program, especially for schools with high minority populations. In Puerto Rico, the emphasis is on integrated blocks, that is, blocks not only in English and Spanish but integrating science and mathematics.

Micro-Units of SS&C

Based upon SS&C's publication, A Framework for High School Science Education, published by the NSTA, integrated science units, called "Micro-units" were developed and put online at the SS&C site. Micro-units have been developed for the 9th and 10th grade. All the units can be downloaded and are available free. Each units contains student and teacher materials, as well further details on the content and pedagogy of the topic. Sample titles are show below:

9th Grade Micro-Units (69 units available)	10th Grade Micro-Units (55 units available)
Classification Schemes Variation and Heredity Variations in Living Things Adaptations to Niches and Habitats Structures that Reveal Common Ancestry Fossil Formation Solids, Liquids and Gases	Organizing Principles of Plants and Animals Genetic variability Structural Factors in Evolution The Human Genotype Evolution and the Fossil Record Relative Positions of the Earth, Moon and Sun Inertial Mass, Weight and Newton's Second Law of Motion

SS&C Principles

On what principles are reform efforts based? What are some of the guiding principles for reforming science curriculum according to SS&C? Examine the following list and think about the implications of these statements on the development of science lesson plans or units of instruction (NSTA, 1990).

The four basic subject areas, biology, chemistry, earth and space science, and physics are addressed each year, and the connections between them are emphasized.

1. The coordinating themes identified by the Project 2061 are used as unifying threads between the disciplines: systems, models, constancy, patterns of change, evolution, and scale.
2. Science is shown to be open to inquiry and skepticism, and free of dogmatism or unsupported assertion by those in authority. The science curriculum promotes student understanding of how we come to know, why we believe, and how we test and revise our thinking.
3. Science should be presented in connection with its applications to technology and its personal and societal implications.
4. Students should have the opportunity to construct the important ideas of science, which are then developed in depth through inquiry and investigation.
5. Vocabulary is used to facilitate understanding rather than as an end in itself. Terms are presented after students experience the phenomena.
6. Texts are not the source of the curriculum but serve as references. Everyday materials, laboratory equipment, video software, and other printed materials such as reference books and outside reading provide a substantial part of the student learning experience.
7. Lessons provide opportunities for skill building in data collection, graphing, record keeping, and the use of language in verbal and written assignments.
8. Of particular importance is that instruction enhances skepticism, critical thinking, and logical reasoning skills. Thinking and reasoning skills such as controlling variables and drawing inferences need to be fostered.