Science
News & Announcements
Review of the 2018 Science Standards of Learning
At its February 2, 2023, meeting, the State Board of Education (Board) authorized the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) to proceed with the development and review process of the 2018 Science Standards of Learning. Please note that the timeline reviewed by the Board has changed.
The Proposed Draft 2025 Science Standards of Learning will be presented to the Board of Education for initial review in early spring 2025. The 2025 Science Standards of Learning are for the current Board-approved high school science courses that do not have existing standards (High School Level II courses and Environmental Science). Once adopted by the Board, divisions are expected to implement the science standards in the 2025-2026 academic year. The 2018 Science Standards of Learning for kindergarten through high school physics will remain unchanged in content and practices. Instructional guides, scheduled to be released in May 2025, will include structures to increase specificity and provide clarity about performance expectations of the Standards.
US Department of Education’s Green Ribbon Schools Award Program
Applications to be nominated at the state level for the United States Department of Education’s (USED) Green Ribbon Schools (GRS) award program are open. The GRS award program is open to public and private K-12 schools, public school divisions, postsecondary institutions, and early learning centers. The program recognizes schools and school divisions that are 1) reducing environmental impact and costs; 2) improving the health and wellness of students and staff; and 3) providing effective environmental and sustainability education based on sound science and civics. The application focuses on measurable and verifiable results wherever possible.
Completed electronic applications for Virginia Green Ribbon Schools are due to VDOE by December 6, 2024 at 5 p.m. An expert panel will carefully review all GRS applications, and all state applicants will be notified as to their status on or before February 14, 2025.
Virginia will recognize up to five schools or divisions as awardees of the Virginia GRS recognition. These awardee’s applications will be forwarded to USED and reviewed by a national selection committee. National awardees will be recognized at a ceremony in Washington, D.C. in the summer of 2025.
If a school division has previously received the division-level award, individual schools in that division are no longer eligible for recognition.
- 2024-2025 USDOE Green Ribbon School Application (Virginia)
- USDOE Green Ribbon School Frequently Asked Questions (Virginia)
Science Instructional Plans (SIPs)
The Science Instructional Plans are currently housed in #GoOpenVA and can easily be accessed through the Science VDOE group. Find lesson plans for each grade level and discipline that were created to engage students as they build science conceptual understanding using the 2018 Science Standards of Learning.
Resources
For additional information on science Instructional Resources, Assessment Resources, and Professional Development – navigate using the following buttons.
Science Standards of Learning: Scientific and Engineering Practices
The Scientific and Engineering Practices reflected in the 2018 Science Standards of Learning describe behaviors that scientists engage in as they investigate the natural world and the practices that engineers use as they design and build models and systems.
The 2018 Science Standards of Learning Curriculum Framework includes scientific and engineering practices that are directly connected to science concepts. They are located within the Essential Knowledge and Practices and identified with a leaf bullet (). By utilizing both scientific and engineering practices in the science classroom, students develop a deeper understanding and competences with techniques at the heart of each discipline.
Clarification on the use of Computer Science courses to meet Science Graduation Requirements
In March 2023, the Board of Education approved the updated Board of Education Approved Courses to Satisfy Graduation Requirements for the Standard and Advanced Studies Diploma in Virginia Public Schools. The BOE approved science courses section within this document indicates that AP Computer Science A (10157) and International Baccalaureate (IB) Computer Science (10159) may be used to meet a science coursework requirement for Standard and Advanced diplomas.
Although these two computer science courses can be used to meet the science coursework requirements for these two diplomas, neither course can be used to meet the discipline requirements for science. Standard diploma graduation requirements indicate that students must have three BOE approved science courses that represent a minimum of two science disciplines (Biology, Chemistry, Earth Science, Physics). Advanced diploma graduation requirements indicate that students must have four BOE approved courses that represent a minimum of three disciplines. Since Computer Science is not a discipline of science, it cannot be used to meet the discipline requirements in science for Standard or Advanced diploma in Virginia.
Need Science Instructional Support?
Please reach out to any member of the Science Instructional Team!