Disciplinary Core Ideas

(2014) 

The Disciplinary Core Ideas represent a set of science and engineering ideas for K-12 science education that have broad importance across multiple sciences or engineering disciplines; provide a key tool for understanding or investigating more complex ideas and solving problems; relate to the interests and life experiences of students; be teachable and learnable over multiple grades at increasing levels of sophistication. (NRC, 2012, p. 31)

Disciplinary Core Ideas are grouped into three domains: 1. Physical Science (PS) 2. Life Science (LS) 3. Earth and Space Science (ESS)

Each Performance Expectation integrates at least one Disciplinary Core Idea with a Science and Engineering Practice. 

Science & Engineering Practices

(2014) 

The Science and Engineering Practices describe the major practices that scientists employ as they investigate and build models and theories about the world and a key set of engineering practices that engineers use as they design and build systems. The term “practice” is used instead of the term “process” to emphasize that scientists and engineers use skill and knowledge simultaneously, not in isolation.

There are eight science and engineering practices:

1. Ask questions and define problems

2. Develop and use models

3. Plan and conduct investigations

4. Analyze and interpret data

5. Use mathematical and computational thinking

6. Construct explanations and design solutions

7. Engage in scientific argument from evidence

8. Obtain, evaluate, and communicate information

Each Performance Expectation integrates one of the above Science and Engineering Practices with a Disciplinary Core Idea in science. The integration of Science and Engineering Practices with science content represents a shift from previous science standards in Oklahoma, giving the learning context and allowing students to utilize scientific reasoning and critical thinking to develop their understanding of science. 

Crosscutting Concepts

(2014)

The Crosscutting Concepts represent common threads or themes that span across science disciplines (biology, chemistry, physics, environmental science, Earth/space science) and have value to both scientists and engineers because they identify universal properties and processes found in all disciplines.

There are seven crosscutting concepts:

1. Patterns

2. Cause and Effect: Mechanisms and explanations

3. Scale, Proportion, and Quantity

4. Systems and System Models

5. Energy and Matter: Flows, cycles, and conservation

6. Structure and Function

7. Stability and Change

Where applicable each of the Performance Expectations includes one of the above Crosscutting Concepts, thereby ensuring that the concepts are not taught in isolation but reinforced in the context of instruction within the science content. 

DCI Comparison Chart

(2014)

The Oklahoma Academic Standards (OAS) for Science are divided into 3 Domains. These are Physical Science, Earth and Space Science, and Life Science. These Domains are then further divided into 11 Disciplinary Core Ideas which progress throughout all grade levels.

The chart explains the vertical alignment of the DCIs for Kindergarten through High School.