HOW THE LANDSCAPE FOR K-12 EARTH & SPACE SCIENCE EDUCATION IS CHANGING THROUGH THE NAEP 2028 SCIENCE ASSESSMENT FRAMEWORK: A SUBSTANTIAL COURSE CHANGE AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR GEOSCIENTISTS

The National Assessment of Educational Practice (NAEP) is the US Congressionally-mandated “nation’s report card” on the general achievement levels of students in grades 4, 8, and 12 in core content areas. Most frequently, the scores in mathematics and reading are reported in the media, but NAEP also reports on student progress in social studies and science, as well. The Science Assessment Framework (SAF) was recently substantially changed and approved by the National Assessment Governing Board (NAGB), in late 2023. The new SAF, scheduled for implementation in 2028, is a substantial departure from the prior framework, based on work from 2007. This presentation will highlight those changes, most notably the influence of the National Research Council’s (NRC) A Framework for K-12 Science Education and the role that science & engineering practices, disciplinary core ideas, and cross-cutting concepts will be manifested in assessment items in the new NAEP Science exam. Details on the development of achievement level descriptors and examples of ESS-related “exhibits” around which question sets are to be developed will be shared and discussed. Most importantly, the equal distribution of items across content areas (1/3 each in Life, Physical, and Earth & Space Science) at each grade level rectifies the imbalance across grade areas in the SAF since 2007. Once implemented, the NAEP 2028 SAF will have impact on science education policy and represents several opportunities for geoscientists to become involved in the professional learning of teachers to meet this revised assessment framework, getting out in front of projected changes.