Compilation of Rules and Regulations of the State of Georgia
Department 505 - PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS COMMISSION
Chapter 505-3 - EDUCATOR PREPARATION RULES
Rule 505-3-.29 - Science Education Program

(i) Use and apply the major concepts, principles, theories, laws, and interrelationships of their fields of licensure and supporting fields. Explain the nature of science and the cultural norms and values inherent to the current and historical development of scientific knowledge; and

(ii) Demonstrate knowledge of how to implement science standards, learning progressions, and sequencing of science content for teaching their certification level to 6-12 students.

(i) Use science standards and a variety of appropriate, student-centered, and culturally relevant science disciplinary-based instructional approaches that follow safety procedures and incorporate science and engineering practices, disciplinary core ideas, and crosscutting concepts;

(ii) Incorporate appropriate differentiation strategies, wherein all students develop conceptual knowledge and an understanding of the nature of science. Lessons should engage students in applying science practices, clarifying relationships, and identifying natural patterns from phenomena and empirical experiences;

(iii) Use engineering practices in support of science learning wherein all students design, construct, test and optimize possible solutions to a problem;

(iv) Align instruction and assessment strategies to support instructional decision making that identifies and addresses student misunderstandings, prior knowledge, and naïve conceptions; and

(v) Integrate science-specific technologies to support all students' conceptual understanding and application of science and engineering.

(i) Plan a variety of lessons based on science standards that employ strategies that demonstrate their knowledge and understanding of how to select appropriate teaching and motivating learning activities that foster a supportive, welcoming, fair, and impartial learning environment;

(ii) Plan learning experiences for all students in a variety of environments (e.g., the laboratory, field, virtual, and community) within their fields of certification;

(iii) Plan lessons in which all students have a variety of opportunities to obtain information, evaluate, communicate, investigate, collaborate, learn from mistakes, and defend their own explanations of phenomena, observations, and data. This includes the proposal and defense of potential solutions to real-world, authentic, scientific and engineering problems; and

(iv) Plan and implement instruction incorporating universal technologies that support and enhance virtual learning either in person or digitally to include all students in investigation and application of science content, engineering practices, and crosscutting concepts.

(i) Implement activities appropriate for the abilities of all students that demonstrate safe techniques for the procurement, preparation, use, storage, dispensing, supervision, and disposal of all chemicals/materials/equipment used within their fields of certification;

(ii) Demonstrate an ability to: recognize hazardous situations including overcrowding; implement emergency procedures; maintain safety equipment; provide adequate student instruction and supervision; and follow policies and procedures that comply with established state and national guidelines, appropriate legal state and national safety standards (e.g., Occupational Safety and Health Administration, National Fire Protection Association, Environmental Protection Agency), and best professional practices (e.g., National Science Teaching Association, Georgia Science Teachers Association, National Science Education Leadership Association). This includes awareness of personal liability, duty of care as it relates to students (face-to-face and remote), fellow staff, and visitors to the classroom;

(iii) Demonstrate ethical decision-making with respect to safe and humane treatment of all living organisms in and out of the classroom, and comply with the legal restrictions and best professional practices on the collection, care, and use of living organisms as relevant to their fields of certification; and

(iv) Demonstrate an awareness of safety implications associated with remote learning. This includes awareness of personal responsibility for instructing students on safety precautions for remote learning.

(i) Design and implement differentiated and balanced assessments that allow all students to demonstrate their knowledge and ability to apply, synthesize, evaluate, and communicate their understanding of disciplinary knowledge, nature of science, science and engineering practices, and crosscutting concepts in practical, authentic, and real-world situations;

(ii) Collect, organize, analyze, evaluate and reflect on a variety of formative and summative evidence and use those data to inform future planning and teaching; and

(iii) Analyze science-specific assessment data based upon student demographics, categorizing the levels of learner knowledge, and reflect on results for subsequent lesson plans.

(i) Engage in critical reflection on their own science teaching to continually improve their instructional effectiveness;

(ii) Participate in professional learning opportunities to deepen their science content knowledge, and knowledge of science and engineering practices; and

(iii) Participate in professional learning opportunities to expand their science-specific pedagogical knowledge.

(i) Emphasize science and engineering practices in their planning and implementation of lessons and units for all science students.

(ii) Focus deeply on a limited number of Disciplinary Core Ideas within each major category of science disciplines.

(iii) Consistently bear in mind crosscutting concepts as a means to provide linkages between science disciplines across multiple grades.