In 2016-2018, Ohio embarked on an updating process resulting in revised standards that the State Board of Education adopted in February 2018.  Ohio's State Tests will assess the content of the revised standards.  

To access the standards for science, please click the link below:

Strands: Earth and space sciences; physical sciences; and life sciences The Nature of Science is an umbrella over all the content standards and is embedded in each stand. 

Grade Band Themes: These are the overarching ideas that connect the strands and topics within the grades. Themes illustrate a progression of increasing complexity from grade to grade that is applicable to all the strands. 

Strand Connections: These are the overarching ideas that connect the strands and topics within a grade. Connections help illustrate the integration of the content statements from the different strands. 

Topics: These are the main focus for content for each strand at that particular grade level. The topics are the foundation for the specific content statements. 

Content Statements: These state the science content to be learned. These are the “what” of science that should be accessible to students at each grade level to prepare them to learn about and use scientific knowledge, principles and processes with increasing complexity in subsequent grades. 

Model Curriculum: The model curriculum is a web-based resource that incorporates information on “how” the material in the content statement may be taught. It includes content elaborations and learning expectations. 

Content Elaboration: This section provides anticipated grade-level depth of content knowledge and examples of science process skills that should be integrated with the content. This section also provides information to help identify what prior knowledge students should have and toward what future knowledge the content will build.

In Ohio's science standards and model curriculum, students in grades K - 8 will study earth science, life science, and physical science. 

At the high school level, students will have the opportunity to study the same areas based on the courses they elect for their schedules:

Biology, Honors Biology, or AP Biology

Chemistry or Honors Chemistry

Environmental Science

Physical Science or Honors Physical Science

Physics or Honors Physics

Anatomy and Physiology

Meteorology

Engineering Essentials

Ohio’s Learning Standards and Model Curriculum for Science serves as a basis for what all students should know and be able to do in order to become scientifically literate citizens, equipped with knowledge and skills for the 21st century workforce and higher education. Ohio educators are provided with the content and expectations for learning at each grade level. From this information, district curriculum can be developed. By the end of high school, students should graduate with sufficient proficiency in science to:

 

• Know, use and interpret scientific explanations of the natural world

• Generate and evaluate scientific evidence and explanations, distinguishing science from pseudoscience 

• Understand the nature and development of scientific knowledge 

• Participate productively in scientific practices and discourse