EQuIP Rubric for Science Released

 

The Educators Evaluating the Quality of Instructional Products (EQuIP) Rubric for Lessons & Units: Science was released today. The Rubric provides criteria by which to measure the alignment and overall quality of lessons and units with respect to the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). The purpose of the Rubric is to (1) provide constructive criterion-based feedback to developers; (2) review existing instructional materials to determine what revisions are needed; and (3) identify examples/models for teachers’ use within and across states.

This document was developed in response to the recognition among educators that while curriculum and instruction will need to shift with the adoption of the NGSS, there is currently a lack of high-quality, NGSS-aligned materials. The power of the rubric is in the feedback it provides curriculum developers and in the productive conversations educators can have while evaluating materials.

For curriculum developers, the rubric and review process provide evidence on the quality and alignment of a lesson or unit to the NGSS. Additionally, the rubric and review process generate feedback on how materials can be further improved and more closely aligned to the NGSS.

As more NGSS-aligned lessons and units are developed, this rubric may change to meet the evolving needs of supporting both educators in evaluating materials and developers in the modification and creation of materials. For example, rubric scoring guides will eventually be added. Additional support materials will also be developed to complement the use of this rubric, such as a professional development guide, a criterion discussion guide, and publishers’ criteria that will be more focused on textbooks and comprehensive curricula.