SCIIENCE: The creation and pilot implementation of an NGSS-based instrument to evaluate early childhood science teaching

• Developed instrument to assess instructional behaviors during PK-3 inquiry lessons.
• Captures best practices outlined in NRC's Frameworks for K-12 Science Education.
• Provides feedback for guiding professional development of PK-3 teachers.
• Ultimate goal is to identify and replicate high-quality PK-3 inquiry instruction.

This paper describes the development, testing and implementation of the Systematic Characterization of Inquiry Instruction in Early LearNing Classroom Environments (SCIIENCE). The SCIIENCE instrument was designed to capture best practices outlined in the National Research Council's Framework for K-12 Science Education as they occur within a science lesson. The goals of the SCIIENCE instrument are to (a) assess the quality of science instruction in PK-3 classrooms, (b) capture teacher behaviors and instructional practices that engage students in the lesson, promote scientific studies, encourage higher-level thinking, and (c) provide a feedback mechanism for guiding professional development of PK-3 teachers. Science educators can apply this instrument to teacher behaviors and use the data to improve classroom inquiry instructional methodology.