Science

Family-Friendly Guide to SC Academic Standards 

In Horry County, we support and strive to achieve the goal of the Framework for K-12 Science Education by the National Research Council of the National Academies (2012).

“The overarching goal of our framework for K-12 science education is to ensure that by the end of 12th grade, all students have some appreciation of the beauty and wonder of science; possess sufficient knowledge of science and engineering to engage in public discussions on related issues; are careful consumers of scientific and technological information related to their everyday lives: are able to continue to learn about science outside school; and have the skill to enter careers of their choice, including (but not limited to) careers in science, engineering, and technology.”

The 2014 South Carolina science standards include Science and Engineering Practice standards. The Science and Engineering Practice standards are differentiated across grade levels and core areas. The term “practice” is used instead of the term “skill,” to emphasize that scientists and engineers use skill
and knowledge simultaneously, not in isolation. These nine science and engineering practices are:

1. Ask questions and define problems
2. Develop and use models
3. Plan and conduct investigations
4. Analyze and interpret data
5. Use mathematical and computational thinking
6. Construct explanations and design solutions
7. Engage in scientific argument from evidence
8. Obtain, evaluate, and communicate information
9. Construct devices or design solutions

Students should engage in scientific and engineering practices as a means to learn about the specific topics identified for their grade levels and courses.