When Benchmarks for Science Literacy was first published, Bruce Alberts, president of the National Academy of Sciences praised it as "another milestone in the long standing effort of Project 2061 to improve the teaching and learning of science for all Americans." Now, the monumental achievement of Benchmarks for Science Literacy is available in a computer disk format for use on IBM-compatible personal computers in MS-DOS. This superb science learning tool enables users to browse, assemble, and print benchmarks in various formats. Users can also review conceptual "strands"--a new tool on the electronic version--that provides sequences of benchmarks that students should progress through on the way toward a specific science-literacy goal. In addition, teachers can brainstorm about how to coordinate seemingly unrelated benchmarks by using "benchmark roulette," a function which creates a random sample of six benchmarks, at two grade levels, that can be used as a basis for discussion. Benchmarks for Science Literacy on Disk greatly enhances the capablities of its companion book, alllowing teachers to tailor searches that are relevant to the grades and subjects they teach. Both quick and easy to use, this extraordinary program allows instant reference access to the entire spectrum of teaching and learning possiblities available with Benchmarks. Focusing on the understanding and interconnection of key concepts rather than rote memorization of terms and isolated facts, Benchmarks advocates building a lasting knowledge of science and related fields. In a culture increasingly pervaded by science, mathematics, and technology, science literacy requires habits of mind that will enable citizens to understand the world around them, make sense of new technologies as they emerge and grow, and deal sensibly with problems that involve evidence, numbers, patterns, logical arguements, and technology--as well as the relationship of these disciplines to the arts, humanities, and vocational studies--making science literacy relevant to all students, regardless of the career path they may choose. Together, Science for All Americans, Benchmarks for Science Literacy, and Benchmarks for Science Literacy on Disk offer a bold new agenda for the future of science in this country, one that is certain to prepare our children for the challenges they will face in the future. Hardware and Software requirements: IBM or compatible PC, 8086, 286, or better, with hard drive. 4 MB free space on hard disk. 2 MB free RAM. MS-DOS 4.0 or higher and 3.5" drive. Mouse and color monitor preferable. Specifications: The package contains one 3.5" high density diskette and a thirty-six page user manual.

Published to glowing praise in 1990, Science for All Americans defined the science-literate American--describing the knowledge, skills, and attitudes all students should retain from their learning experience--and offered a series of recommendations for reforming our system of education in science, mathematics, and technology. Benchmarks for Science Literacy takes this one step further. Created in close consultation with a cross-section of American teachers, administrators, and scientists, Benchmarks elaborates on the recommendations to provide guidelines for what all students should know and be able to do in science, mathematics, and technology by the end of grades 2, 5, 8, and 12. These grade levels offer reasonable checkpoints for student progress toward science literacy, but do not suggest a rigid formula for teaching. Benchmarks is not a proposed curriculum, nor is it a plan for one: it is a tool educators can use as they design curricula that fit their student's needs and meet the goals first outlined in Science for All Americans. Far from pressing for a single educational program, Project 2061 advocates a reform strategy that will lead to more curriculum diversity than is common today. IBenchmarks emerged from the work of six diverse school-district teams who were asked to rethink the K-12 curriculum and outline alternative ways of achieving science literacy for all students. These teams based their work on published research and the continuing advice of prominent educators, as well as their own teaching experience. Focusing on the understanding and interconnection of key concepts rather than rote memorization of terms and isolated facts, Benchmarks advocates building a lasting understanding of science and related fields. In a culture increasingly pervaded by science, mathematics, and technology, science literacy require habits of mind that will enable citizens to understand the world around them, make some sense of new technologies as they emerge and grow, and deal sensibly with problems that involve evidence, numbers, patterns, logical arguments, and technology--as well as the relationship of these disciplines to the arts, humanities, and vocational sciences--making science literacy relevant to all students, regardless of their career paths. If Americans are to participate in a world shaped by modern science and mathematics, a world where technological know-how will offer the keys to economic and political stability in the twenty-first century, education in these areas must become one of the nation's highest priorities. Together with Science for All Americans, Benchmarks for Science Literacy offers a bold new agenda for the future of science education in this country, one that is certain to prepare our children for life in the twenty-first century.

Describes what students should know and be able to do in science, mathematics, and technology by the ends of grades 2, 5, 8, and 12.

The call for science curriculum reform has been made over and over again for much of the twentieth century. Arguments have been made that the content of the curriculum is not appropriate for meeting the individual and social needs of people living in the modern world; that the curriculum has become overstuffed with topics and does not serve students especially well; and above all, that the curriculum does not generate the student learning it is expected to produce. The latest volume in a continuing series of publications from the AAAS designed to reform science education, Designs for Science Literacy presupposes that curriculum reform must be considerably more extensive and fundamental than the tinkering with individual courses and subjects that has been going on for decades. Designs deals with the critical issues involved in assembling sound instructional materials into a new, coherent K-12 whole. The book pays special attention to the need to link science-oriented studies to the arts and humanities, and also proposes how to align the curriculum with an established set of learning goals while preserving the American tradition of local responsibility for the curriculum itself. If fundamental curriculum reform is ever to occur, a new process for creating alternatives will have to be developed. Designs for Science Literacy provides the groundwork for such a process.