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Creating Inclusive PreK–12 STEM Learning Environments

Brief CoverBroadening participation in PreK–12 STEM provides ALL students with STEM learning experiences that can prepare them for civic life and the workforce.

Author/Presenter

Malcom Butler

Cory Buxton

Odis Johnson Jr.

Leanne Ketterlin-Geller

Catherine McCulloch

Natalie Nielsen

Arthur Powell

Year
2018
Short Description

This brief offers insights from National Science Foundation-supported research for education leaders and policymakers who are broadening participation in science, technology, engineering, and/or mathematics (STEM). Many of these insights confirm knowledge that has been reported in research literature; however, some offer a different perspective on familiar challenges.

Unveiling Scoring Processes: Dissecting the Differences Between LLMs and Human Graders in Automatic Scoring

Large language models (LLMs) have demonstrated strong potential in performing automatic scoring for constructed response assessments. While constructed responses graded by humans are usually based on given grading rubrics, the methods by which LLMs assign scores remain largely unclear. It is also uncertain how closely AI’s scoring process mirrors that of humans or if it adheres to the same grading criteria. To address this gap, this paper uncovers the grading rubrics that LLMs used to score students’ written responses to science tasks and their alignment with human scores.

Author/Presenter

Xuansheng Wu

Padmaja Pravin Saraf

Gyeonggeon Lee

Ehsan Latif

Ninghao Liu

Xiaoming Zhai

Lead Organization(s)
Year
2025
Short Description

Large language models (LLMs) have demonstrated strong potential in performing automatic scoring for constructed response assessments. While constructed responses graded by humans are usually based on given grading rubrics, the methods by which LLMs assign scores remain largely unclear. It is also uncertain how closely AI’s scoring process mirrors that of humans or if it adheres to the same grading criteria. To address this gap, this paper uncovers the grading rubrics that LLMs used to score students’ written responses to science tasks and their alignment with human scores. We also examine whether enhancing the alignments can improve scoring accuracy.

Unveiling Scoring Processes: Dissecting the Differences Between LLMs and Human Graders in Automatic Scoring

Large language models (LLMs) have demonstrated strong potential in performing automatic scoring for constructed response assessments. While constructed responses graded by humans are usually based on given grading rubrics, the methods by which LLMs assign scores remain largely unclear. It is also uncertain how closely AI’s scoring process mirrors that of humans or if it adheres to the same grading criteria. To address this gap, this paper uncovers the grading rubrics that LLMs used to score students’ written responses to science tasks and their alignment with human scores.

Author/Presenter

Xuansheng Wu

Padmaja Pravin Saraf

Gyeonggeon Lee

Ehsan Latif

Ninghao Liu

Xiaoming Zhai

Lead Organization(s)
Year
2025
Short Description

Large language models (LLMs) have demonstrated strong potential in performing automatic scoring for constructed response assessments. While constructed responses graded by humans are usually based on given grading rubrics, the methods by which LLMs assign scores remain largely unclear. It is also uncertain how closely AI’s scoring process mirrors that of humans or if it adheres to the same grading criteria. To address this gap, this paper uncovers the grading rubrics that LLMs used to score students’ written responses to science tasks and their alignment with human scores. We also examine whether enhancing the alignments can improve scoring accuracy.

STEM Education with a Focus on Equity and Justice: Traditional Approaches, Contemporary Approaches, and Proposed Future Approach

The disproportionate impacts of societal challenges (e.g., climate change, air and water pollution) on minoritized groups expose systemic injustices and compels STEM educators to reframe the role of STEM education in society. In this article, we describe traditional approaches, contemporary approaches, and our proposed future approach in science and STEM education with a focus on equity and justice. First, we begin with conceptual framing for equity and justice.

Author/Presenter

Okhee Lee

Scott E. Grapin

Year
2025
Short Description

The disproportionate impacts of societal challenges (e.g., climate change, air and water pollution) on minoritized groups expose systemic injustices and compels STEM educators to reframe the role of STEM education in society. In this article, we describe traditional approaches, contemporary approaches, and our proposed future approach in science and STEM education with a focus on equity and justice.

Seeing Our World Through Data: Sixth Graders Integrating Data Investigations in Collaborative Knowledge Building

Data science, as a multidisciplinary field, has gained considerable interest in K-12 education. Prior research has explored innovative ways to introduce data science to young learners, emphasizing not only the development of data skills but also the connection of data science to students’ authentic inquiries and critical actions.

Author/Presenter

Bodong Chen

Leanne Ma

Vivian Yu Leung

Lead Organization(s)
Year
2025
Short Description

Prior research has explored innovative ways to introduce data science to young learners, emphasizing not only the development of data skills but also the connection of data science to students’ authentic inquiries and critical actions. Building on this foundation, this study aims to achieve two complementary goals: integrating Knowledge Building, a well-established pedagogical approach, into K-12 data science education, and enhancing students’ epistemic agency through data practices in knowledge building.

Promoting Family Science Conversations in the LaCuKnoS Project

The Language, Culture, and Knowledge-building through Science (LaCuKnoS) project tests and refines a model of science teaching and learning that brings together current research on the role of language in science communication, the role of cultural and community connections in science engagement, and the ways people apply science knowledge to their daily decision making. One key component of the model brings families together as co-learners and co-teachers through family learning experiences.

Author/Presenter

Cory Buxton

Diana Crespo Camacho

Barbara Ettenauer

Lead Organization(s)
Year
2025
Short Description

The Language, Culture, and Knowledge-building through Science (LaCuKnoS) project tests and refines a model of science teaching and learning that brings together current research on the role of language in science communication, the role of cultural and community connections in science engagement, and the ways people apply science knowledge to their daily decision making. One key component of the model brings families together as co-learners and co-teachers through family learning experiences. We describe our work to promote more robust family conversations about science in our lives within an existing research practice partnership, using a two-tiered qualitative conversational analysis to compare the family conversations that result from three family engagement models: (a) family science festivals; (b) family science workshops; and (c) family science home learning.

More Than a Sprinkle: Elevating Multiple Perspectives in a Unit Exploring Coasts and Coastal Change in Hawai‘i

The Exploring Coasts and Coastal Change in Hawai‘i unit supports middle school haumana (students) in developing multi-perspective understanding and personal stances about coastal change in their community. The unit was collaboratively developed by a partnership among educators bringing together Indigenous and Western ways of knowing and learning.

Author/Presenter

Ho‘oululĀHui Erika Akaka

Beth A. Covitt

Koh Ming Wei

Kiana Davis

Noelani Puniwai

Jennifer Johansen

Blade Shepherd-Jones

Christina Mcwhorter

Nicollette Frank

Lead Organization(s)
Year
2025
Short Description

The Exploring Coasts and Coastal Change in Hawai‘i unit supports middle school haumana (students) in developing multi-perspective understanding and personal stances about coastal change in their community. The unit was collaboratively developed by a partnership among educators bringing together Indigenous and Western ways of knowing and learning. Through lessons that take place over three weeks, haumana (students) undertake a place-based learning experience addressing physical, biological, and social facets of their changing coasts and engage the perspectives of ‘ohana (family), community members, and scientists.

Engaging Students in Sensemaking via the Science and Engineering Practices

As educators, we recognize that commercially prepared curricula advertised as “NGSS aligned” do not necessarily emphasize student sensemaking. In this article, we describe our process of modifying such curricula by reflecting on previous instruction and planning for future instruction that centers student sensemaking in a middle school unit on chemical reactions. We highlight the ways that a set of publicly available pedagogical tools (known as the ASET SEP Tools) focused our discourse on a shared vision of sensemaking that is appropriate to expect of middle school students.

Author/Presenter

Amy Ricketts

Tiffany Rasmussen

Year
2025
Short Description

As educators, we recognize that commercially prepared curricula advertised as “NGSS aligned” do not necessarily emphasize student sensemaking. In this article, we describe our process of modifying such curricula by reflecting on previous instruction and planning for future instruction that centers student sensemaking in a middle school unit on chemical reactions.

Developing Science Classroom Expectations That Encourage Risk-Taking for Learning Science Together

Reform-oriented science classrooms encourage environments in which students engage in a collective enterprise of making sense of their science ideas together. Teachers who strive for these sorts of environments support students in collaboratively constructing and answering their own questions about phenomena and making sense of competing ideas together.

Author/Presenter

Jessica L. Alzen

Jason Y. Buell

Kelsey Edwards

Chris D. Griesemer

Yang Zhang

Cynthia Passmore

William R. Penuel

Brian J. Reiser

Year
2025
Short Description

This study practically addresses some key challenges teachers face in enacting reform-oriented science teaching and offers suggestions for how continued research regarding norms and uncertainty can continue to further science reform efforts.

Characterizing Teacher Knowledge Tests and Their Use in the Mathematics Education Literature

We present findings from an analysis of tests of teacher mathematical knowledge identified over a 20-year period of mathematics education literature. This analysis is part of a larger project aimed at developing a repository of instruments and their associated validity evidence for use in mathematics education. We report on how these tests are discussed in the literature, with a focus on validity arguments and evidence. A key finding is that these tests are often presented in ways that do not support their use by the mathematics education community.

Author/Presenter

Pavneet Kaur Bharaj

Michele Carney

Heather Howell

Wendy M. Smith

James Smith

Year
2025
Short Description

We present findings from an analysis of tests of teacher mathematical knowledge identified over a 20-year period of mathematics education literature, and report on how these tests are discussed in the literature, with a focus on validity arguments and evidence.