Curriculum Topic Standards and Benchmarks

This utility is designed to help PUMAS Participants find labels that identify the Curriculum Topics of Examples.

Based on United States national content guidelines, the entire subject matter of K-12 mathematics and science has been divided into broad curriculum areas, called Science and Math "Standards." Under each Standard are numerous "Benchmarks," which are specific curriculum topic statements, arranged by Grade Groups.

Each PUMAS example is tagged with one or more Benchmarks, which are referred to by their Benchmark Labels.

Users can select Benchmarks of interest, as criteria when they search the PUMAS Collection.
For Contributors, we ask that you suggest one or more Benchmarks, to tag your Examples with Curriculum Topic descriptions that are familiar to pre-college teachers.
The area covered by an individual "Curriculum Topic" is imprecisely defined. You may find several Benchmarks relevant to a topic of interest, possibly under different Standards.
Some topics recur within a Standard, at different Grade Levels. We try to label Examples with Benchmark(s) at a Grade Level for which the students have the Thinking Skills and Math Background to understand the Example.
PUMAS Examples may be labeled with more than one Benchmark.

If you already know the labels of one or more Benchmarks, and want to read the Benchmark statements, click here.

This is a new field, and our approach is still in an experimental stage. The labels we chose refer to "Standards" and "Benchmarks" provided by the Mid-continent Regional Educational Laboratory (McREL). They are used here by permission. Bolding of words in the standards and benchmarks was added by R. Kahn, PUMAS Editor.

To Use this Utility:

Choose one or more Grade Levels, using the check boxes.
Also, choose one or more Science and/or Math Standards that seem to cover the area of interest.
Then press any of the "Find Benchmarks" buttons.

You will receive a list of Benchmarks and their associated labels.

Make a note of the labels of those Benchmarks that most closely describe the Curriculum Topic(s) of interest.

NOTE: If you do not choose specific Benchmarks you will receive a list of ALL the Benchmarks.

Grade Level

[K-2] Primary	[6-8] Middle School
[3-5] Upper Elementary	[9-12] High School

Be sure you have picked both Grade Levels AND Standards before clicking:

Science Standards

1. Understands basic features of the Earth

2. Understands basic Earth processes

3. Understands essential ideas about the composition and structure of the universe and the Earth's place in it

4. Knows about the diversity and unity that characterize life

5. Understands the genetic basis for the transfer of biological characteristics from one generation to the next

6. Knows the general structure and functions of cells in organisms

7. Understands how species depend on one another and on the environment for survival

8. Understands the cycling of matter and flow of energy through the living environment

9. Understands the basic concepts of the evolution of species

10. Understands basic concepts about the structure and properties of matter

11. Understands energy types, sources and conversions, and their relationship to heat and temperature

12. Understands motion and the principles that explain it

13. Knows the kinds of forces that exist between objects and within atoms

14. Understands the nature of scientific knowledge

15. Understands the nature of scientific inquiry

16. Understands the scientific enterprise

17. Understands the nature of technological design

18. Understands the interactions of science, technology and society

Be sure you have picked both Grade Levels AND Standards before submitting your "Benchmarks" request.

Mathematics Standards

1. Effectively uses a variety of strategies in the problem-solving process

2. Understands and applies basic and advanced properties of the concept of numbers

3. Uses basic and advanced procedures while performing the process of computation

4. Understands and applies basic and advanced properties of the concept of measurement

5. Understands and applies basic and advanced properties of the concepts of geometry

6. Understands and applies basic and advanced concepts of data analysis and distributions

7. Understands and applies basic and advanced concepts of probability and statistics

8. Understands and applies basic and advanced properties of functions and algebra

9. Understands the general nature and uses of mathematics

Be sure you have picked both Grade Levels AND Standards before clicking:

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Last update: Tuesday September 13, 2005
PUMAS Editor: Ralph Kahn
WebCurator: Cecelia Lawshe
URL: http://pumas.jpl.nasa.gov/ benchmarks/SC_std_search.asp
Copyright: © 1996, California Institute of Technology
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ALL RIGHTS RESERVED Based on U.S. Government sponsored research