The Georgia Science standards are designed to provide foundational knowledge and skills for all students to develop proficiency in science. The Project 2061’s Benchmarks for Science Literacy and the follow up work, A Framework for K-12 Science Education were used as the core of the standards to determine appropriate content and process skills for students. The standards focus on a limited number of core disciplinary ideas and crosscutting concepts which build from Kindergarten to high school.​

The Science Georgia Standards of Excellence drive instruction. Hands-on, student-centered, and inquiry-based approaches should be the emphasis of instruction. The standards are a required minimum set of expectations that show proficiency in science.

New Updates

• A third round of Opportunity Grants have been awarded by the Georgia Department of Education. The funds are designed to support Whole Child Education. To ensure that students are engaged and challenged, these grants target the areas of College Readiness and Talent Development, Mathematics, Health and PE, Science, Social Studies, and World Languages and Global Workforce Initiatives. Please see list of grant awards by district and schools​.

• GaDOE has created a webpage to post all competitive grant opportunities and awards in one convenient location. This information can be found at the grant opportunities webpage.​

• GaConnects is a new one-stop-shop site for Georgia educators built to provide quick access to GaDOE educational resources, Georgia Standards, data dashboards, professional learning, and GaDOE applications. GaDOE SuitCASE and GaDOE Inspire are two featured applications to support classroom Instruction. Click on “GaConnects Preview" in the SLDS for access, or go to Inspire (gadoe.org)​. ​
  
• ​​K-5 Science Teacher Notes: this resource is packed with background information for the ​disciplinary core ideas, application of the science and engineering practices, potential ideas that students enter the classroom with, and basic phenomena ideas. Individual notes can be found on the K-5 grade pages on Georgiastandards.org.
• Self-Evaluation Checklists: this resource is designed to support students assessing their own progress toward standards mastery. The checklists use student-friendly language and align to the science GSEs. Individual checklists can be found on the grade/course pages on Georgiastandards.org​​​​​
• Supporting the Science and Engineering Practices K-5​: this document provides ideas, explanations, and supports for the science practices.
• ​​Supporting the Crosscutting Co​ncepts K-5: this document provides supports and suggestions for how students can interact with the crosscutting concepts.

Rules and ​Guidance

​Graduation Rule

• SBOE Rule 160-4-2-.48 High School Graduation Requirements for Students Enrolling in the Ninth Grade for First Time in the 2008-09 School Year and Subsequent Years
• 2022 - 2023 Fourth Science Options
• 2023 - 2024 Fourth Science Options​​​
  

​Official List of State Funded Courses

• ​​See the Curriculum and Instruction page​ for the course list and updates.
  

• Georgia Standards of Excellence for Science
• Frequently Asked Questions - Science GSE​
  

Professional Learning

• GaDOE has launched a new innovative platform to provide the opportunity for science teachers, leaders and GaDOE staff to collaborate, connect and share thoughts and resources. See our GaDOE community flyer​ for steps on how to get started. We look forward to connecting!​​
• Please visit this link to access the catalog of upcoming and pre-recorded Professional Learning Opportunities.
• Need Professional Learning Community resources? See the PLC Science in 3D for 10 guided discussions that can be used throughout the year to learn more about the structure, background and intended outcomes of the GSE.
• To join a science email list to receive updates and newsletters from the science program, please send a blank email to one or more of the following email addresses below: ​

Science K-5:

join-science-k-5@list.doe.k12.ga.us​

Science 6-8:

join-science-6-8@list.doe.k12.ga.us

Science 9-12:

join-science-9-12@list.doe.k12.ga.us

Resources

​Instructional Resources

The purchase and use of instructional resources and materials are decisions made at the local school district and/or school levels. The Department of Education provides many instructional resources that are aligned to the Georgia Standards of Excellence (GSE).  Resources for teachers can be found here: