Educational Standards

We've included the educational standards we tried to meet while designing the Simpocalypse High School Biology/Engineering project here. You can see them in context in the original standards documents by following the links in the headings.

Michigan K-12 Standards - Science (link)

• HS-ETS1-1: Analyze a major global challenge to specify qualitative and quantitative criteria and constraints for solutions that account for societal needs and wants.
• HS-ETS1-2: Design a solution to a complex real-world problem by breaking it down into smaller, more manageable problems that can be solved through engineering.
• HS-ETS1-3: Evaluate a solution to a complex real-world problem based on prioritized criteria and trade-offs that account for a range of constraints, including cost, safety, reliability, and aesthetics, as well as possible social, cultural, and environmental impacts.
• HS-ETS1-4: Use a computer simulation to model the impact of proposed solutions to a complex real-world problem with numerous criteria and constraints on interactions within and between systems relevant to the problem.

Michigan Career and Technical Education Standards (link)

• ST 2.2: Use modeling, simulation, or visual reproduction to effectively analyze, create, and/or communicate to others regarding plans, projects, problems, issues, or processes. Sample Indicators:
  • Apply techniques for modeling systems or problems.
  • Apply techniques for scientific visualization and animation of complex physical systems or problems.
  • Test different scenarios to multiple variables.

Core English Language Arts Standards - Science & Technical Subjects (link)

• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RST.9-10.7Translate quantitative or technical information expressed in words in a text into visual form (e.g., a table or chart) and translate information expressed visually or mathematically (e.g., in an equation) into words.
• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RST.9-10.9Compare and contrast findings presented in a text to those from other sources (including their own experiments), noting when the findings support or contradict previous explanations or accounts.

International Society for Technology in Education (link)

• 1c: Students use technology to seek feedback that informs and improves their practice and to demonstrate their learning in a variety of ways..
• 3a: Students plan and employ effective research strategies to locate information and other resources for their intellectual or creative pursuits.
• 3b: Students evaluate the accuracy, perspective, credibility and relevance of information, media, data or other resources.
• 3c: Students curate information from digital resources using a variety of tools and methods to create collections of artifacts that demonstrate meaningful connections or conclusions.
• 3d: Students build knowledge by actively exploring real-world issues and problems, developing ideas and theories and pursuing answers and solutions.
• 4a: Students know and use a deliberate design process for generating ideas, testing theories, creating innovative artifacts or solving authentic problems.
• 4b: Students select and use digital tools to plan and manage a design process that considers design constraints and calculated risks.
• 4c: Students develop, test and refine prototypes as part of a cyclical design process.
• 4d: Students exhibit a tolerance for ambiguity, perseverance and the capacity to work with open-ended problems.
• 5a: Students formulate problem definitions suited for technology-assisted methods such as data analysis, abstract models and algorithmic thinking in exploring and finding solutions.
• 5b: Students collect data or identify relevant data sets, use digital tools to analyze them, and represent data in various ways to facilitate problem-solving and decision-making.
• 5c: Students break problems into component parts, extract key information, and develop descriptive models to understand complex systems or facilitate problem-solving.
• 5d: Students understand how automation works and use algorithmic thinking to develop a sequence of steps to create and test automated solutions.
• 6a: Students choose the appropriate platforms and tools for meeting the desired objectives of their creation or communication.
• 6c: Students communicate complex ideas clearly and effectively by creating or using a variety of digital objects such as visualizations, models or simulations.
• 6d: Students publish or present content that customizes the message and medium for their intended audiences.
• 7b: Students use collaborative technologies to work with others, including peers, experts or community members, to examine issues and problems from multiple viewpoints.
• 7c: Students contribute constructively to project teams, assuming various roles and responsibilities to work effectively toward a common goal.