JoinNSTA EQuIP Reviews
EQuIP Rubric for Science
The EQuIP Rubric for Science provides criteria by which to measure how well lessons and units are designed for the NGSS.
The purpose of the rubric and review process is to
- Review existing lessons and units to determine what revisions are needed;
- Provide constructive criterion-based feedback and suggestions for improvement to developers;
- Identify examples/models for teachers’ use within and across states; and
- Inform the development of new lessons, units, and other instructional materials.
First developed in 2014 by Achieve and NSTA, the EQuIP Rubric has supported thousands of educators and instructional materials developers to design materials that support students in building toward proficiency on the standards.
As part of NSTA’s commitment to transform science education and best serve the vast science education community, NSTA is engaged in reviewing instructional materials using the EQuIP Rubric for Science. By conducting EQuIP Rubric reviews, NSTA aims to provide educators with valuable insights into science instructional materials’ alignment with the NGSS, ultimately supporting the shifts in instruction recommended by A Framework for K-12 Science Education.
Adapted from The EQuIP Rubric for Science v3.1 and Toward NGSS Design: - EQuIP Rubric for Science Detailed Guidance
NSTA Elementary Science Review Team uses the EQuIP Rubric 3.1 to evaluate units from OpenSciEd for grades Kindergarten-Fifth Grade.
OpenSciEd will release four units for each grade level. Each unit is reviewed twice by the same grade-level review team to ensure consistency between reviews and ratings. The first NSTA EQuIP review is internal, and only shared with developers. The developers take this report, as well as feedback from the hundreds of teachers piloting the units, to revise and strengthen the unit and its NGSS design. The second NSTA EQuIP review is shared with the developers and the public to inform stakeholders of the unit’s alignment to the EQuIP criterion. Units that receive the highest overall rating on the EQuIP Rubric 3.1 will be awarded an NGSS 3D Design designation.