What Is Curriculum Topic Study (CTS)?

CTS is a methodical study process for professional learning that uses a common set of collective resources (several that are free online or can be purchased through NSTA) and 103 science topic guides to delve deeply into science and STEM related K-12 topics. CTS was originally developed in 2002 with National Science Foundation funding to use with the National Science Education Standards and Benchmarks for Science Literacy and was updated in 2020 to use with current standards. CTS can be used with any curriculum, or state standards, including the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) and standards based on the Framework for K-12 Science Education. CTS is a versatile process that can be used in a variety of ways by teachers, science curriculum specialists, developers of professional learning, professional learning communities, instructional designers, assessment developers, pre-service instructors, and instructional coaches for different purposes such as:

•Building or enhancing science content knowledge

•Examining implications for curriculum and effective instruction

•Identifying and unpacking key concepts, ideas, and practices

•Using research on learning and common misconceptions to inform curriculum development and instruction

•Identifying connections within and across topics in science

•Examining K-12 coherency and articulation across grade spans

•Considering how to combine three dimensions- disciplinary core ideas, practices, and crosscutting concepts

•Being a better consumer of state standards, curriculum, and instructional materials

•Using a common body of knowledge about effective teaching and learning to make decisions based on evidence, not opinion