TIPS: Targeted Interventions for Proficiency in Science

Welcome science teachers! The TIPS site has a wealth of information to provide content background to teachers, particularly Nevada science teachers who are preparing their students to take the High School Science Proficiency Exam (HSPE). The site is broken down into Nevada’s 63 high school benchmarks covering Life, Earth, and Physical science content, as well as Nature of Science (coming Fall 2007).

The Nevada Science Standards can be accessed by clicking the button in the top right area of any page within the TIPS website or from the Nevada Department of Education website at, http://www.doe.nv.gov/standards/standscience.html.

The TIPS site is designed to be highly interactive. Users should find it easy to navigate between sections and to specific areas of interest. Each page is designed to provide a logical flow of information provided for a specific benchmark. Each benchmark includes the following information:

• Easy to read background content information
• Common student misconceptions associated with the benchmark
• HSPE-style sample questions
• Links to excellent classroom-ready intervention strategies and resources

Links to “printable” pages have been provided to increase the “usability” of specific sections. We encourage teachers to download these printable pages and use them as they see fit.

Navigation: Hints

Top Menu Bar: Clicking on any of the headings located in this bar will take you to the MAIN PAGE for the section in question. For example, clicking “Earth Science” will take you to the page that has a list of the Unifying Themes in Earth Science and links to each of the associated sub-sections.

LEFT HAND Navigation Side Bar: This bar changes with each new screen. It provides a more direct route to each of the benchmark pages for the Unifying Themes (UT) in question and a bridge to each of the other UT’s in that science subject area. There are also links to the main pages for each of the subject areas (Nature of Science, Life Science, Earth Science, and Physical Science).

RIGHT HAND Navigation Side Bar: This area is used to navigate WITHIN a page. The links here will “jump” the user to the specific section (content information, misconceptions, sample questions, and intervention strategies and resources) for that benchmark. This is also where the link for “printable pages” is found.

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