This NSDL Strand Map Service (SMS) project is extending the past success of strand mapping the Atlas of Science Literacy Volume 1 to Volume 2 of the Atlas, published in March 2007 by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). The project is also broadening science content standards coverage by modeling the content using the Achievement Standards Network to connect the maps to National Science Education Standards based on their current mappings to AAAS Project 2061 Benchmark Standards. This effort is providing K-12 learners and educators with full access to instructional materials that are linked to the complete collection of AAAS Benchmarks and Strand Maps. The SMS is deployed into the NDR (http://strandmaps.nsdl.org/) and maintenance tools are being developed to support any necessary updates to the AAAS Benchmarks Repository beyond the performance period of this grant. This innovative information model provides rich descriptions of science learning goals that go beyond plain text descriptions of learning objectives by including pedagogically important information such as the critical relationships between learning goals, common student conceptions and relevant education research.
