About
Getting to know the who, why, and how behind these learning progressions
The world now runs on data. The community-driven data literacy and data science learning progressions are designed to help educators and education leaders integrate data science in all aspects of K-12 learning. Created in partnership with 14 of the largest national K-12 education associations and organizations that comprise our school curriculum, this framework helps educators weave data science into everyday learning and prepares K-12 students with the skills they need to thrive in a data-driven world and future-focused workforce.
Who we are
This effort began with a broad coalition of data science education experts working to build a shared framework for K-12 data literacy and data science education. K-12 teachers, higher ed faculty members, state education agency representatives, Fortune 500 industry professionals, curriculum developers, and undergraduate students all contributed input and feedback.
What are the learning progressions
The K-12 Data Literacy and Data Science Learning Progressions are designed to provide a flexible framework to help education leaders bring data into the K-12 classroom in meaningful ways.
Designed for state agencies, school districts, instructional leaders, and curriculum providers, these progressions outline national expectations for teaching data literacy, core data science practices, and foundational AI concepts. The goal is to integrate these ideas with existing courses and/or standards, creating more relevant and engaging learning experiences for today’s data-driven world.
Why we created these learning progressions
Data shapes nearly every aspect of our lives, yet our K-12 education system has not kept pace. The gap between what students learn in school and the skills they need to succeed in our data-driven world is widening. The K-12 Data Literacy and Data Science Learning Progressions will help ensure students in the U.S. begin adulthood with fundamental data literacy and data science skills.
How we put the learning progressions together
This years-long effort began in October of 2023 and continues today. The process consisted of large in-person gatherings, hours of focus group discussions and input from 800+ members of the public who participated in DS4E’s Chart the Course Request for Information (RFI). More information about how these learning progressions were created can be found here.
How the learning progressions work
The learning progressions are organized by grade band, strand, sub-strand and concept to assist educators in guiding students through a logical progression of learning outcomes.
The grade bands are:
- K-2: Early Exploration
- 3-5: Developing Understanding
- 6-8: Expanding Skills
- 9-10: Advanced Foundations
- 11-12: Mastery and Application
The five strands are:
- Strand A: Dispositions and Responsibility
- Strand B: Creation and Curation
- Strand C: Analysis and Modeling Techniques
- Strand D: Interpreting Problems and Results
- Strand E: Visualization and Communication
The strands are designed to help students cycle through the data collection process, from creation all the way to visualization and communication.
How to get started
- Five basic concepts for teachers new to data science
- How to prioritize the progressions
- A roadmap for the learning progressions
What’s next
The release of the K-12 Data Literacy and Data Science Learning Progressions is the first step in a continuous process. The intention is for this project to be a living, adaptive resource for educators for years to come. Community input is an imperative part of this effort and we will facilitate a recurring amendment) process to routinely incorporate new education research, technological change, and practice findings over time.
Subject-specific learning progressions (science, social studies, math and english) will be available soon.