The Michigan Essential Goals and Objectives for Science Education (K-12) -- often referred to as MEGOSE -- was released by the Michigan Department of Education (MDE) in 1991.  The document provided "directions for an innovative approach to science education in Michigan.  [It includes … ] a philosophical foundation and curricular framework from which educators may construct comprehensive science education programs for elementary, middle, and high schools in Michigan."

One of the unique strengths of MEGOSE was its inclusion of narrative text to describe the intent of the included objectives for each grade span:  elementary school (K-4), middle school (5-7), and high school (8-12).  In 1996, MDE released the Michigan Curriculum Framework (MCF), in which the state's science "objectives" were now referred to as "benchmarks." The science benchmarks were revised in 2000.  Unfortunately, as we progressed from MEGOSE to the MCF to the 2000 science benchmark revisions, the narrative portions of MEGOSE were dropped from MDE's documentation.  However, despite a new coding scheme for identifying the benchmarks, the text of many remains the same as in the original MEGOSE document.  As such, the MEGOSE narrative can still provide insight into the intentions that underlie today's K-12 science benchmarks in Michigan.

For that reason, we are keeping the MEGOSE document available on-line for reference by interested educators.  At present, MS-Word versions of the first three sections of MEGOSE are available for download via the links below.  Please note that the page breaks within these versions of the first three sections of MEGOSE may not match exactly with those in the original document.  At present, the four appendices that make up Section IV of MEGOSE are not available for download.

Michigan Essential Goals and Objectives for Science Education (K-12):

Last Updated:  2005.03.11 by RTSmith