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ABSTRACT Contemporary science instruction guided by the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) requires instructional shifts, driving an urgent need for curriculum‐based professional development (PD). This urgency is compounded by the growing population of multilingual learners (MLs), necessitating PD that effectively integrates science and language learning. While NGSS‐based PD programs are emerging, few studies have examined the impacts of such programs on teachers' instructional practices, especially in ways that elevate teacher voice. This study examined the impact of a 2‐year curriculum‐based PD intervention on elementary teacher professional learning. Specifically, we analyzed teachers' perceptions of the intervention's effects on their (a) science instruction, (b) science instruction with MLs, and (c) general instructional practices. We conducted a qualitative, thematic analysis based on focus group interviews. Following the intervention, teachers reported shifts in their science instruction toward making learning real and authentic, leveraging the mutually supportive nature of science and language learning, and considering student learning over time. For science instruction with MLs, teachers shifted toward giving students agency over language use and developing a repertoire of scaffolds. Teachers also reported shifts in their general instructional practices, including adapting instruction and fostering collaborative, respectful environments—practices that they described as extending to other content areas.
Haas et al. (Mon,) studied this question.