Meet Dr. Carol K. Baker
Dr. Carol Baker was one of forty-one individuals chosen from across the nation to be a member of the writing team for the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). Forty-four states have adopted NGSS in full or in part to guide the science that is taught in schools around the U.S. Dr. Baker has conducted several large-scale workshops to educate K-12 teachers and administrators about NGSS both locally and nationally, and she has been asked to present at many conferences around the country. She currently works with many schools/districts on curriculum, lessons, and assessments aligned to NGSS.
Dr. Baker has also worked closely with the Illinois State Board of Education to adopt the standards and support the implementation of NGSS in schools across Illinois. In 2019 she was asked to be part of the new Illinois Science Assessment Leadership Team. Beginning in 2020, she partnered with Lewis University to lead a team of 42 educators to write questions for the new Illinois Science Assessment (ISA). Her team contributed 176 question clusters to the ISA test bank. The ISA is given each year to students in Illinois public schools in the 5th, 8th, and 11th grades. Dr. Baker conducts workshops and professional development for schools on creating ISA-like clusters for classroom use.
Dr. Baker has also worked with Pearson on creating a science textbook series called Elevate Science, serving as the lead consultant for the project. Before this, she was filmed by McGraw Hill for a series of brief instructional videos about NGSS; these videos are available for viewing on McGraw Hill’s website.
In the past, Dr. Baker wrote assessment questions and passages for the ACT and the former Illinois PSAE science test and presented to many teachers in Illinois about writing assessments. She was elected president of the Illinois Science Teachers Association from 2011-2013 and served as a member of advisory boards for Wards and the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago. In 2014 she assisted a small group of local science leaders in establishing the Northern Illinois Science Educators (NISE) and continues to serve on their board of directors and present at their conference every year.
Dr. Baker received her BS in Physics and science teaching certification from Loyola University of Chicago. She completed her Master of Educational Administration (K-12) from Governors State University and earned her Doctorate in Educational Leadership (K-12) from National-Louis University in Chicago. Throughout her career, she was a physics teacher, a science department chair, a principal, an assistant superintendent, and a superintendent. She is retired from her work as a school administrator and now conducts professional development for schools and districts on science curriculum, lessons, and assessments.
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