What is the difference between content standards and process/practice standards for math and science? e?

Question

What is the difference between content standards and process/practice standards for math and science? Why are both essential to support student understanding in math and science?

Answer 1

Content standards describe the knowledge that a student must be able to recall and understand; process/practice standards provide an opportunity for students to demonstrate the skill using what they know. 

Simply put, content is what you know while process/practice is what can you do. They are both assessed differently. Knowledge can be recalled or explained while skills can be used in a project or activity. 

Both are essential because having knowledge but not the skills to perform the task is incomplete, and having skills but not the ability to explain the meaning of the result is incomplete. Gaining both knowledge and skills proves to increase retention of that standard.