Next Generation Science Standards

Last updated

The Next Generation Science Standards is a multi-state effort in the United States to create new education standards that are "rich in content and practice, arranged in a coherent manner across disciplines and grades to provide all students an internationally benchmarked science education." [1] The standards were developed by a consortium of 26 states and by the National Science Teachers Association, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the National Research Council, and Achieve, a nonprofit organization that was also involved in developing math and English standards. [2] [3] [4] [5] The public was also invited to review the standards, [6] and organizations such as the California Science Teachers Association encouraged this feedback. [7] The final draft of the standards was released in April 2013. [8]

Contents

Goal

The purposes of the standards include;

  1. Creating science-literate citizens
  2. Creating common standards for teaching in the U.S.
  3. Making science and engineering relevant for and accessible to all students
  4. Developing greater interest in science among students so that more of them choose to major in science and technology in college.

Overall, the guidelines are intended to;

  1. Help students deeply understand core scientific concepts,
  2. Develop proficiency in the scientific process of developing and testing ideas,
  3. Have a greater ability to evaluate scientific evidence.

Curricula based on the standards may cover fewer topics, but will go more deeply into specific topics, possibly using a case-study method and emphasizing critical thinking and primary investigation. Possible approaches to implementing the standards may even include replacing traditionally isolated high school courses such as biology and chemistry with a case-study approach that uses a more holistic method of teaching science to consider both (or more) topics within a single classroom structure. [2] Many education supply companies have already started offering NGSS-aligned products and resources to help teachers implement these new principles. [9]

Standards

The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) are based on the "Framework K–12 Science Education" that was created by the National Research Council. They have three dimensions that are integrated in instruction at all levels. The first dimension is the Disciplinary Core Ideas (the DCIs), which consists of content and concepts specific to four disciplines: Life Science, Earth and Space Science, Physical Science, and Engineering, Technology, and Applications of Science. The second dimension is the Science and Engineering Practices (the SEPs), which describe how scientists, engineers, and science students engage in their work of making sense of real-world phenomena and designing solutions to real-world problems. The specific elements of the science and engineering practices from the Framework are identified and described in Appendix F [10] of the Next Generation Science Standards. These practices are asking questions and defining problems; developing and using models; planning and carrying out investigations; analyzing and interpreting data; using mathematics and computational thinking; constructing explanations and designing solutions; engaging in argument from evidence; and obtaining, evaluating, and communicating information. [10] The third dimension is the Crosscutting Concepts, which are thinking tools and ideas that span disciplines and are used to bring disciplinary ideas together to explain a phenomenon or to design a solution to a problem. The NGSS give equal emphasis to engineering design and to scientific inquiry. In addition, they are aligned with the Common Core State Standards by grade and level of difficulty. The standards describe "performance expectations" for students in the areas of science and engineering. They define what students must be able to do in order to show competency. [11]

An important facet of the standards is that learning of content is integrated with doing the practices of scientists and engineers. This is a change from traditional teaching, which typically either dealt with these topics separately or did not attempt to teach practices. According to the NGSS, it is through the integration of content and practice "that science begins to make sense and allows students to apply the material." [11]

Adoption

Over 40 states have shown interest in the standards, [12] and as of March 2023, 20 states, along with the District of Columbia (D.C.), have adopted the standards: Arkansas, [13] California, Connecticut, [14] Delaware, Hawaii, [15] Illinois, [16] Iowa, [17] Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, [18] Oregon, [19] Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington. These represent over 36% of the students in U.S. [20] [21] [22] [23] [24]

Unlike the earlier roll-out of the Common Core (CC) mathematics and English language arts standards, states have no financial incentives from federal grants to adopt the Next Generation Science Standards. Previously, adoption of the CC standards was incentivized through states accepting federal grants during the 2009 TARP bailouts. Once states accepted the grant, they accepted the responsibility to adopt "college and career readiness" standards, which didn't have to be CC, but most states chose CC anyway. [25]

The 26 states involved in developing the NGSS, called Lead State Partners, were Arizona, Arkansas, California, Delaware, Georgia, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Tennessee, Vermont, Washington, and West Virginia. [26]

When the standards were released in April 2013, many states were expected to adopt them within 1–2 years. However, according to the New York Times, it will take several more years to actually develop curricula based on the new guidelines, to train teachers in implementing them, and to revise standardized tests. [2] In addition, the pace of adoption is expected to be slower than was seen with the Common Core State Standards because, unlike Common Core, in which the states had financial incentives to adopt, there are no similar incentives for the NGSS. [20] Many education supply companies have started offering NGSS-aligned products and resources to help teachers adopt NGSS. [27]

In 2018, Achieve partnered with Concentric Sky to offer digital badges for high-quality learning resources aligned to the NGSS. [28]

Reception

News reports have suggested there will likely be resistance towards the Next Generations Science Standards from conservatives due to the inclusion of anthropogenic climate change and evolution. [12] [29] [30] [31] [32] For example, the New Mexico Public Education Department initially attempted to make changes and deletions in the standards prior to adopting them. According to Skeptical Inquirer, the "proposed changes would have deleted key terms and concepts such as evolution and the 4.6-billion-year age of the Earth. Specifically, 'evolution' would be called 'biological diversity,' the specific age of the Earth would be changed to 'geologic history,' and a 'rise in global temperatures' would be changed to 'temperature fluctuations.'" Following significant protests by the New Mexico Academy of Science, New Mexicans for Science and Reason, the Coalition for Excellence in Science and Engineering as well as scientists, educators, and faith leaders, the department announced in October 2017 that it would adopt the standards in their entirety. [33]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Outcome-based education</span> Educational system based on the desired goals

Outcome-based education or outcomes-based education (OBE) is an educational theory that bases each part of an educational system around goals (outcomes). By the end of the educational experience, each student should have achieved the goal. There is no single specified style of teaching or assessment in OBE; instead, classes, opportunities, and assessments should all help students achieve the specified outcomes. The role of the faculty adapts into instructor, trainer, facilitator, and/or mentor based on the outcomes targeted.

Science education is the teaching and learning of science to school children, college students, or adults within the general public. The field of science education includes work in science content, science process, some social science, and some teaching pedagogy. The standards for science education provide expectations for the development of understanding for students through the entire course of their K-12 education and beyond. The traditional subjects included in the standards are physical, life, earth, space, and human sciences.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mathematics education</span> Teaching, learning, and scholarly research in mathematics

In contemporary education, mathematics education—known in Europe as the didactics or pedagogy of mathematics—is the practice of teaching, learning, and carrying out scholarly research into the transfer of mathematical knowledge.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Curriculum</span> Educational plan

In education, a curriculum is broadly defined as the totality of student experiences that occur in the educational process. The term often refers specifically to a planned sequence of instruction, or to a view of the student's experiences in terms of the educator's or school's instructional goals. A curriculum may incorporate the planned interaction of pupils with instructional content, materials, resources, and processes for evaluating the attainment of educational objectives. Curricula are split into several categories: the explicit, the implicit, the excluded, and the extracurricular.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New York State Education Department</span> Department of the New York state government

The New York State Education Department (NYSED) is the department of the New York state government responsible for the supervision for all public schools in New York and all standardized testing, as well as the production and administration of state tests and Regents Examinations. In addition, the State Education Department oversees higher education, cultural institutions such as museums and libraries, vocational rehabilitation, and the licensing of numerous professions. It is headed by the Board of Regents of the University of the State of New York (USNY) and administered by the Commissioner of Education.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Helen Quinn</span> Australian-American physicist

Helen Rhoda Arnold Quinn is an Australian-born particle physicist and educator who has made major contributions to both fields. Her contributions to theoretical physics include the Peccei–Quinn theory which implies a corresponding symmetry of nature and contributions to the search for a unified theory for the three types of particle interactions. As Chair of the Board on Science Education of the National Academy of Sciences, Quinn led the effort that produced A Framework for K-12 Science Education: Practices, Crosscutting Concepts, and Core Ideas—the basis for the Next Generation Science Standards adopted by many states. Her honours include the Dirac Medal of the International Center for Theoretical Physics, the Oskar Klein Medal from the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, appointment as an Honorary Officer of the Order of Australia, the J. J. Sakurai Prize for Theoretical Particle Physics from the American Physical Society, the Karl Taylor Compton Medal for Leadership in Physics from the American Institute of Physics, the 2018 Benjamin Franklin Medal in Physics from the Franklin Institute, and the 2023 Harvey Prize from Technion -- Israel Institute of Technology.

Learning standards are elements of declarative, procedural, schematic, and strategic knowledge that, as a body, define the specific content of an educational program. Standards are usually composed of statements that express what a student knows, can do, or is capable of performing at a certain point in their '''learning progression'''.

Inquiry-based learning is a form of active learning that starts by posing questions, problems or scenarios. It contrasts with traditional education, which generally relies on the teacher presenting facts and their knowledge about the subject. Inquiry-based learning is often assisted by a facilitator rather than a lecturer. Inquirers will identify and research issues and questions to develop knowledge or solutions. Inquiry-based learning includes problem-based learning, and is generally used in small-scale investigations and projects, as well as research. The inquiry-based instruction is principally very closely related to the development and practice of thinking and problem-solving skills.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Race to the Top</span> U.S. Department of Education competitive grant

Race to the Top was a $4.35 billion United States Department of Education competitive grant created to spur and reward innovation and reforms in state and local district K–12 education. Funded as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, it was announced by President Barack Obama and Secretary of Education Arne Duncan on July 24, 2009. States competing for the grants were awarded points for enacting certain educational policies, instituting performance-based evaluations for teachers and principals based on multiple measures of educator effectiveness, adopting common standards, adopting policies that did not prohibit the expansion of high-quality charter schools, turning around the lowest-performing schools, and building and using data systems.

The Common Core State Standards Initiative, also known as simply Common Core, was a multi-state educational initiative begun in 2010 with the goal of increasing consistency across state standards, or what K–12 students throughout the United States should know in English language arts and mathematics at the conclusion of each school grade. The initiative was sponsored by the National Governors Association and the Council of Chief State School Officers.

The Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) is a consortium featuring two states, the District of Columbia, the Department of Defense Educational Activity, and the Bureau of Indian Education, that work to create and deploy a standard set of K–12 assessments in Mathematics and English, based on the Common Core State Standards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John King Jr.</span> 10th United States Secretary of Education

John B. King Jr. is an American educator, civil servant, and former state and federal government official who is the 15th Chancellor of the State University of New York (SUNY). He previously served as President & CEO of The Education Trust, a national civil rights nonprofit which seeks to identify and close opportunity and achievement gaps for students from preschool through college. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as the 10th United States Secretary of Education from January 1, 2016, to January 20, 2017, under President Barack Obama. In April 2021, King announced that he would be running for the Democratic nomination in the 2022 Maryland gubernatorial election, but came in sixth place in the primary election, losing to Baltimore author Wes Moore.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Twig Education</span>

Imagine Learning, formerly Twig Education, is a digital media company that offers educational content to schools via subscription websites.

TeachEngineering.org is a digital library of more than 1,500 K-12 engineering curricular items such as lessons, hands-on activities and maker challenges. The items feature problem-solving, project-based learning, design and systems thinking, and developing engineering habits of mind.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amplify (company)</span> American education technology company

Amplify is a curriculum and assessment company launched in July 2012. Amplify Curriculum was built on the foundation of Wireless Generation, an educational company the original News Corp bought in 2010. Amplify products and services provide assessment and analytics for data-driven instruction and next-generation digital curriculum based on the Common Core State Standards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Common Core implementation by state</span> US use of the 2010 educational initiative

46 states initially adopted the Common Core State Standards, although implementation has not been uniform. At least 12 states have introduced legislation to repeal the standards outright, and 5 have since withdrawn from the standards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dubai International School</span> Private school in Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Dubai International School (DIS) is an International American private school in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The school has two branches in Dubai located in Al Garhoud and Al Quoz and serves levels from Preschool (Kindergarten), Elementary school, Middle school, and High school. The school hold both a United Arab Emirates Ministry of education educational permit and a United States educational permit.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Korea Foreign School</span> School in South Korea

Korea Foreign School (KFS) is a non-profit private coeducational day-school in the Gangnam Area of Seoul, South Korea. KFS is established and operated under the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education. Korea Foreign School educates children from grade 1 through grade 10.

Amdon is a digital learning tool for students and professionals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Okhee Lee</span> American education scholar

Okhee Lee is an American education scholar and professor of childhood education.

References

  1. ↑ "Next Generation Science Standards" . Retrieved 12 May 2013.
  2. 1 2 3 Gillis, Justin (9 April 2013). "New Guidelines Call for Broad Changes in Science Education". New York Times. Retrieved 22 April 2013.
  3. ↑ "Next Generation Science Standards". Illinois State Board of Education. Archived from the original on 7 May 2013. Retrieved 12 May 2013.
  4. ↑ Robelen, Erik (14 May 2012). "Who Is Writing the 'Next Generation' Science Standards?". Education Week. Retrieved 12 May 2013.
  5. ↑ Revkin, Andrew (18 May 2012). "New Classroom Science Standards Up for Review". New York Times. Retrieved 12 May 2013.
  6. ↑ "Education Officials Seek Public Comment on Science Standards". Topeka Capital-Journal. 17 January 2013. Retrieved 12 May 2013.
  7. ↑ "Next Generation Science Standards". California Science Teachers Association. Retrieved 12 May 2013.
  8. ↑ Robelen, Erik (9 April 2013). "Common Science Standards Make Formal Debut". Education Week. Retrieved 12 May 2013.
  9. ↑ "MudWatt NGSS Science Kit".
  10. 1 2 "APPENDIX F – Science and Engineering Practices in the NGSS" (PDF). Retrieved 6 June 2021.
  11. 1 2 "The Next Generation Science Standards: Executive Summary" (PDF). Next Generation Science Standards. June 2013. Retrieved 5 March 2014.
  12. 1 2 "Evolution and climate change in the NGSS". National Center for Science Education. 9 April 2013. Retrieved 13 May 2013.
  13. ↑ "Arkansas Adopts NGSS for grades K-8". NSTA. 17 June 2015. Retrieved 8 July 2015.
  14. ↑ "The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) were adopted by unanimous vote of the Connecticut State Board of Education". 4 November 2016. Retrieved 11 December 2016.
  15. ↑ Heitin, Liana (17 February 2016). "Hawaii Adopts the Next Generation Science Standards". Education Week. Retrieved 22 February 2016.
  16. ↑ Heitin, Liana (25 March 2014). "It's Official: Illinois Adopts Common Science Standards". Education Week. Retrieved 26 March 2014.
  17. ↑ Loewus, Liana (11 August 2015). "Iowa Becomes 15th State to Adopt Next Generation Science Standards". Education Week. Retrieved 19 August 2015.
  18. ↑ "NM STEM Ready Science Standards". ped.state.nm.us. Archived from the original on 18 November 2017. Retrieved 20 November 2017.
  19. ↑ "Oregon adopts the Next Generation Science Standards as the new Oregon Science Standards!". Oregon Department of Education. 10 March 2014. Retrieved 11 March 2014.
  20. 1 2 Heitin, Liana (26 February 2014). "Nevada Adopts Common Science Standards". Education Week. Retrieved 11 March 2014.
  21. ↑ Ripley, Amanda (30 September 2013). "The New Smart Set: What Happens When Millions of Kids Are Asked to Master Fewer Things More Deeply?". Time. p. 36.
  22. ↑ Higgins, John (3 October 2013). "Washington to adopt 'Next Gen' science standards". The Seattle Times. Retrieved 19 February 2014.
  23. ↑ "Delaware 7th State to Adopt NGSS". Next Generation Science Standards. 20 September 2013. Retrieved 19 February 2013.
  24. ↑ NSTA. "NGSS Hub". NGSS Hub. Retrieved 6 May 2017.
  25. ↑ "States Have a Choice in Adopting Common Core Standards for K-12 Education". Huffington Post. 18 June 2013. Retrieved 4 December 2014.
  26. ↑ "Lead State Partners". Next Generation Science Standards. Retrieved 13 May 2013.
  27. ↑ "Open NGSS Resources".
  28. ↑ "Achieve Announces NGSS Design Badge for High-Quality Science Units". Achieve.org. 13 March 2018.
  29. ↑ Richmond, Emily (10 April 2013). "Students Would Learn about Climate Change Under New Teaching Guidelines". The Atlantic. Retrieved 13 May 2013.
  30. ↑ Watanabe, Teresa (9 April 2013). "New science standards call for teaching climate change and more". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 13 May 2013.
  31. ↑ Toppo, Greg (10 April 2013). "National science standards likely to raise 'ruckus'". USA Today. Retrieved 13 May 2013.
  32. ↑ "Partners". Next Generation Science Standards. Retrieved 13 May 2013.
  33. ↑ Frazier, Kendrick (2018). "New Mexico Scientists, Teachers Stop Attempt to Taint Science Standards". Skeptical Inquirer. 42 (2): 13.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.