Between now and January 29, 2013 the team behind the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) is soliciting feedback on their ongoing project of creating new K–12 science standards. The first draft of these new science standards was released in May of 2012. Tens of thousands of responses came in, and the NGSS writing team, working with 26 states, Achieve, and the NSTA, made changes based on this feedback. This January marks the second draft, which is still open for changes, but will be made complete in March of 2013. The NGSS are based on the Framework for K–12 Science Education developed by the National Research Council.
NSTA President Dr. Karen L. Ostlund, speaking about the NGSS, remarked:
“The second public draft of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) … is a significant step forward in developing exemplary new standards that all states can support. When completed and adopted, these new science standards will change the way science is taught and learned in classrooms nationwide by fully engaging K–12 students in three essential dimensions—disciplinary core ideas, scientific and engineering practices, and crosscutting concepts—in a way that will deepen and strengthen their knowledge and skills in science.”
The NGSS effort is part of the larger movement (see the Common Core State Standards Initiative) to standardize and update curriculum across states in the hopes that American students will be able to reach standards comparable to those attained by students in other developed countries around the world. A 2007 Carnegie Foundation commission report concludes, “The nation’s capacity to innovate for economic growth and the ability of American workers to thrive in the modern workforce depends on a broad foundation of math and science learning, as do our hopes for preserving a vibrant democracy and the promise of social mobility that lie at the heart of the American dream.” This conclusion served as motivation for the development of the NGSS.
To review and comment on the NGSS, visit http://www.nextgenscience.org/next-generation-science-standards
For more information, please visit http://www.nsta.org/about/pressroom.aspx?id=59760
