Reviewers Wanted For Next Generation Of Science Standards
From Mike Kaspar
In March, I listed 10 things you need to know about the Next Generation of Science Standards (NGSS). Now you have the opportunity to learn more about the NGSS while letting your comments be heard. On this past Friday, May 11 Achieve, Inc. released the first public draft of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) and seeks your thoughts and opinions about them. There are only two public comment periods. This is the first one. The second and last one will probably be held sometime in the late summer/early fall.

I’ve listed a few questions to help jumpstart some thoughts about the standards, and hope that it will inspire conversation around the standards. Be part of the process and let your thoughts be known no matter whether they are positive or negative.Just make sure they are constructive and can help the Team design a better product.

Are you a science content expert? Great! Look over the standards and think about how science concepts and skills are expanded across grade levels. Does it make sense? Are there gaps? Are there concepts that should be included that are not? Do the cross-cutting concepts help students learn and build their scientific knowledge? What else do you think about the content at the specific grade levels? Is inquiry embedded in the standards?

There is no doubt that science—and, therefore, science education—is central to the lives of all Americans. To that end, we must ensure that all students have a solid education in science. The recent NAEP science scores show we have a long way to go to ensure all of our students have the science education they will need for college, careers and life. 

Are you interested in science education? Great! Then you should look at the NGSS and comment, too. Do you think these standards will help our students improve their knowledge of the scientific process, or of the content and skills necessary to get a job in a STEM field? Think about what you think you’d need to be successful in a STEM career. Can you find these skills in the standards? What do you think about the connections to engineering?

Are you an elementary teacher who is not so comfortable with teaching science? Great! These are for you to look over, too. What do you think about them? Will they help you teach science in your classroom? Will you more likely teach science now that these standards are coming out, or will you be less likely? Do the cross-cutting concepts with English/Language Arts and Mathematics help? What do you need to make the standards clearer/better?

The NGSS were written as student performance expectations grouped by topics, and can be viewed in the topical groupings or individually. The draft performance expectations are composed of the three dimensions from the NRC's Framework for K–12 Science Education. These draft performance expectations describe how students will demonstrate their understanding.

The draft standards are available at www.nextgenscience.org from May 11 to June 1. When you are ready to provide comments, click on any of the links that say "Go to the NGSS Survey." Feedback collected during the comment period will be organized and shared with the leading states and writing team members.  After the feedback is considered, a feedback report will be issued that will explain how feedback was handled and why.

Be sure to submit your survey by June 1. 

Mike Kaspar, Ph.D. is Senior Policy Analyst at the National Education Association.

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