What are the Next Generation Science Standards?

Published by the National Research Council, 2013

The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) were published in April, 2013 and are based on the Framework for K-12 Science Education put forth by the National Research Council, a federal agency that links science and government. These new standards are the result of a collaborative effort between the National Research Council, the National Science Teachers Association, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and local state governments (Sarna, Soltanzadeh, & Wolbrink, 2013). School districts began to adopt these standards shortly after their release, and they have already begun to change traditional standardized testing methods in science. This is particularly true in New York State, where NGSS will dramatically affect the structure of science Regents exams at the high school level. Subject level SATs and AP exams will also adapt as the new standards take hold across the country.

The goal of NGSS is to transition science teaching from a fact-heavy, memorization-based practice to one that encourages curiosity and inquiry in our students. The incorporation of natural phenomenon and experiment-driven instruction are at the core of this change in pedagogy. The basis of NGSS involves “three-dimensional learning,” a term meant to link science content, cross-disciplinary connections, and hands-on practice in science and engineering (National Research Council, 2012). This may involve constructing models, conducting investigations, interpreting data, forming arguments based on evidence, or any other task representative of what a scientist or engineer in the field would perform. For more information on three-dimensional learning, download our free e-book.

Science is not just a body of knowledge that reflects current understanding of the world; it is also a set of practices used to establish, extend, and refine that knowledge 

— National Research Council, 2012

References

National Research Council. (2012). A Framework for K-12 Science Education: Practices, Crosscutting Concepts, and Core Ideas. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.17226/13165

Sarna, J., Soltanzadeh, N., & Wolbrink, V. (2013, April). Developing the Standards. Retrieved from Next Generation Science Standards: https://www.nextgenscience.org/