Framework for K-12 Science Education Step 1 in Developing The Next Generation Science Standards

Why do we need new standards?  Current Standards based on:  National Science Education Standards  From National Research Council (NRC)  Benchmarks for Science Literacy  American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)  Both have been around for 15+ years

Common Core?  Are these just Common Core State Standards for science?  No  Each State will decide whether or not to use these standards.  The NRC is working closely with states to make sure the standards are what they need.

How are the Standards being developed?  Step 1: Develop a Framework  The Result?  Framework for K-12 Science Education  Released in July 2011

What is the Framework?  “A sound, evidence based foundation for standards that draws on current scientific research – including research on the ways students learn science effectively – and identifies the science all K- 12 students should know”

How was the Framework Developed?  NRC convened an 18 member committee including:  Practicing scientists  Including two Nobel laureates  Science education researchers  Cognitive Scientists  Science education standards and policy experts  Released a public draft in 2010  Reviewed comments and considered all feedback prior to releasing final draft.

What does the Framework say?  “It describes a vision of what it means to be proficient in science; it rests on a view of science as both a body of knowledge and an evidence-based, model and theory building enterprise that continually extends, refines, and revises knowledge. It presents three dimensions that will be combine to form each standard.”

3 Dimensions

Dimension 1: Practices  Behaviors that scientists engage in as they investigate and build models and theories about the natural world  These are not only skills, but also the knowledge that is specific to each practice

Dimension 2: Crosscutting Concepts  Concepts that have application across all domains of science.  Defined:  “these concepts should be made explicit to students as they provide an organizational schema for interrelating knowledge from various science fields into a coherent and scientifically-based view of the world.”

Crosscutting Concepts include:  Patterns, similarity and diversity  Cause and effect  Scale, proportion, and quantity  Systems and system models  Energy and matter  Structure and function  Stability and change

Dimension 3: Content or Core Ideas  To be considered core an idea must meet two or more of the following:  Have broad importance across multiple sciences or engineering disciplines or be a key organizing concept of a single discipline  Provide a key tool for understanding or investigating more complex ideas and solving problems  Relate to the interests and life experiences of students or be connected to societal or personal concerns that require scientific or technological knowledge  Be teachable and learnable over multiple grades at increasing levels of depth and sophistication

4 Domains of Disciplinary Ideas:  Physical Sciences  Life Sciences  Earth and Space Sciences  Engineering, technology, and applications of science

Next Generation Science Standards  With the help of the Framework, there will be new, better science standards to help our students succeed not only in school, but also in a university or career.

The End  All information collected from: