Transitioning to the Next Generation of Science Education

Curriculum and Professional Development Division February 2013

K 12 Science

Science and Engineering

Practices

Disciplinary Core Ideas

Crosscutting Concepts

The release of the Common Core State Standards created a buzz for math and English

language arts teachers; however, it left science teachers wondering about revisions to the science

content standards. In July 2011, the National Research Council released the Framework for K 12

Science Education: Practices, Crosscutting Concepts, and Core Ideas which outlines a vision for the

future of science instruction in the United States. The Framework outlines the information and skills

that all students should learn by the time they graduate from high school in order to be college and

career ready.

The Framework was used to develop the Next Generation Science Standards which will

replace the National Science Education Standards and the Benchmarks for Science Literacy. After

two rounds of public review, the final version of the standards document is projected to be released

in March 2013. Due to the relatively lengthy and costly process that is involved in the adoption of

new state standards, it will most likely take a few years before all course

documents and textbooks reflect the new standards. However, teachers

do not need to wait for revised course documents to incorporate the

ideas presented in the Framework. Teachers can start introducing the

crosscutting concepts and the science and engineering practices into

their units of study. The diagram on the right illustrates the

integrated nature of the practices, crosscutting concepts, and

disciplinary core ideas that are envisioned in the Framework and

the Next Generation Science Standards. The back of this page lists

the eight science and engineering practices, seven crosscutting

concepts, and four domains of the disciplinary core ideas.

The Next Generation Science Standards include the notion of learning progressions; focuses

on a limited number of core ideas in science and engineering; and emphasizes the integration of

content knowledge, practices, and crosscutting concepts. The

standards provide K 12 science educators with the

opportunity to present the real world interconnections in

science. These instructional practices will help to ensure a

deeper understanding of content and the application of

science rather than simply memorizing facts and vocabulary

terms. In addition, each of the Next Generation Science

Standards contains a link to the Common Core State

Standards in Mathematics and English Language Arts. The

vision of the Framework and the Next Generation Science

Standards will require a shift from most traditional teaching

practices. The District will provide professional development

opportunities for teachers to make the transition to the next

generation of science education.

Did you know?

The Curriculum and Professional

Development (CPD) Division will

be offering a grant-funded K 12

professional development

opportunity focusing on the Next

Generation Science Standards.

Applications for the summer

institute will be accepted in

March 2013. Interested teachers

should check the CPD Science

folder on InterAct for details.

Three Dimensions of the Next Generation Science Standards

Curriculum and Professional Development Division February 2013

K 12 Science

Science and Engineering Practices

Asking questions and defining problems

Developing and using models

Planning and carrying out investigations

Analyzing and interpretation data

Using mathematics and computational thinking

Constructing explanations and designing solutions

Engaging in argument from evidence

Obtaining, evaluating, and communicating information

Crosscutting Concepts

Patterns

Cause and effect: Mechanism and explanation

Scale, proportion, and quantity

Systems and system models

Energy and matter: Flows, cycles, and conservation

Structure and function

Stability and change

Disciplinary Core Ideas

Physical Sciences

Life Sciences

Earth and Space Sciences

Engineering, Technology, and Applications of Science*

Resources:

The National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) has updated resources related to the

NGSS at The Framework for K–12 Science Education: Practices, Crosscutting Concepts, and Core

Ideas is available at http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13165

The Nevada Next Generation Science Education Web site is available at

http://www.nevadangse.net/

P 2