Public Comment Period for New National Science Education Standards in May

Ohio is one of 26 lead states in the development of the national Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). The development process began with the July 2011 completion of the National Research Council’s A Framework for K-12 Science Education, which is being used as the basis for the preparation of the NGSS.

On May 7, 2012, a draft of the standards will be available for public comment on the NGSS website. To assist reviewers, the Ohio Department of Education has prepared a short video that introduces the Framework and NGSS documents:

ftp://ftp.ode.state.oh.us/ODEMediaWeb/20120404_NGSS/NGSS_March_2012.wmv

From ODE: “Ohio Chosen as a Lead State for the Development of the Next Generation Science Standards”

ODE was chosen to be one of 20 states to help lead the development of national Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). The standards will define the natural science and engineering content and practices students must learn from kindergarten through high school graduation. The goal is to build a strong science foundation in the nation’s students that leads to improved college and career-readiness.

The first standards-development step was completed recently when the National Research Council (NRC) released A Framework for K-12 Science Education. The document identifies core natural science and engineering concepts students should know by graduation. Ohio will participate in step two, working with other lead-state partners to guide the standards writing process, gather and deliver feedback from each other and address common issues and challenges. For more information, visit the Next Generation Science Standards website.

Three informational webinars are scheduled to provide an introduction to the development process for the Next Generation Science Standards:

• Friday, October 28, 1:00-2:30 pm ET
• Thursday, November 3, 6:00-7:30 pm ET
• Wednesday, November 9, 6:00 -7:30 pm ET

To join any one of the three sessions listed above, log in at https://sas.elluminate.com/d.jnlp?password=12YI20ZWCYXR97RPN1MK&sid=vclass.

While there may be some changes that occur when the NGSS are developed, it would benefit teachers to begin using Ohio’s 2010 state standards and model curriculum document to infuse technology and engineering, real-world application and science practices into the standards’ more rigorous content. This will provide consistency with both the 2010 state science standards and the work at the national level.

In addition, the new state assessments (beginning in 2014-2015) will be aligned to the 2010 revised science standards and model curriculum. The bank of current science items is currently being aligned with the new standards to identify needs for item development and the required field-testing of these items. This process takes time, so if Ohio does decide to adopt the NGSS, assessments for those new standards will not be ready within that 2014-2015 timeframe. Students will be assessed on the 2010 revised science standards and model curriculum in 2014-2015.

[Blog post updated 10/23/2011 with NGSS webinar dates]

National Research Council Will Release “A Framework for K-12 Science Education” July 19

The long-awaited science standards document is set for release on July 19. From the National Academies press office:

A FRAMEWORK FOR K-12 SCIENCE EDUCATION, new from the National Research Council, identifies the key scientific concepts and practices that all students in these grades should learn.  The framework offers a new vision for K-12 education in science and engineering and embodies a significant shift in how these subjects are viewed and taught. It will serve as the basis for new science education standards, to replace those last issued over a decade ago, and will inform the work of curriculum and assessment developers, teacher educators, and researchers.

Advance copies will be available to reporters only starting at 10 a.m. EDT on Monday, July 18.  THE REPORT IS EMBARGOED AND NOT FOR PUBLIC RELEASE BEFORE 1 P.M. EDT ON TUESDAY, JULY 19. Reporters who wish to obtain copies should contact the Office of News and Public Information, tel. 202-334-2138 or e-mail news@nas.edu.

From ODE: New National Science Education Standards vs. Ohio’s Revised Content Standards

ODE has received questions about whether the Ohio’s revised content standards and model curriculum for science will change because of the development of national science content standards. Both of these documents were completed using national and international research and currently available national documents.

ODE has been involved in the review of the science national standards framework development effort, which is underway at the National Academy of Sciences. An initial framework draft was provided for public review in July 2010. Based upon feedback from this period, it is our understanding that the framework now includes significant changes, but the basic components remain the same. At this time, members of the National Academy of Sciences are reviewing the revised framework document. This additional round of feedback will be addressed and incorporated into the final framework document, which is scheduled for publication early this summer.

Once the framework is published, work will begin this summer to develop national science standards aligned to the framework document. It is anticipated that it will take at least one year before standards are in place. During this time, there will be periods for public review. ODE will continue to closely follow the developments and will provide ongoing communications regarding the alignment between Ohio’s revised science standards and model curriculum with the efforts occurring at the national level.

Conceptual Framework for New National Science Education Standards Expected in Spring 2011

(An update on progress on the Conceptual Framework for New National Science Education Standards. Additional information is available on the National Academies website.)

Dear Colleague,

We are writing to update you on the status of our project “Conceptual Framework to Guide the Development of Next Generation Standards for K-12 Science Education”. The authoring committee is hard at work revising the framework based on the extensive and thoughtful feedback received during the July public comment period. Once the committee has carefully considered all of the feedback and completed its revisions, the revised framework will undergo a confidential external review by a group of independent experts selected by the National Research Council. The report will be released once it has cleared this rigorous external review process.

At this point, we anticipate releasing the Framework in spring of 2011.

Background on the Framework:

The Framework is the first step in a process for revising existing standards in K-12 science education. In the second step, Achieve, Inc., an independent, bipartisan, non-profit education reform organization that works closely with states will develop a full set of internationally-benchmarked standards based on the Framework. The Framework will also be available for immediate use by states, curriculum and assessment developers, and leaders of professional development for teachers. Both efforts; creating a framework and developing standards based on this framework, have been funded by the Carnegie Corporation of New York,

The Framework is being developed by a committee of 18 experts convened by the NRC. The committee members are all unpaid volunteers and represent expertise in the natural sciences, learning sciences, learning and teaching, curriculum, assessment, and education policy.

The Framework describes the major ideas and practices in the natural sciences and engineering that all students should be familiar with by the end of high school. The Framework is designed to help realize a vision for education in the natural sciences in which students actively engage in science practices in order to deepen their understanding of core ideas in science over multiple years of school. This new vision of the key ideas and practices students should learn is vital as science influences virtually every decision a person makes today and is a key component of innovation, which drives U.S. competitiveness and economic growth.

As the Framework is not a set of fully elaborated standards, it does not include an articulation of the ideas and practices at every grade level. Instead, it offers assumptions only at some key grade level “anchor points” and provides a few examples of performance expectations to serve as illustrations for standards development.

We thank you for your interest.

Helen R. Quinn, PhD (NAS)
Chair, NRC Committee to Develop a Conceptual Framework for New Science Education Standards
Chair, NRC Board on Science Education

Conceptual Framework for New National Science Education Standards available for comment through August 2

Anyone who’s done work in STEM education has a special spot on their bookshelf for copies of the Holy Grails of science ed standards: the National Research Council’s National Science Education Standards and the American Association for the Advancement of Science’s Science for All Americans and Benchmarks for Science Literacy. But as valuable as these documents are, they are getting a little dogeared and in need of being spruced up.

So, in comes the Dream Team of science education to work together to do that sprucing up. The NRC will be working with the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA), AAAS, and ACHIEVE to get feedback in preparation for ACHIEVE to construct new science education standards. The draft conceptual framework has been released for commentary, and through August 2, you can give your two-cents’ worth on “the core ideas in science in the disciplines of life sciences, physical sciences, earth and space sciences, and engineering and technology, cross cutting ideas and scientific practices” that will guide the development of Sci Ed Holy Grail 2.0.

Eric Brunsell (University of Wisconsin–Oshkosh) has prepared an overview of the framework at his blog Teaching Science 2.0

And many thanks to George Soule for clarifying our info. He’s with the Carnegie Corporation of New York, which is funding the effort.