Next Generation Science Standards*
What is NGSS*?
The Next Generation Science Standards were developed by 26 states including California. They are based on two documents: the National Science Education Standards from the National Research Council (NRC) and the Benchmarks for Science Literacy from the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).
NGSS reflects current research findings on how students learn science, and it represents critical shift in science literacy education.
Conceptual Shifts
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Nature of Science is integrated within the context of real world application.
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Standards are expectations of what students should be able to do and are not curriculum.
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Concepts build coherently in complexity from K to 12.
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Focus is on deeper understanding of content and application of content.
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Engineering design and practices are integrated with science learning.
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NGSS is designed to prepare students for college, careers & citizenship.
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NGSS is aligned with Common Core maximizing the integration of Language and Math content and application.
“Science is built up with facts, as a house is with stones. But a collection of facts is no more a science than a heap of stones is a house.”
Poincare 1913, Philosopher of Science
Three Domains
Practices are what scientists and engineers do. Students engage in the same 8 practices from kindergarten to high school. These practices increase in complexity and sophistication over the years. They are interconnected and with many aspects that overlap. They are also language intensive and require many opportunities for group discussions and individual reflections.
Science & Engineering Practices
Core ideas are what scientists and engineers know. They consist of science content from three strands: physical science, life science, earth space Science. They coherently progress in detail in across the grade bands (K-2, 3-5, 6-8, 9-12). The spiral repetition in core ideas allows students to revisit the same concepts for clarity and deeper understanding.
Disciplinary core ideas
Crosscutting concepts are what scientists and engineers think.
They provide students with connections and intellectual tools that are related across the differing areas of disciplinary content and can enrich their application of practices and their understanding of core ideas."
There are 7 crosscutting concepts that students are exposed to at every grade band.
crosscutting concepts
* NGSS is a registered trademark of Achieve. Neither Achieve nor the lead states and partners that developed the Next Generation Science Standards were involved in the production of this product, and do not endorse it.