I find many similarities between the ELA/Literacy and Mathematics Common Core State Standards (CCSS) and the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). The content of all of these standards is much more rigorous and requires a higher Depth of Knowledge as compared to the previous Content State Standards. They all have a focus on a deeper understanding of the content and application of knowledge. Preparing students to be college and career ready is also the goal of all these standards. For school and districts that are piloting or planning on implementing any or all of these standards, a reevaluation of their current state would the first step in creating a plan for the future state of these content areas.
My district’s current state is that we’re not fully implementing the NGSS. This year, many of the science teachers have attended at least one training, if not more, on NGSS, use Collaboration Wednesdays to rewrite lessons and units, integrating CCSS and NGSS and searching for resources online to integrate into their lessons to meet the changes brought upon NGSS, since the current textbooks are outdated.
The future state would be the full implementation of NGSS in all science classes, teachers receiving ongoing training, support and guidance and instructional materials to support this implementation. However, there are gaps between these two states. First, many teachers have do not feel confident with their level of knowledge of the new standards, so gathering feedback from the teachers to determine what their needs and interests are, in order to facilitate their implementation of NGSS. Our science department also lacks instructional materials and resources and equipment for labs. Therefore, an inventory of existing materials and resources to make decisions about what financial resources are needed to purchase needed. I can’t wait to see the future of the science classroom.
My district’s current state is that we’re not fully implementing the NGSS. This year, many of the science teachers have attended at least one training, if not more, on NGSS, use Collaboration Wednesdays to rewrite lessons and units, integrating CCSS and NGSS and searching for resources online to integrate into their lessons to meet the changes brought upon NGSS, since the current textbooks are outdated.
The future state would be the full implementation of NGSS in all science classes, teachers receiving ongoing training, support and guidance and instructional materials to support this implementation. However, there are gaps between these two states. First, many teachers have do not feel confident with their level of knowledge of the new standards, so gathering feedback from the teachers to determine what their needs and interests are, in order to facilitate their implementation of NGSS. Our science department also lacks instructional materials and resources and equipment for labs. Therefore, an inventory of existing materials and resources to make decisions about what financial resources are needed to purchase needed. I can’t wait to see the future of the science classroom.