The Next Generation Science Standards: How Many Dimensions of Learning Are There?
This is an exciting yet potentially challenging time to be a science teacher in the United States. We are fast approaching a reality in which schools in the majority of states will use the same document to guide science teaching and learning. Of course, I am talking about the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) Representatives from across the country developed NGSS, followed by a brief opportunity for public comment and revision. Now, individual states are examining the final NGSS document and considering whether to adopt or not. When these decisions are made, for the first time since the founding of the nation, it is likely that more students than not in the K 12 arena will be guided in their science learning by a document that cuts across state lines. Most agree that the NGSS standards are generally well developed, particularly from the perspective of the science content recommendations. Having a single document inform science teaching practices will encourage an increase in shared conversations about what we value in the science classroom, help us structure high quality teacher preparation programs, stimulate shared curriculum development, and potentially allow for the production of more interesting and
The American Biology Teacher