NEXT GENERATION SCIENCE STANDARDS (NGSS)

Millard E. Lightburn (Ph.D.) Science SupervisorMs. Mary Tweedy and Ms. Keisha Kidd

Curriculum Support Specialists Science Department, Miami Dade County Public Schools

Goal of Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS)

• The overall goal is to help all learners in our nation develop the science and engineering understanding that they need to live a successful, informed, and productive lives and that will help them create a sustainable planet for future generations.

• On June 1, 2013 FLDOE will request public input on your thoughts on NGSS. Florida will need to adopt new standards and NGSS is an option.

NGSS Lead State Partners

Conceptual Shifts in the NGSS

• 1. K-12 Science Education Should Reflect the Interconnected Nature of Science as it is Practiced and Experienced in the Real World.

• 2. The Next Generation Science Standards are student performance expectations – NOT curriculum.

• 3. The science concepts build coherently from K-12.

Conceptual Shifts in the NGSS Cont’d

• 4. The NGSS Focus on Deeper Understanding of Content as well as Application of Content.

• 5. Science and Engineering are Integrated in the NGSS from K–12.

• 6. The NGSS and Common Core State Standards ( English Language Arts and Mathematics) are Aligned.

A Framework for K-12 Science Education: NGSS

The framework consists of a limited number of elements in three dimensions:(1) Scientific and Engineering Practices,(2) Crosscutting Concepts, and (3) Disciplinary Core Ideas (DCI) in science.It is designed so that students continually build on and revise their knowledge and abilities throughout their school years. To support learning, all three dimensions need to be integrated into standards, curricula, instruction, and assessment.

Three Dimensions Intertwined

• The NGSS are written

as Performance

Expectations• NGSS will require

contextual application

of the three dimensions

by students.

DIMENSION 1: SCIENTIFIC AND ENGINEERING PRACTICES ENGINEERING PRACTICES • 1. Asking questions (for science) and defining problems

(for engineering)• 2. Developing and using models• 3. Planning and carrying out investigations• 4. Analyzing and interpreting data• 5. Using mathematics and computational thinking• 6. Constructing explanations (for science) and

designing solutions (for engineering)• 7. Engaging in argument from evidence• 8. Obtaining, evaluating, and communicating

information

DIMENSION 2:CROSSCUTTING CONCEPTS THAT HAVE

COMMON APPLICATION ACROSS FIELDS• 1. Patterns • 2. Cause and effect: Mechanism and

explanation • 3. Scale, proportion, and quantity • 4. Systems and system models • 5. Energy and matter: Flows, cycles,

and conservation • 6. Structure and function • 7. Stability and change

DIMENSION 3: CORE IDEAS IN FOUR DISCIPLINARY

AREAS

1.Physical Sciences 2.Life Sciences 3.Earth and Space Sciences 4.Engineering, Technology, and the Applications of Science

Physical Sciences

• PS 1: Matter and its interactions • PS 2: Motion and stability: Forces and

interactions • PS 3: Energy • PS 4: Waves and their applications in

technologies for information transfer

Life Sciences

• LS 1: From molecules to organisms: Structures and processes

• LS 2: Ecosystems: Interactions, energy, and dynamics

• LS 3: Heredity: Inheritance and variation of traits

• LS 4: Biological Evolution: Unity and diversity

Earth and Space Sciences

• ESS 1: Earth’s place in the universe • ESS 2: Earth’s systems • ESS 3: Earth and human activity

Engineering, Technology, and the Applications of Science

• ETS 1: Engineering design • ETS 2: Links among engineering, technology,

science, and society