The latest review of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) coincides the beginning of a series of meetings to write the latest version of the C3 State Standards for Science.
The NGSS represents a significant effort on the part of scientists, educators, industry leaders and policymakers to define and organize the best scientific understandings in combination with the best instructional practices with an eye toward integration with the Common Core State Standards.
In anticipation of this important work, the OSTA Board has approved a position statement indicating the Boards support for those NGSS and it?s use in developing the new C3 Science Standards.
The Oklahoma Science Teachers Association (OSTA) is a membership organization for professional science educators that develops, promotes, and supports science education in the state of Oklahoma by providing training opportunities to teachers. Our training emphasis assists teachers in implementing the science education standards set forth by the Oklahoma State Department of Education; facilitates the dissemination of scientific knowledge; encourages scientific thinking and the utilization of the practices of science through the teaching of science; makes information available to teachers concerning the selection, organization, and presentation of scientific materials; stresses the interrelationships of the sciences and to other educational experiences; plans, organizes, and administers projects for the advancement and utilization of knowledge in science education; and advocates for high quality science education at all levels and education venues within Oklahoma.
At the core of OSTA?s mission are the Oklahoma science standards set forth by the Oklahoma State Department of Education. From the original Suggested Learner Outcomes (SLO?s), to the Priority Academic Student Skills(PASS), to the current College, Career, Community(C3) standards, these documents have directed the course of OSTA staff development as we work with the science educators of Oklahoma to bring those standards to life. Beginning almost twenty years ago, the current PASS and subsequent C3 Standards were developed in reference to the best science education content and processes skills as defined by the National Research Council?s National Science Education Standards and the American Academy for the Advancement of Science?s Benchmarks for Science Literacy. Needless to say, major advances have since taken place in the world of science and in our understanding of how students learn science effectively.
Now, through a state-led process where state policy leaders, higher education, K?12 teachers, the science and business community, and others are completing work on the development of the Next Generation Science Standards for Today?s Students and Tomorrow?s Workforce (NGSS). The process for the science standards development takes into account the importance of having the scientific and educational research communities identify core ideas in science and articulate them across grade bands. Managed by Achieve, Oklahoma?s long-time education partner, these new K?12 science standards are written to be rich in content and practice and arranged in a coherent manner across disciplines and grades to provide all students an internationally benchmarked science education. The work undertaken by Achieve is being supported by the Carnegie Corporation of New York. No federal funds have or will be used to develop the standards.
The NGSS lays out the core ideas and practices in science that students should master in preparation for college and careers. They clarify for students the relevance of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (the four STEM fields) to everyday life. NGSS describes a vision of what it means to be proficient in science. It also presents and explains the interrelationships among practices, cross-disciplinary concepts and disciplinary core ideas. Engaging in these practices help students become successful analytical thinkers, prepared for college and careers.
The goal of the Next Generation Science Standards is to create robust, forward-looking K?12 science standards that all states can use to guide teaching and learning in science for the next decade. Many national and local organizations, including the National Academies for Science, Achieve, the National Science Teachers Association, and the American Academy for the Advancement of Science are working collaboratively with states and other stakeholders to help ensure the standards are of high quality, internationally benchmarked, rigorous, research-based and aligned with expectations for college and careers.
The Next Generation Science Standards were also developed to make the best use of the Common Core State Standards that have already been implemented in Oklahoma to help students meet the particular challenges of mathematics, reading, writing, speaking, listening, and language in their respective fields?in this case, science. Oklahoma educators and policymakers can use the NGSS, as we work to use the CCSS in English language arts and mathematics, to align curriculum, instruction, assessment, and professional preparation and development in a seamless, efficient manner.
In the end, the decision to adopt the standards and make them consistent between states will lie in the hands of the states themselves. But already, science education materials developers, curriculum writers, textbook authors, education vendors, and assessment specialists are developing materials and products for use by the majority of states and schools in the United States that will adopt and implement the Next Generation Science Standards. States that do not utilize NGSS for one reason or another will be left with a mish-mash of standards and objectives developed without the research basis that is at the foundation of the NGSS and without alignment to materials, supplies, or assessments that will be in use by the majority of schools and states. It will be difficult for such non-adopting states and districts to compare or contrast their education efforts and even more difficult for them to assert they are developing a workforce ready to compete in the global market or develop students for STEM careers. In short, they will disarm while adopting states are preparing to do battle in the global marketplace.
In 2013 the Oklahoma State Department of Education begins the process of reviewing and developing new C3 standards for science and approving those standards for official use by Oklahoma school districts as the pre-K ? grade 12 science curriculum. It is the position of the Oklahoma Science Teachers Association that in order to reap the benefits of the science standards, Oklahoma should adopt the Next Generation Science Standards in whole, without alteration, as the Oklahoma C3 Standards for Science.
- Approved by the OSTA Board of Directors, February, 2013.
Download a copy of the statement here.
Source: http://www.oklahomascienceteachersassociation.org/?p=4755
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