NSTA lauds Next Generation Science Standards

The National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) welcomes the Next Generation Science Standards(NGSS) released today as an opportunity to transform K-12 science education. NSTA encourages all states to adopt the NGSS and begin implementing the standards in classrooms and schools across the country.

The K-12 standards are based on the National Research Council’s Framework for K-12 Science Education and will engage students in three essential dimensions: scientific and engineering practices, disciplinary core ideas, and crosscutting concepts.

A major effort now in development is a web portal to serve as a home base for science teachers on the NGSS. The portal will enable teachers to view the standards in multiple formats, identify and share targeted resources, interact and collaborate with colleagues, and locate tools to plan instruction and professional development. Other NSTA efforts will focus on equipping educators with the skills they need to teach engineering concepts in the NGSS and helping teachers make important instructional connections to the Common Core State Standards in English language arts and mathematics.

More resources can be found at www.nsta.org/ngss.