Answers to Teachers' Questions About the Next Generation Science Standards

Abstract

K-12 teachers of science have been digging into Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) (NGSS Lead States 2013) to begin creating plans and processes for translating them for classroom instruction. As teachers learn about NGSS, they have asked about general structure of standards document and how to read and use it. This article, part of a series about different aspects of standards, answers some of most common questions about architecture of NGSS, from deciphering codes to understanding boxes. Q. What are major components of standards? A. Generally speaking, there are four major components on every standards page (Figure 1, p. 30): 1. A code and title that describe content of standard; 2. A varying number of performance expectations that describe what students should be able to know and do at end of instruction; 3. A foundation box that describes in more detail each of three dimensions of performance expectation; and 4. A connection box that includes connections to from other disciplinary core ideas at grade level and across grade levels and to Common Core State Standards (CCSS) (NGAC and CCSSO 2010) in mathematics and English language arts and literacy. Q. What exactly are performance expectations? A. The standards include performance expectations that describe what students should be able to know and do at end of instruction. This is very different from previous national and state standards that had separate inquiry and content goals. The performance expectations combine three key dimensions: 1. Science and engineering practices (how science is conducted in real world--such as through planning and carrying out investigations); 2. Disciplinary core ideas (the content--for example, biology); and 3. Crosscutting concepts (ideas--such as cause and effect--that permeate all sciences). Performance expectations describe what is to be assessed at end of instruction and guide development of assessments. Teachers should not use performance expectations as a curriculum. Instead, they should use their own professional judgment about how learning should take place in classroom, keeping in mind what students should be able to do by end of instruction, as described by performance expectation. Q. How does foundation box support performance expectations? What do I do with this content? A. The foundation box provides a more complete description of performance expectations. It describes science and engineering practices, disciplinary core ideas, and crosscutting concepts used to make up a particular set of performance expectations. These are raw materials that teachers can use to construct learning experiences for students. Q. What do colors represent? A. The foundation box has three separate areas that are color coded. The blue area represents science and engineering practices; orange area is for disciplinary core ideas; and green area is for crosscutting concepts. Sometimes, text of performance expectations is color coded to indicate what part of foundation box text is based on. [FIGURE 1 OMITTED] Q: What is considered the standard? Is it performance expectations or does it include boxes below? A. Different states have different legal definitions for what they consider a Some states, for example, consider a single performance expectation to be a standard. Other states may refer to an entire set of performance expectations (a topic) to be a standard. Still others may consider a set of performance expectations and corresponding foundation box to be a standard. NSTA considers content of foundation boxes to be just as important as performance expectations in planning curriculum, instruction, and assessment, so we consider standard to be performance expectations plus material in foundation box. …