Strengthening Delaware’s Education System Enhancing Science Education with the Next Generation Science Standards, focusing on college & career readiness and connecting with the CCSS.

Module 2 Understanding A Framework for K-12 Science Education This module is designed to provide an understanding of the A Framework for K-12 Science Education (Frameworks) document. This is an essential step in understanding the Next Generation Science Standards as the Frameworks is the blueprint for realizing the vision for new science standards. The target audiences are teachers and principals/administrators. *It is suggested that each person have a Frameworks book which can be downloaded at www.npa.edu (for free).

Building on the Past, Preparing for the Future, Leading to the NGSS Phase I Phase II 1/2010 - 7/2011 1990s-2009 7/2011 – March 2013 This slide focuses on how the NGSS were developed. It is the same slide used in the beginning of Module 1, but our focus here will be the Frameworks document in the center of the slide. The first National Science Education Standards were completed in the late 1990s. Much was learned as they were implemented across the nation over the next several decades. At the same time much research has been occurring about how students learn science and what effective science instructional practices should look like today. Research publications such as Taking Science to School, Americans Lab Report, and Learning Science in Informal Environments helped to influence the development of the NGSS. The National Academies of Science, through the National Research Council (NRC), convened a panel of experts from science, science education, engineering and policy to compile this research and develop a “blueprint” for the next generation of national science standards. The committee wrote the report entitled A Framework for K-12 Science Education. It became the guidance document for development of the NGSS. Delaware hosted the Mid-Atlantic review of this report in July 2010. Achieve was then tasked with managing the creation of the NGSS from the A Framework for K-12 Science Education publication. Achieve solicited states to help develop and review drafts of the NGSS. Delaware was one of the 26 Lead States in this process. This module will focus on an understanding of the Frameworks document. This is an essential, yet often overlooked, step in building an understanding of the NGSS.

The video by Bozeman Science can be accessed at http://www The facilitator will introduce the resource video and then the group will view the video [6 minutes] The next several slides in the module will focus on key ideas discussed in the Bozeman Science video. This understanding will enable educators to better understand the structure of the NGSS (the focus of later modules).

After the group has had a chance to view the video, pass out handout #1 (Practices, crosscutting concepts, and content). Have each person look over the handout individually and have them fill out the graphic organizer titled “ I wonder, I notice”. After 10 minutes have the group share out on what they noticed or wondered.