NEXT GENERATION SCIENCE STANDARDS DISTRICT IMPLEMENTATION WORKBOOK Introduction The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) represent the culmination of years of collaboration and effort by states, science educators, and experts from across the United States. Based on the National Research Council’s A Framework for K-12 Science Education: Practices, Crosscutting Concepts, and Core Ideas and developed in partnership with 26 lead states, the NGSS have the potential to drive improvements in American science education and better prepare students for college, career, and life in the 21st century.
What’s Included? This NGSS District Implementation Workbook is designed for current or aspiring district leaders—from board members to superintendents to science coordinators and teachers—to help them improve science education for students in their schools and communities. Implementation of any set of new standards is difficult, and implementing the NGSS brings a unique set of challenges. Moreover, every district is different. Just as each child brings unique questions, insights, attitudes, and ideas to a classroom, each school and district has a unique set of rules, policies, traditions, constraints, resources, and cultures. Building on the advice of experts, many of whom are district leaders on the leading edge of science instructional improvement, as well as the National Research Council’s Guide To Implementing The Next Generation Science Standards, this workbook generalizes the issues and challenges associated with NGSS implementation and presents key questions, timelines, decisions, and considerations for leaders. It is not a recipe to be followed or a case study of examples but a set of questions and exercises recommended by leaders to help other leaders around the country. Many variables influence the ability of a district to implement new science standards. Standards are connected to nearly every other aspect of the educational system—curriculum and instruction, assessment, professional learning, teacher hiring, and budgeting, among others—and therefore, the NGSS are just one small aspect of overall efforts to improve science education. This workbook attempts to focus on four core factors: (1) educator support, (2) informed stakeholders, (3) high-quality instructional materials, and (4) an effective assessment system. In nearly all situations, however, other aspects will need to be considered as well—for instance, after-school science programs, school building and laboratory maintenance, new teacher induction, and procurement of supplies—and this workbook only touches on those areas. Use it as the floor for learning and development, not the ceiling. This workbook is organized into chapters. The first three chapters of this workbook aim to help district leaders develop implementation strategies and timelines that are coherent with other district efforts, based on a robust understanding of the current context, and designed to be managed well. The last four chapters focus on specific and particularly important parts of that plan as outlined above.
NGSS District Implementation Workbook, May 2017.
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