The Evolution of Standards-Based Education in Science 5
As shown in table 1.1, the formation of the NGSS proceeded in two main phases: (1) conceptualization and (2) writing. Here, we briefly describe each phase.
Conceptualization of the NGSS Unlike the CCSS, which were conceived, drafted, and published in a period of about one year, initial writing of the NGSS did not begin until 2011, two years after the project’s inception. Instead, the process of creating the NGSS began with an extensive foundational period of research and theorizing that occurred in two stages: (1) international benchmarking and (2) creation of the NRC framework.
Achieve (2010) took the first step in developing the NGSS by using an analytical method called benchmarking. In business, benchmarking is the practice of comparing a company’s procedures and expectations to those of highly successful companies or to a set of industrywide best practices. This allows a business to identify which areas need attention in order to improve overall performance. Educational benchmarking applies this same principle to a classroom, school, or district. For example, throughout a school year, a district might conduct benchmark assessments to help teachers monitor student progress or modify their instruction. A district or an individual school could also perform benchmark analyses of high-performing schools to identify areas it can improve within its own system. Achieve’s (2010) process of international benchmarking involved reviewing and evaluating science standards from other countries around the world. The overall goal of the international benchmarking study, according to Achieve (2010), was to “inform the development” (p. 3) of the NGSS. Achieve (n.d.e) summarized the benefits of international benchmarking: International benchmarking is important from a national perspective to ensure our longterm economic competitiveness. Many feel it is necessary for American students to be held to the same academic expectations as students in other countries. The successes of other nations can provide potential guidance for decision-making in the United States.
However, international benchmarking does not simply involve copying the standards of high-performing nations. Instead, Achieve (2010) recommended that results of its study be used as guidelines during the process of standards development, rather than strict rules that must be followed or replicated: International benchmarking does not mean that the United States should simply emulate other countries’ standards. In recent years, the United States has made significant strides in advancing the research base that underpins science education and also has its own exemplars. It is also the case that there are shortcomings in all of the standards Achieve examined that are equally instructive for improving standards. (p. 9)
Achieve’s (2010) international benchmarking study involved a quantitative and qualitative review of the science standards from specific countries with particularly strong performance on international assessments or of special interest to the United States (Achieve, n.d.e). The quantitative component included an analysis of the science content and skills in each nation’s standards, which yielded the four key findings shown in table 1.2 (page 6).
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International Benchmarking