SAUSD
SCIENCE
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
NEXT GENERATION SCIENCE BUILDING 21ST CENTURY LEARNERS
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The State Board of Education adopted the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) as required by CA Education Code 60605.85 in 2013. The goal for developing the NGSS was to create a set of research-based K–12 science standards that would support two critical goals: to educate all students in science and engineering, and to provide the foundational knowledge for those who will become the scientists, engineers, technologists, and technicians of the future.
Which NGSS course progression does the state recommend?
Intermediate: The recommended model is an integrated pathway for grades 6-8. SAUSD officially adopted this model in the spring of 2016.
High School The State Board has not recommended a particular course sequence for high school. SAUSD is currently following a 3-year model that imbeds earth science into biology, chemistry and physics. We will be exploring the idea of Every Science Every Year during the 2017-2018 school year.
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Why does SAUSD need to make any changes?
The last set of California Science Standards are 18 years old. Our understanding of the world around us has since changed, and so has our understanding of how children learn.
A growing body of research is painting a very different picture of what today’s science education should look like. The NGSS represent a vision for education where students, over multiple years of school, deepen their understanding of core ideas in science and engineering through active engagement with science and engineering practices and application of crosscutting concepts (NRC Framework, 2012).
Achieving this vision will require major shifts in the way that science is taught and valued in the K-12 classroom.
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When we will adopt new materials?
Textbook publishers are currently in the process of submitting their materials to the state. California will begin its review in the summer of 2018. We are hoping to pilot materials in the 2020-2021, in order to adopt in the fall of 2021.
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