The NSTA Reader's Guide to the Next Generation Science Standards

Not since the 2011 release of A Framework for K-12 Science Education has a document held such promise and significance for the science education community as does the Next Generation Science Standards. The NGSS aim to better prepare U.S. students for the rigor of college-level and professional scientific study by stressing the importance of practices and highlighting the value of both science and engineering. They will provide for a more interdisciplinary approach to science instruction and lead to a more scientifically literate citizenry. However, the NGSS also mark a change in how we think about science instruction and the task at hand, the adoption of these new standards and their incorporation into class lessons, may seem daunting. The key to unlocking the full potential of the NGSS is a deep understanding of its core ideas, scientific and engineering practices, and crosscutting concepts. This brief and easy-to-use Reader s Guide offers teachers, principals, district and state administrators ---anyone with a vested interest in improving the quality of science education--- the tools they need to fully absorb the new standards and begin to implement them, effectively, into classroom instruction.