Blog

  If you think back to your grade school science classes and Schoolhouse Rock episodes, you might remember memorizing a lot of vocabulary words. But science is more than words. It’s about wonder, curiosity and experimentation. The new Arizona Science Standards are meant to encourage a messy, hands-on approach to science. The Department of Education’s… Read more »

Amidst grumblings from Santa Clarita Valley (Calif.) teachers who say they lack proper educational materials, the Hart Union High School District is sharing an update on the overhaul of its science curriculum Wednesday. The William S. Hart Union High School District is expected to look at classroom support at Wednesday’s meeting of the Governing Board… Read more »

“It’s exciting to go into a classroom and see students not sitting in a row — but working together in groups, even sitting on the floor,” said Roseanne Haughton, K-5 science coordinator, at the Monroe Board of Education’s April 17 meeting. “It’s science … and it’s messy.” Haughton was giving the Monroe Board of Education… Read more »

Stephen Pruitt, a former chemistry teacher and a long-time champion of the science education community known for his outgoing personality and tireless work on NGSS adoption and implementation, was forced to resign his post on April 17. Check out the following news clips: EdWeek, April 18, 2018; Courier Journal, April 17, 2018

After past sparring over hot-button topics like evolution and climate change, Utah Board of Education gives go-ahead to draft new science standards The Utah State Board of Education greenlit plans Thursday (April 12) to begin drafting new school science standards, a process likely to touch on divisive issues like climate change and evolution. The state… Read more »

CAZENOVIA, N.Y. (WSYR-TV) – Students across New York state will soon notice a gradual roll-out of the state’s new science standards. Recently, NewsChannel 9 was given a rare behind-the-scenes look at how the new standards incorporate lesson study and maintain a focus on engineering. The observation took place at Burton Street Elementary in Cazenovia while second-graders… Read more »

About 18 states have adopted the Next Generation Science Standards. And although these shared science expectations have been out for about five years, testing models that fully capture students’ grasp of them have lagged far behind. (So far, only a handful of states have updated their science tests to match.) The NGSS poses some big… Read more »

Achieve, a non-profit that focuses on college and career readiness, has announced new members of its Science Peer Review Panel. The additions will help the organization to expand its work evaluating lesson sequences and units designed for the Next Generation Science Standards and sharing high-quality examples online. Participants will receive ample professional development as part of their new roles. Three-hundred… Read more »

WORCESTER – A local university is helping the state’s education department assemble a team of educators who will fan out across Massachusetts in the coming year to help school districts figure out how to implement the state’s new math and science standards in their classes. The math and science/technology/engineering (STE) ambassador program, the first of… Read more »

The Associated Press reports that Juneau school officials are considering adopting science education standards that include teaching middle and high school students about climate change. Alaska’s Energy Desk reports the Juneau School District is borrowing some core ideas from the Next Generation Science Standards, which include providing students with an understanding of the relationship between… Read more »