Blog

Imagine you have to take a big state science test. It’s full of questions about life science, earth science, physics and chemistry. But wait — you haven’t taken all those courses in high school yet. That’s what some high school students and younger kids, in Kern County and across the state, may face when they… Read more »

Nearly every person who grabbed the microphone at a state education hearing Tuesday night offered a different reason why they believed the proposed standards for teaching Utah students about science were faulty, inaccurate or skewed. The public meeting Tuesday was the final of six for Utah parents and teachers to comment on the science standards… Read more »

Officials want to delay the roll out of a high school graduation requirement tied to a demanding new science test could be delayed for at least two more years, following a preliminary vote of the Maryland State School Board on Tuesday. The board voted to change a regulation that would have made passing the Next Generation… Read more »

Listen to this special forum by KQED radio that gives an update on the Next Generation Science Standards, how they are changing what goes on in the classroom, and what the challenges are to implementation. (please note a news segment leads the program) Guests: Rob Semper, executive associate director and director of Program, Exploratorium; member, National… Read more »

Norwalk (Connecticut) High School teacher Samantha DeMatteo is on a quest to make chemistry less scary, teaching hands-on lessons with real-world applications. She’s teaching her students about stains and how to most effectively remove them using different cleaning products. DeMatteo distributed T-shirts stained with chocolate, hot sauce and tea and asked students to determine why… Read more »

The first independent review to weigh whether new science curriculum series are truly aligned to a set of national standards was issued this morning—and mostly, the materials fell well short of expectations. Four of the series—Discovery’s Science Techbook, Carolina Biological Supply Company’s Science and Technology Concepts, and two versions of Teachers’ Curriculum Institute’s Bring Science… Read more »

An emerging science concept called phenomena-based learning—backed by the NGSS—taps into students’ natural desire to make sense of their world. This approach encourages students to observe natural phenomena, such as a rising tide or a glass shattered by sound. They can then investigate why it occurs. Students also learn that the approach mirrors how actual scientists… Read more »

A nonprofit working on open-source curriculum that aligns with state standards is the latest development in the Carnegie Corporation of New York’s 10-year effort to improve science education in the United States. OpenSciEd, the new nonprofit, and the decade-long journey that led to its founding lend insight into how one of the oldest foundations in… Read more »

In March California students will start to be tested on the state’s new science standards for the first time, but with little instruction in the subject in elementary school and few aligned textbooks they aren’t likely to be ready. The state had to develop the new test aligned to the Next Generation Science Standards, adopted in… Read more »

In the February 20 issue of Education Dive, writer Lauren Barack explores the use of phenomena to support science understanding of natural “mysteries.” Turning interest into understanding is a critical component of engaging students in their educations. Phenomena-based learning fits into this mission by having students observe something in nature and delve into the processes… Read more »