California Alliance for the Next Generation Science Standards (CA4NGSS)

California Alliance for the Next Generation Science Standards (CA4NGSS) Core Messages for NGSS for School-Site Based Educators in California

Science Is How We Understand the World Around Us—Mid-Tier Message Science is central to how we understand and make sense of the world around us. All students need a strong science education, starting in the earliest years, to be prepared for productive futures, no matter what their educational and career path will be. a) A strong science education equips all students with a deep understanding of core scientific ideas and concepts, as well as critical skills and competencies—problem solving, communication, collaboration, investigation—that reinforce learning in other core subjects and are essential to success throughout school, college and career. b) Now more than ever, students need to learn to think critically and flexibly, and to have a firm grounding in science and engineering, because we live in a rapidly changing world where we have no idea what challenges and technologies lie ahead. c) To understand and solve many of the biggest issues and problems we face today and in the future--in health, energy, security, environmental sustainability--we need to inspire and prepare more students in science and engineering.

Kids Like Learning this Way—Top Tier Message California’s new state standards for science, called the Next Generation Science Standards (CA- NGSS), embrace a young person’s innate curiosity by introducing science at an earlier age to all students, encouraging them to ask lots of questions and emphasizing hands-on investigation and discovery. This approach to teaching is more engaging and in line with what we know about how students learn best. a) California’s Next Generation Science Standards ask students to think and behave like scientists and engineers. When students understand how scientists and engineers do their work, and have opportunities to carry out investigations and design solutions, they become more engaged in their learning and increase their comprehension. b) Young people engage in science learning in many places beyond the school classroom-- like museums, maker fairs, outdoor schools, and afterschool programs, as well as internships and summer jobs. California’s new science standards offer ample opportunity to connect in-school and out-of-school learning to maximize students’ exposure to and enjoyment of science and engineering. c) Teachers and students who’ve experienced lessons based on the new California science standards report more enjoyment and excitement about learning.

California Students Need More Science in Elementary School—Mid-Tier Message Young children are naturally inquisitive and much more capable of abstract reasoning than previously thought. This means we can introduce elements of scientific thinking and reasoning in earlier grades to help foster the deeper understanding that can lead to greater success and persistence in science in later years. Such early exposure to science is especially important for young children whose families and communities are unable to provide much access to science learning outside of school. a) To ensure a strong science education for all students, we must provide more science instruction in elementary schools at every grade level.

1 a) Recent research confirms that science achievement gaps in 8th grade begin even before students enter kindergarten. California’s new science standards are designed to begin science and engineering learning at the earliest grades and build understanding of complex ideas and concepts over time as students progress from grade to grade. b) Over the past 15 years, due in part to pressures to focus on English language arts and math under the federal No Child Left Behind (NCLB) law, science has been neglected in many California elementary schools. In a report drawn from statewide surveys, more than half of California districts (55%) and schools (54%) did not have any significant elementary science education initiatives in the previous five years, with even lower numbers for the state’s poorest elementary schools. We now have the opportunity to reverse this trend by investing in strong implementation of the CA-NGSS throughout elementary school education.

CA-NGSS Is a Better Way to Learn Science—Mid-Tier Message California’s Next Generation Science Standards require science and engineering to be taught in every grade K-12 to build understanding and skills systematically year on year, while shifting the focus away from memorizing facts to doing science and engineering through hands-on investigation and discovery. a) In the real world, scientific knowledge is often applied through the practices of engineering design. The CA-NGSS integrate engineering concepts and practices throughout the standards at all grade levels. This is one of several instructional shifts that will deepen students’ problem solving skills and help them understand how science is used to address major challenges in our communities and society. b) A strong science and engineering education provides students with a deeper and broader understanding of the planet’s natural systems and the relationship between our human communities and those systems, both how we depend on and affect them. Environmental principles and concepts are woven into the state’s new science framework, providing more opportunity for teachers to use the environment as an engaging, multi-disciplinary context for science learning, and helping our students become informed and innovative problems-solvers capable of addressing environmental, as well as economic, social, and political, challenges of the future. c) California’s Next Generation Science Standards will help to better prepare all students by improving the way science is taught in all schools and ensuring science instruction is incorporated in every grade kindergarten through 12th. d) By adopting the CA-NGSS, California has brought the state’s science standards up to date for the first time since the 1990s. The new standards focus not just on the most current science ideas and concepts students should know, but also on their ability to apply that knowledge to real-world problems.

Science Learning Out of School—Mid-Tier Message Experiences that ignite curiosity and interest in science and engineering can and should happen both in and out of the formal classroom. a) Informal educational experiences -- such as those offered by museums, afterschool and summer programs, mentoring initiatives, outdoor schools and parks -- offer flexible environments allowing for more varied and hands-on learning experiences that can activate student interests in science and engineering in new ways while reinforcing classroom learning. b) Expanded learning and informal education programs can be intentionally designed to reach underserved students, helping to spark their interest by offering science and engineering learning opportunities where families and communities might otherwise not be able to provide them. c) Businesses and community partners have an especially important part to play in making science and engineering learning more available and relevant to students in ways that range from partnering with

2 teachers to provide equipment or help develop and deliver courses, to offering mentors, internships and other career exploration opportunities to students.

All of California’s New Standards Work Together—Mid-Tier Message Blending science, math, and language arts together makes learning more relevant and fun, while also deepening student learning in all subjects and better preparing students for the real-world where problems aren’t isolated by discipline. a) Evidence-based reasoning is the foundation of good scientific practice. Through scientific practices such as critiquing hypotheses, building models, validating evidence, or constructing arguments, students build the critical thinking and reasoning skills they need to succeed in language arts and mathematics as well as science and engineering. b) The CA-NGSS are aligned, grade by grade, with California’s new standards for mathematics and English language arts (the Common Core Standards), so science and engineering instruction can support and enhance what students are learning across the curriculum. c) Connections to specific English language arts and mathematics (i.e. Common Core) standards are listed for each CA-NGSS standard, giving teachers a blueprint for building comprehensive cross-disciplinary lessons.

Transitioning to New Standards Requires Patience and Persistence—Mid-Tier Message It’s important that teachers and school administrators have time and access to ongoing professional learning experiences and supports to help them make changes in classroom instruction, as well as the administrative practices and policies that support good instruction. a) California’s new science standards represent the next step in the state’s comprehensive plan to improve our education system to promote high-quality teaching and learning and improve student outcomes. Schools will need time and support to coordinate the transition to the new science standards alongside other important initiatives underway. b) As we begin to implement California’s new science standards, patience and persistence will be required to help our teachers, school leaders, students and parents progress through the transition. We need to manage the transition with the care required of such a big change. c) It will take several years for teachers and school leaders to learn and become fully adept at teaching based on the CA-NGSS. California’s timeline allows for a gradual transition with new curriculum guidance, endorsed instructional resources and assessments coming online over the next three years.

NGSS Promotes Equity—Mid-Tier Message Research tells us that students in underserved communities often believe what they are taught is irrelevant to their futures, making that a barrier to learning. By incorporating more hands-on, real life applications, California’s Next Generation Science Standards will make classroom learning more relevant to kids’ lives and encourage more diverse students and girls to see themselves as having the talent and ability to be scientists and engineers. a) The CA-NGSS require that science and engineering be taught at every grade through elementary and middle school and that high school students learn the core ideas across all four science disciplines. This design will help make science education a priority for all students throughout the state and ensure more students are prepared to meet the requirements for admission to post-secondary education or training. b) California’s shift to the NGSS holds promise to reduce the opportunity gap for underserved students – such as girls, Latino, African American, English language learners, students with disabilities, low-income students, and others who have been historically underrepresented in science and engineering education and careers.

3 c) Currently there are major gaps in students’ proficiency and college readiness in science in California, with Latino, African American and economically disadvantaged students scoring about 30% lower than their white and Asian peers on state and national assessments. These students often live in underserved communities that have not been able to provide the facilities, advanced coursework or other resources needed to deliver a strong science education for all students. With the increased budgets and control over funding decisions provided through the Local Control Funding Formula, and the shift to new science standards, districts now have the opportunity to close these gaps and ensure that all students, regardless of the color of their skin or the zip code where they live, receive the same high-quality instruction to prepare them for success in college and 21st century careers.

Bottom Tier Messages: These messages have been found not to appeal to educators or encourage support for CA-NGSS. These messages can be used to answer questions, but shouldn’t be a part of talking points.

New Assessments Will Support Good Instruction California’s new assessment system for science will be designed to support classroom instruction and to encourage science and engineering teaching at all grade levels, with resources that help teachers assess progress and adjust instruction throughout the year. a) California is committed to developing a system of science assessment that promotes and supports the innovative instructional approaches of the CA-NGSS. The new tests will focus on assessing the depth of students understanding and how well they can apply that understanding to analyze scientific phenomena and solve problems. b) California is working strategically with science and testing experts to replace our current outdated state science tests with new, innovative assessments aligned to the CA-NGSS. c) California currently has science assessments for grades 5, 8 and 10 that are not aligned to the new standards. The state is in the process of requesting a waiver from the Federal law that requires the state to continue administering the old unaligned tests. If approved, this will allow us to avoid double testing and instead have all schools participate in pilot and field testing of new assessments beginning in the spring of 2017.

The Whole Community Is Needed to Strengthen Science Education For California’s Next Generation Science Standards to accelerate learning and give all students the opportunity to succeed, we need to come together to implement the standards in a way that supports our schools, and draws on the science and engineering learning opportunities and resources from every aspect of our community. a) Community partners, such as museums, businesses, afterschool programs and outdoor schools, have a major role to play in science and engineering education, by providing learning experiences that complement and enhance classroom learning and connect students to science-related college and career opportunities. b) There is a wide gap between the vision of science and engineering education in California’s new standards and the reality of the current state of science in many of our schools. It is only with the support of the entire community that vision can turn into reality for all students. c) Recent changes in state policy that give school districts more local control over education program and budget decisions, also require that districts invite community participation in their program planning and budgeting.

4 Families, local businesses, community leaders and residents can and should have a greater voice in ensuring that science and engineering education is a priority in their local schools.

School Districts Must Lead in Planning for NGSS Transition We need to make sure that access to a strong science education doesn’t depend on where a child lives nor rely only on the enthusiasm of a few dedicated teachers. Instead, district and community leaders need to ensure that every school will have the teachers, instructional resources, training and supports it needs to offer a strong science education to all students. a) School district leadership is essential to provide schools with the guidance, support and resources they need for the shift to new science standards to succeed. For our students’ futures, all districts and schools, including charter schools, should be planning now for how they will transition to the CA-NGSS over the next three years. b) With California’s shift to greater local control of education, districts have the power and responsibility to determine their plans and allocate resources to support the transition to new science standards. State law requires that all districts include implementing the CA-NGSS as a priority within their Local Control and Accountability Plans (LCAP). Districts should also use their existing internal planning processes to engage with teachers and science specialists to create comprehensive district plans to strengthen science and engineering education. c) The state is taking action to guide the transition to our new science standards by developing a new curriculum framework, new assessments, professional learning resources and other supports. But the bulk of the funding that can be used for science education is now controlled locally. Districts can and should start now to invest in and begin the work of transitioning to the new California science standards. Districts should not wait for further state guidance or funding to take action.

What You Can Do There is great momentum in the early efforts to implement California’s new science standards. Join the thousands of educators, parents and students, county and district administrators, and leaders of higher education, business, and science who are championing strong science standards. Share these materials with your colleagues, school and community leaders and friends. Find out what your district is planning and doing to transition to the CA-NGSS. Go to www.CA4NGSS.org to learn more about California’s new science standards and what you can do to strengthen science and engineering education in California.

Prepared for CA4NGSS by the CDE Foundation, CSTA, and Children Now. Content represents coalition member input but does not reflect each member organization's formal endorsement. Visit CA4NGSS.org for more information.