The Next Generations Science Standards (NGSS) are intended for all students, and that is why the NGSS Appendix D is subtitled: All standards, all students. Science for all students should be at the core of NGSS implementation for those states that have adopted the NGSS and for those that consider adoption.

Science education for all students is imperative, because while traditional minority groups have become the numeric majority, science achievement gaps among demographic groups of students persist. Consider these statistics:

• 22% of children lived in poverty according to the 2010 U.S. Census. 51% of the school-age population were eligible for free and reduced price lunch in 2013.
• 45% of the school-age population was a racial and ethnic minority according to the 2010 U.S Census.Racial and ethnic minority students are expected to become the majority by 50.3% in the fall of 2015.
• 13% of students received special education services under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) in 2011-2012.
• 21% of students spoke a language other than English at home according to the 2010 U.S. Census, and English language learners (ELLs) constituted 9% of public school students or an estimated 4.4 million students in 2011-2012.

In short, the latest statistics of the nation’s student population highlights that teaching science for diversity is teaching science for all.

Bring Science to Students

The NGSS have the potential to enable all students to learn science and offers opportunities for diversity and equity by bringing science to students in their local contexts. In his NSTA blog (How to Select and Design Materials that Align to the Next Generation Science Standards; 2014), NGSS physical science writing team leader Joe Krajcik emphasized that “the critical and perhaps most important shift in the NGSS” is blending disciplinary core ideas, science and engineering practices, and crosscutting concepts (i.e., three-dimensional learning) for learners to make sense of phenomena (science) and design solutions to problems (engineering). I would like to add that making sense of phenomena and designing solutions inherently occur in local contexts (e.g., homes and communities) that capitalize on students’ everyday language and experience. As such, three-dimensional learning as the most critical and important shift in the NGSS promotes diversity and equity by situating science in students’ homes and communities. As a result, academically rigorous three-dimensional learning also becomes personally meaningful and socially relevant in local contexts.

Through the NGSS Diversity and Equity Team’s work, intentional and explicit steps are undertaken to attend to diversity and equity issues. Of the 41 members of the NGSS writing team, a subgroup of individuals formed the Diversity and Equity Team. I had the honor of working with this team of classroom teachers who represented diverse student groups, grade levels, geographic regions, and urban/rural/suburban areas. Our team completed four significant tasks: (1) bias reviews of the standards; (2) inclusion of the diversity and equity topic in the appendixes; (3) Appendix D All Standards, All Students: Making the Next Generation Science Standards Accessible to All Students; and (4) seven case studies (for details, see Lee, Miller, & Januszyk, 2014). Appendix D and the seven case studies are available on the NGSS website.

The commitment of the NGSS to student diversity and equity has culminated in our edited book, NGSS for All Students, through the NSTA Press (Lee, Miller, & Januszyk, 2015). The book starts with three chapters by external contributors. Stephen Pruitt expresses his vision of the NGSS to “give every student a choice,” Helen Quinn highlights science and engineering practices for equity by “creating opportunity for diverse students to learn science and develop foundational capacities,” and Andrés Henríquez describes what it took to build policy support for the NGSS with a focus on how the topic of diversity and equity was woven into the NGSS. Considering the commitments of these leaders, it is no wonder that diversity and equity issues are emphasized from the inception of the NGSS.

The core of the book involves the seven case studies of four federally designated accountability groups according to the NCLB: (1) economically disadvantaged students, (2) students from major racial and ethnic groups, (3) students with disabilities, and (4) students with limited English proficiency (the federal term). The book includes three additional groups: (5) girls, (6) students in alternative education, and (7) gifted and talented students. These case studies were written by the NGSS Diversity and Equity Team members, and most of the vignettes of NGSS implementation in these case studies were implemented by the members in their own classrooms. Readers will find utility in reading about real teachers in real classrooms grappling with three-dimensional learning while incorporating research-based teaching strategies.

Preceding the case studies is a chapter that describes the charges of the NGSS Diversity and Equity Team and another that explicates the conceptual framework guiding the NGSS diversity and equity issue. Then, the case studies are followed by specific guidelines and suggestions about how to utilize the case studies to support NGSS implementation in the science classroom.

The book includes a chapter with reflection guides for how use the case studies for classroom teaching and professional development. Another chapter offers suggestions for designing science units. Still another chapter offers suggestions for promoting alignment to the NGSS and equity, using the Equal Access to Language and Science (EquALS) Rubric that compliments the Educators Evaluating the Quality of Instructional Products (EQuIP) Rubric developed by Achieve, Inc. in collaboration with NSTA (and Joe Krajcik contributes to this chapter).

As it is imperative to focus on underserved student groups that have become the numeric majority, the NGSS offer opportunities for all students to learn science. The work of the NGSS Diversity and Equity Team offers a starting point to make diversity and equity issues central to the process and could serve as a model for future initiatives in and beyond science education reform. On behalf of the team, I hope the NSTA readership will benefit from our edited book through the NSTA Press publication.

Okhee Lee is a professor in the Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development at New York University. She was a member of the writing team to develop the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) and leader for the NGSS Diversity and Equity Team. She is also a member of the Steering Committee for the Understanding Language Initiative at Stanford University.

References

Krajcik, J. (2014).  How to select and design materials that align to the Next Generation Science Standards. NSTA blog. http://nstacommunities.org/blog/2014/04/25/equip/

Lee, O., Miller, E., and Januszyk, R. (2014). Next Generation Science Standards: All standards, all students. Journal of Science Teacher Education, 25(2), 223-233.

Lee, O., Miller, E., and Januszyk, R. (eds.). (2015). NGSS for all students. Arlington, VA: National Science Teachers Association.

The mission of NSTA is to promote excellence and innovation in science teaching and learning for all.

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Author Richard Konicek-Moran spent years studying and researching children’s alternative conceptions in science and author Page Keeley acquired her passion for improving conceptual understanding using formative assessment tools. They realized that their respective work had so much in common that they decided to put their thoughts and ideas gleaned from their experiences, research findings, and practices into a book that would focus on this important topic: Teaching for Conceptual Understanding in Science.

What Does Conceptual Understanding Mean?

The authors explain it this way:

“Conceptual understanding is very much like making a cake from scratch without a recipe versus making a cake from a packaged mix. With the packaged mix, one does not have to think about the types and combination of ingredients or the steps involved. You make and bake the cake by following the directions on the box without really understanding what goes into making a cake. However, in making the cake from scratch, one must understand the types of ingredients that go into a cake and cause-and-effect relationships among them…. In other words, making the cake from scratch involves conceptual understanding rather than simply following a recipe.”

The book focuses on some key questions: How do we move our students from their present, limited knowledge of certain scientific concepts toward an understanding closer to what scientists now believe and that local, state, and national standards expect? What does current research tell us about building students’ deeper understanding of both science as a process and a set of practices and science as a knowledge base?

Children come to us with own conceptions about what makes the world work. They appear before us with minds full of ideas that they have developed to help them understand, in their own way, what makes the world tick. Their ideas were sufficient and allowed them to function, up to that point, but then in school they are introduced to ideas that may be different from those they held before.

These prior concepts are usually sound enough for a child to be comfortable with them, but we know that broader ideas are more useful and powerful. A student’s ideas are also ingrained and persistent. How in a child, just as in society in general, do these ideas change and become more useful?

Each chapter of the book tackles a specific question:

• Chapter 1: Teaching Science for Conceptual Understanding: An Overview
• Chapter 2: What Can We Learn About Conceptual Understanding by Examining the History of Science?
• Chapter 3: What Is the Nature of Science, and What Does It Mean for Conceptual Understanding?
• Chapter 4: How Does the Nature of Children’s Thinking Relate to Teaching for Conceptual Understanding?
• Chapter 5: What Can We Learn About Teaching for Conceptual Understanding by Examining the History of Science Education?
• Chapter 6: How Is Conceptual Understanding Developed Through the Three Dimensions and Learning Strands?
• Chapter 7: How Does the Use of Instructional Models Support Teaching for Conceptual Understanding?
• Chapter 8: What Are Some Instructional Strategies That Support Conceptual Understanding?
• Chapter 9: How Does Linking Assessment, Instruction, and Learning Support Conceptual Understanding?
• Chapter 10: What Role Does Informal Education Have in Developing Conceptual Understanding?

The authors look at the research, the history of science, the thinking, and the dreams that are leading us toward a better way to help children learn science and be active participants in science along with those of us who teach it.

This book is also available as an e-book.

 The mission of NSTA is to promote excellence and innovation in science teaching and learning for all.

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The National Science Teachers Association’s Web Seminars are free, 90-minute, live professional development experiences. Next Generation Science Standards (K-12)(NGSS) were written to include early childhood, beginning in Kindergarten. To learn more about aspects of the NGSS such as, constructing explanations from evidence, making meaning through discourse, and planning a coherent storyline that guides both the teacher and learners in making sense of phenomena, join presenters Carla Zembal-Saul, Mary Starr, and Kathy Renfrew online on:

• Wednesday, July 22, starting at 6:00 pm Eastern time for the web seminar titled: Teaching NGSS in K-5: Constructing Explanations from Evidence.
• Wednesday, July 29, starting at 6:00 pm Eastern time for the web seminar titled: Teaching NGSS in K-5: Making Meaning through Discourse.
• Wednesday, August 5, starting at 6:00 pm Eastern time for the web seminar titled: Teaching NGSS in K-5: Planning a Coherent Storyline.

 You can register today! And stay connected in the summer.

Each year, the Association of American Publishers (AAP) PreK–12 Learning Group reviews hundreds of educational resources to select the best of the best for the REVERE Awards. AAP has just announced the 2015 REVERE Awards Finalists, and NSTA is pleased to have 10 publications on the Finalists list. Congratulations to the authors of these publications and to NSTA staff members for reaching the final round of 2015’s most prestigious awards in educational publishing! Read on to learn more about these and all the Finalists among this year’s educational resources.

Explore the Finalists in Resources for “Beyond the Classroom”

Author Emily Morgan’s Next Time You See series is designed to inspire elementary-age children to experience the enchantment of everyday objects and phenomena and encourage them to learn more about the natural world. Next Time You See the Moon showcases photos of the different phases of the Moon and key information about why the Moon looks different at various points in time. Download an excerpt of Next Time You See the Moon for a look inside this unique children’s book. Next Time You See a Maple Seed (timely for spring!) is chock full of facts and detailed photos of the mysterious-looking winged seeds that maple trees shed. Young children will learn all about how these fruits of maple trees, called samaras, help disperse seeds and what’s required for seeds to grow into the tall maples we see around us. You can download an excerpt from Next Time You See a Maple Seed for a glimpse at the book’s story of a seed’s journey and growth. Visit AAP’s website to see all the REVERE Awards Finalists in the Beyond the Classroom category.

Explore the Finalists in Supplemental Resources

What better way to help students see how central science is to understanding and participating in our complex world than to introduce lessons that require them to delve into everyday issues? Dana Zeidler and Sami Kahn’s book It’s Debatable! Using Socioscientific Issues to Develop Scientific Literacy, K–12 can help you bring science to life for students through lessons on topics such as “Should schools charge a ‘tax’ to discourage kids from eating unhealthy foods?” and “Should rare Earth elements be mined in the United States?” Download the free unit “A Need for Speed: Should Speed Limits Be Lowered to Reduce Traffic Fatalities?” for a sample from this collection of lessons.

The goals of science education today include helping students not only understand important concepts but also learn to do science. One increasingly popular way to knit all these elements together is argument-driven inquiry, an innovative approach to lab instruction and the focus of Argument-Driven Inquiry in Biology: Lab Investigations for Grades 9–12, by Victor Sampson and coauthors. The emphasis in these labs is on argumentation—the process of proposing, supporting, evaluating, and refining claims in the science classroom. Download the sample chapter “Explanations for Animal Behavior: Why Do Great White Sharks Travel Over Long Distances?” for a lab that will introduce students to many of the theories and concepts used by biologists to study and explain the behavior of animals. Visit AAP’s website to see all the Finalists in the REVERE Awards Supplemental Resources category.

Explore the Finalists in Professional Resources

Teachers don’t have to become mind readers to understand the ideas young students bring to science class. The formative assessment probes in What Are They Thinking? Promoting Elementary Learning Through Formative Assessment, by Page Keeley, guide teachers in how to draw out what students know (or think they know) about the natural world so they can tailor lessons to help students gain deeper understanding of science concepts. Covered topics range from why you can’t always see the Moon in the daytime to where water goes when it evaporates. Teacher notes and advice on how to encourage evidence-based discussions in the classroom are included in addition to a set of study group questions. Download the sample formative assessment probe “Pushes and Pulls” for a helpful tool to explore your students’ ideas about forces.

Eric Brunsell, Deb Kneser, and Kevin Niemi created their guidebook Introducing Teachers and Administrators to the NGSS: A Professional Development Facilitator’s Guide to help the science education community begin implementing the exciting changes called for in the Next Generation Science Standards. Their book provides tips, suggestions, resources, and a series of activities that can inform professional development experiences around the NGSS. Download the chapter “Introducing the NGSS“ for an activities-filled primer on the new standards and the conceptual shifts contained in them. Visit AAP’s website to see all the REVERE Awards Finalists in Professional Resources category.

Explore the Finalists in Magazines

In “Next Generation Botany” (The Science Teacher, October 2014), authors Stephen Rybczynski, Zheng Li, and R. James Hickey discuss how important it is to integrate plant biology into the science classroom, given the botanical challenges society faces associated with food production, climate change, invasive species, and biodiversity.

“Right to the Source: Exploring Science and History With the Library of Congress” is a column introduced in The Science Teacher in 2014. Each column features a science-related primary source from the collections of the Library of Congress—a photograph, letter, film, or other artifact—intended to spark conversations and inspire research investigations. The text explains the object’s place in the history of science and offers ideas and links for further research. Recent columns include “Right to the Source: Marconi Sends His Regrets” (The Science Teacher, September 2014) and “Right to the Source: The Secrets of Patent Medicines” (The Science Teacher, October 2014).

In “STEM in a Hair Accessory” (Science and Children, November 2014), authors Hui-Hui Wang, Barbara Billington, and Ying-Chih Chen offer a creative way to introduce STEM (Science-Technology-Engineering-Mathematics) education to students in an informal setting. The article combines three aspects of current science teaching that show up often in Science and Children: incorporating STEM, reaching ALL students (in this case, African American girls), and capitalizing on students’ interests.

The November 2014 issue of The Science Teacher on the theme “Analyzing and Interpreting Data” offers articles filled with ideas for including this important scientific practice in your own teaching. Our world is awash in a sea of data. We encounter more data on a daily basis than ever before, conveying information about weather, health, politics, finance, and science. Data arrives via sensors, social media, digital photos, weather stations, and many other sources. As our ability to store and share data increases exponentially, our students must develop the skills and habits of mind necessary to analyze and interpret information. The Next Generation Science Standards recognize Analyzing and Interpreting Data as one of the eight essential practices of science and engineering. Visit AAP’s website to browse all the REVERE Awards Finalists in the Magazines categories.

The mission of NSTA is to promote excellence and innovation in science teaching and learning for all.

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When scheduling science at the elementary level, which is better for students: having science class in the morning or the afternoon? We have always had reading and math in the morning with science and social studies in the afternoon. But now my colleagues and I are wondering if there are better ideas. —H., Maryland

When I was involved in a reading project and visited classrooms of participating teachers, it was common for reading and math to be scheduled in the morning. The thought was that students would be fresher and more focused for these “skill” subjects (and we all know these are the tested subjects!). But like you I wondered if science, social studies, art, and music would also benefit from this perceived early morning freshness and focus.

This topic was discussed in a recent NSTA discussion forum, too. Some contributors noted that the morning was better for science because students were more alert, while others suggested that the hands-on, interactive nature of science investigations were perfect for the afternoon hours.

In addition to the time of day, another consideration would be the quality of the science lessons. A thought-provoking investigation, project, or discussion may engage students whatever time of day, while a worksheet or lecture may turn kids off no matter when it happens.

It would be interesting to see formal research studies on the optimal time of day for learning in different subjects. Assuming your administrators are cooperative, you and your colleagues have an opportunity to conduct your own action research on the topic. By analyzing and reflecting on data from your own classrooms, you can develop effective strategies for your students.

Action research models generally have several components, which I’ve annotated with some thoughts about your question:

• Identify and fine-tune a focus area or research questions. How does the time of day affect learning in science? Some other related questions could include: Do some students perform differently in science depending on the time of day? Is there any difference in terms of gender, age, or type of activity?

• Design a strategy and collect data. Set up a schedule in which students have science some days in the morning and other days in the afternoons. If other teachers are interested, you could expand the study to include other grade levels or subject areas. Note the kind of activity being done (investigation, group work, paper-and-pencil activity, simulations, video, etc.) and observe the students as they work. Describe their engagement in the activity. Describe their physical activity and their conversations. Summarize the types of conversations students have. Use formative evaluation strategies to check on the content and skills students are learning.

• Analyze and interpret the data. Examine your observations. Look for patterns and differences. Does there appear to be a difference in assessment scores between the two time periods? Are there differences in the level of student engagement and types of student interactions? You’ll also want to debrief with the students on their perceptions, insights, or feelings about the switch in schedule.

• Develop an action plan. Depending on your results you may decide to stay with your current schedule, change it, or have an alternating schedule. Making any changes should involve your administrator and an awareness of how “specials” are scheduled. You could also study ways to fine tune the scheduling. For example, in the discussion forum, a teacher noted when science was scheduled first thing in the morning or right after lunch or recess, it helped students to refocus if the teacher did a read aloud on the topic before starting the activity.

I’m glad to hear that your school does schedule science every day! In many elementary schools, science and social studies appear to be less emphasized, in favor of reading and math. Students are losing an opportunity to use and apply what they learn in math and reading to other content areas. And most students really enjoy science.

More on the action research process:

• Action research on notemaking/taking
• Action research (Science Scope September 2010)

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