Maryland became the fourth state to adopt the Next Generation Science Standards [1], a new set of voluntary, internationally benchmarked K-12 standards that are said to be a huge leap in science education, the Washington Post reports. The Maryland State Board of Education on Tuesday voted unanimously to adopt the standards, which were released in April after two years in development with the aim of spelling out practices and content that all K-12 students should know to be college-and-career ready after high school. Full implementation in public schools in Maryland is expected to be complete in time for the 2017-18 school year…