Resources include instructional materials, new NGSS transition customization services and free guides
Instead of having students go to one class for chemistry, another for physics and so on, NGSS-aligned teaching uses disciplinary core ideas, science and engineering practices, and crosscutting concepts to encourage students to think of science as a process rather than a set of discrete facts.
For schools and teachers accustomed to the traditional model of “siloed” classes, the NGSS transition can be complex, but two free guides from science curriculum company Accelerate Learning aim to help them better understand the NGSS transition and to quickly, easily and effectively put solutions into place.
The free guides, “Understanding the NGSS: A Brief on Structure and Purpose” and “Designing NGSS Scope and Sequences,” which are available at acceleratelearning.com/ngssguides.
“Understanding the NGSS” is a five-page PDF that explains the nature of the NGSS and the NGSS transition, including the standards’ focus on inquiry and the use of performance expectations rather than multiple choice testing. The guide provides a list of key terminology to enable educators to understand what is being required of them.
“Designing NGSS Scope and Sequences” is a 15-page PDF that contains a series of scope documents that provide options for schools looking to implement the NGSS.
From traditional four-year models to conceptual progression models, these options aim to provide a framework for structuring classrooms and grade levels as they transition to using the NGSS.
Accelerate Learning’s STEMscopes NGSS preK-12 curriculum, developed in conjunction with Rice University, is based on a proprietary IDEA model — illuminate, do, expand, and assess — that hopes to empower teachers to make sense of the disciplinary core idea.
For states that are adopting the NGSS but then tailoring them to their specific needs, Accelerate Learning has developed customized versions of STEMscopes NGSS.
Material from a press release was used in this report.
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