scholarly journals Science standards do address scientific literacy: A reply to Zucker and Noyce

2020 ◽  
Vol 102 (2) ◽  
pp. 50-51
Author(s):  
Eric Brunsell ◽  
Kevin Anderson ◽  
Kelly Steiner ◽  
Tom Anfinson
Keyword(s):  
Science Education ◽  
Scientific Literacy ◽  
Science Literacy ◽  
Next Generation Science Standards ◽  
Next Generation ◽  
Science Standards ◽  
Making Sense ◽  
The World

In their article, “Lessons from the pandemic about science education,” Andrew Zucker and Pendred Noyce stress the importance of students making sense of the world around them and use the COVID-19 pandemic as a call to change the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) to better address important elements of science literacy. In this response, Eric Brunsell, Kevin Anderson, Kelly Steiner, and Tom Anfinson note that they agree about the importance of science literacy but explain that Zucker and Noyce misrepresent the NGSS.

Why Engaging in the Practices of Science Is Not Enough to Achieve Scientific Literacy

2016 ◽  
Vol 78 (5) ◽  
pp. 370-375 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wendy R. Johnson
Keyword(s):  
Science Education ◽  
Scientific Knowledge ◽  
Scientific Literacy ◽  
Modern Science ◽  
Next Generation Science Standards ◽  
Habits Of Mind ◽  
Science Standards ◽  
Effective Science ◽  
Culture Of Science ◽  
K 12

The National Research Council's Framework for K–12 Science Education and the resulting Next Generation Science Standards call for engaging students in the practices of science to develop scientific literacy. While these documents make the connections between scientific knowledge and practices explicit, very little attention is given to the shared values and commitments of the scientific community that underlie these practices and give them meaning. I argue that effective science education should engage students in the practices of science while also reflecting on the values, commitments, and habits of mind that have led to the practices of modern science and that give them meaning. The concept of methodological naturalism demonstrates the connection between the values and commitments of the culture of science and its practices and provides a useful lens for understanding the benefits and limitations of scientific knowledge.

scholarly journals Making Sense of Hardy-Weinberg Equilibrium

2015 ◽  
Vol 77 (8) ◽  
pp. 577-582 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mike U. Smith ◽  
John T. Baldwin
Keyword(s):  
Model Problem ◽  
Next Generation Science Standards ◽  
Next Generation ◽  
Science Standards ◽  
Mathematical Representations ◽  
Weinberg Equilibrium ◽  
Making Sense ◽  
Hardy Weinberg Equilibrium

A useful approach to answering the Next Generation Science Standards’ call for teaching students to demonstrate understanding using mathematical representations is use of the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium (H-W eq). This article is focused on the meaning of H-W eq and its application, rather than mathematical manipulation. Typical textbook problems are critiqued, and a model problem is presented.

scholarly journals Questioning The Fidelity Of The Next Generation Science Standards For Astronomy And Space Sciences Education

2015 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 51
Author(s):  
Stephanie J. Slater ◽  
Timothy F. Slater
Keyword(s):  
Science Education ◽  
Education Reform ◽  
The United States ◽  
Next Generation Science Standards ◽  
National Standards ◽  
Unexpected Finding ◽  
Next Generation ◽  
Science Standards ◽  
K 12 ◽  
Space Sciences

<p class="AbstractSummary">Although the <em>Next Generation Science Standards</em> (<em>NGSS</em>) are not federally mandated national standards or performance expectations for K-12 schools in the United States, they stand poised to become a de facto national science and education policy, as state governments, publishers of curriculum materials, and assessment providers across the country consider adopting them. In order to facilitate national buy-in and adoptions, <em>Achieve, Inc</em>., the non-profit corporation awarded the contract for writing the <em>NGSS</em>, has repeatedly asserted the development of the Standards to be a state-driven and transparent process, in which the scientific content is taken "verbatim", from the 2011 NRC report, <em>Frameworks for K-12 Science Education: Practices, Crosscutting Concepts, and Core Ideas</em>. This paper reports on an independently conducted fidelity check within the content domain of astronomy and the space sciences, conducted to determine the extent to which the <em>NGSS </em>science content is guided by the <em>Frameworks</em>, and the extent to which any changes have altered the scientific intent of that document. The side-by-side, two-document comparative analysis indicates that the science of the <em>NGSS</em> is significantly different from the <em>Frameworks</em>. Further, the alterations in the science represent a lack of fidelity, in that they have altered the parameters of the science and the instructional exposure (e.g., timing and emphasis). As a result the <em>NGSS</em> are now poised to interfere with widely desired science education reform and improvement. This unexpected finding affords scientists, educators, and professional societies with an opportunity, if not a professional obligation, to engage in positively impacting the quality of science education by conducting independent fidelity checks across other disciplines. This could provide a much needed formal support and guidance to schools, teachers, curriculum developers, and assessment providers.</p>

The authors respond

2020 ◽  
Vol 102 (2) ◽  
pp. 52-53
Author(s):  
Andrew Zucker ◽  
Pendred Noyce
Keyword(s):  
Science Literacy ◽  
Next Generation Science Standards ◽  
Next Generation ◽  
Science Standards

Andrew Zucker and Pendred Noyce respond to criticism of their article about the Next Generation Science Standards. Although the NGSSs allow teachers to incorporate science literacy into their instrucation, they believe that the standards do not emphasize such learning enough.

scholarly journals Thinking about National Standards in Science Education

2017 ◽  
pp. 717-744
Author(s):  
Catherine Milne
Keyword(s):  
Science Education ◽  
Science Curriculum ◽  
Next Generation Science Standards ◽  
National Standards ◽  
Next Generation ◽  
Science Standards ◽  
The Us ◽  
History Of ◽  
Crisis Narratives ◽  
K 12

In this paper I present a critical reflection on the rationale and history of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), which has sometimes been presented as the US version of a vision for a standardized science curriculum. I explore how the monograph, The Framework for K-12 Science Education, established the groundwork for the Next Generation Science Standards. I argue that crisis narratives often drive the arguments for standardization but in the US there was also an argument of the need to build a level of national uniformity in the content and practices that are presented to students as a tool for ensuring that children and youth have equitable access to important knowledge. However, at the same time educators have a responsibility for ensuring that homogenization achieved through standards does not enshrine the very inequities and ideologies public education seeks to change.

scholarly journals Lessons from the pandemic about science education

2020 ◽  
Vol 102 (2) ◽  
pp. 44-49
Author(s):  
Andrew Zucker ◽  
Pendred Noyce
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Science Education ◽  
Disease Control ◽  
Next Generation Science Standards ◽  
Next Generation ◽  
Science Standards ◽  
Stated Goal ◽  
Control And Prevention ◽  
Centers For Disease Control

The coronavirus pandemic vividly illuminates deficiencies of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). The NGSS does not mention immunization, antibodies, vaccines, or the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nor do they ask students to investigate a topic outside the standards or read a science-related book or article. The stated goal of the standards is to prepare students for college and careers, which means that they do not prioritize how science connects to societal or personal concerns of every adult, even those who do not pursue science in higher education or their careers. Andrew Zucker and Pendred Noyce suggest several approaches to improve the NGSS.

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