What are “Next Generation Science Standards”* and what will they mean for students in DC and beyond? The Education Town Hall explores this with Mary Lord, at-large member of DC’s State Board of Education and writer focusing on science, engineering, and education. (More background and biography of Mary Lord.)
Lord says the new standards, just adopted by the State Board on Dec. 18, represent an essential shift of focus for education. She notes the importance of the standards’ emphasis on real world projects. In addition, she says, project-based work allows students with a variety of skills, and with different language backgrounds, to engage actively in learning. See also this week’s feature news note on Achieve, the organization which launched these standards.
Listen to the full discussion: Education Town Hall, December 19.
Education Week suggests that testing methods must also change, citing a report from the National Research Council calling for a “new breed of assessments.”
Listen live Thursdays 11 a.m.-noon (Eastern), on We Act Radio, 1480 AM in the DC area and worldwide via TuneIn.
Join the conversation by calling 202-889-9797 during air time. Or email questions in advance to the show’s host, Thomas.Byrd at yahoo.com, and listen to the archived recording, available shortly after broadcast.
* Footnote
NOTE — “NEXT GENERATION SCIENCE STANDARDS and the associated logo are registered trademarks of Achieve, Inc.”
So, when states or the District adopt these standards, who owns them?
From NGSS’ website:
Example of improper use – “ACME Book’s new publication features information on next generation science standards for high schools.”
Acceptable Use
[non-commercial] Third-parties should:
Display an asterisk with all NGSS trademarks. The asterisk should be placed next to first prominent use of the NGSS trademark and reference a footnote or disclaimer.
Use the following footnote/disclaimer:
“__________ is a registered trademark of Achieve. Neither Achieve nor the lead states and partners that developed the Next Generation Science Standards was involved in the production of, and does not endorse, this product.”Use trademarks in their entirety and may not abbreviate or alter the marks in any way.
Education Town Hall Forum 
One comment