Variations among Next Generation Science Standards and Other NRC Framework-Based Science Standards: Differences in Layout, Typography, and What Teachers Notice

• Main Author: Eugene Judson (Author)
• Format: Book
• Published: MDPI AG, 2022-05-01T00:00:00Z.
• Subjects: article
• Online Access: Connect to this object online.
• Notes: 10.3390/educsci12050330; 2227-7102
• Keywords: content standards; Next Generation Science Standards; NGSS; noticing; NRC <i>Framework</i>; science standards; Education; L
• Source: Education Sciences, Vol 12, Iss 5, p 330 (2022)

Science standards across 44 states in the United States are often assumed to be equivalent because they are all based on the National Research Council's (NRC) <i>Framework for K-12 Science Education</i>. Twenty of those states adopted the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), which is based on the NRC <i>Framework</i>, and the 24 other states developed their own NRC <i>Framework</i>-based science standards. In this article, two related studies are described that focused on assessing this homogeneity assumption. In the first study, a comparative document analysis categorized the variety of ways performance expectations are presented. Analysis also focused on relative placement of information related to performance expectations and components of three-dimensional learning. To assess how variations affect teacher noticing, in the second study nearly 300 elementary school teachers viewed, in random order, seemingly similar fourth-grade standards from three states. Comparisons focused on teachers' noticing of student objectives, elements that stood out, and teachers' rationales regarding their noticing. Though both studies underscored that all NRC <i>Framework</i>-based science standards do integrate NRC <i>Framework</i> tenets, findings counter the assumption that NRC <i>Framework</i>-based science standards are necessarily equivalent to each other or to NGSS.