Volunteer to Pilot NGSS Test
Posted on February 3rd, 2015 by Mary Lord
The American Association for the Advancement of Science, one of the groups that helped develop the Next Generation Science Standards is seeking science teachers to field-test multiple-choice items for a 45-minute assessment on energy in March, April, or May of 2015.
Filed under: For Teachers, Grades 6-8, Grades 9-12, Grades K-5, K-12 Outreach Programs | 2 Comments »
Tags: assessments, Curriculum, Education Policy, Energy, Engineering, field test, Next Generation Science Standards, NGSS, Research on Learning
Middle school students learn about the engineering design process by building a model of an innovative human shelter inspired and informed by an animal habitat. They then present their work, explaining what attribute of the animal structure influenced their design. 
Summer is a great time to recharge, refresh, and learn new things. Check out eGFI’s collection of engineering education and STEM learning opportunities!
On May 24, Rhode Island became the first state to approve the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). Kentucky’s state board of education followed on June 5. Both are among the 26 states that helped develop the new academic standards, which include engineering design as a stand-alone strand.
The second – and final – draft of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) was released for public comment on January 8 for a three-week review period. Developed from the National Research Council’s Framework for K–12 Science Education, these cross-disciplinary new standards set “performance expectations” for students, and integrate engineering and design into the traditional core science subjects. The goal: Have students learn by doing science, not just observing or reading about it.
Uncle Sam wants you – if you’re the best and brightest – for a new STEM Master Teacher Corps. The Obama administration’s ambitious $1 billion plan to boost student achievement in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics seeks to create an elite cadre of exceptional STEM educators who can serve as curriculum innovators, classroom mentors, and instructional leaders in their schools and communities. 
Nearly half the nation’s public schools failed to meet federal benchmarks this year, up from 39 percent in 2010 and marking the largest washout rate since the No Child Left Behind Law took effect a decade ago, a new national report calculates. That’s still well below the 82 percent failure rate that U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan predicted earlier this year, but the nonpartisan Center for Education Policy’s findings still indicate an alarming trend.
Want to boost the nation’s supply of engineers? A new survey of 1,000 U.S. teenagers conducted by the Intel Corporation found that two-thirds wouldn’t consider a career in engineering but may point to a relatively simple solution: expose more middle and high school students to the profession.
Nearly half of 7th to 12th graders experienced sexual harassment in the last school year, according to a sweeping new study by the American Association of University Women. The prevalence of such harassment in middle and high school may seem astonishing in part because it rarely is reported. Only about 9 percent of harassed students told a teacher, guidance counselor, or other adult at school.
