Next Generation Science Standards: Adoption and Implementation Workbook
Author: Peltzman, Alissa
Date: 2013-00-00
Type: Guides - Non-Classroom
Subjects: Academic Standards,Science Education,Adoption (Ideas),State Standards,Program Implementation,Educational Planning,Elementary Secondary Education

The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) represent the culmination of years of collaboration and effort by states, science educators and experts from across the United States. Based on the National Research Council&apos;s &quot;A Framework for K-12 Science Education&quot; and developed in partnership with 26 lead states, the NGSS, when implemented with fidelity, have the potential to fundamentally alter the landscape of American science education and prepare students for college, careers and life in the 21st century. This workbook is designed for state leaders who intend to adopt and implement the NGSS so that the standards bring about the change in classroom instruction and student achievement that they promise. One of the main objectives of this workbook is to help state leaders think through an NGSS adoption strategy and timeline. State science education advocates will need to make the case for these new standards and be prepared to answer questions from those charged with standards adoption in their states (usually state boards of education, but in some states adoption is the purview of general assemblies or chief state school officers). These questions are likely to include inquiries about the state&apos;s transition timeline and strategy for incorporating these standards into the full range of education reforms unfolding in states. In many states that are implementing the CCSS, the role of the state education agency is changing from compliance/monitoring to supporting and responding to district and school needs. The workbook is organized around elements of NGSS adoption and implementation that are critical to include in your state&apos;s plan; each chapter includes action steps to help guide your state&apos;s adoption and preliminary implementation of the NGSS: Chapter 1: Designate a Strategic Leadership Team, Review Your Capacity for Adoption and Implementation, and Create a Timeline for Adoption and Preliminary Implementation: (1) Designate a strategic leadership team and understand its role; (2) Complete a diagnostic assessment of your state&apos;s capacity to adopt and implement; and (3) Establish an adoption and preliminary implementation timeline. Chapter 2: Define Your Aspiration: (1) Develop a vision for how the NGSS will affect students and your state; and (2) Understand what the NGSS will require. Chapter 3: Evaluate Past and Present Performance: (1) Gather the relevant data; (2) Distill key performance patterns and identify root causes; and (3) Identify implications for adoption and implementation. Chapter 4: Determine the State&apos;s Role and Approach to Implementation: (1) Define your state&apos;s role; (2) Identify core implementation strategies; (3) Draw the delivery chain and identify feedback loops. Chapter 5: Set Targets and Trajectories: (1) Establish a performance target; (2) Connect your strategies to expected outcomes; and (3) Create more detailed trajectories to monitor implementation progress. Chapter 6: Develop a Stakeholder Engagement Strategy: (1) Develop key three messages; (2) Identify and analyze the stakeholders who are most critical to successful adoption and implementation; (3) Build your guiding coalition; (4) Establish a process and plan to handle potential challenges; and (5) Develop a stakeholder outreach strategy. Chapter 7: Establish Routines and Solve Problems (1) Reflect on existing performance management routines and consider how they can be adapted to monitor the progress of NGSS implementation; and (2) Organize, prepare for and conduct routines. A Glossary of NGSS Workbook Terms is also included.