NGSS Resources for Minnesota Science Educators
NGSS Resources for Minnesota Science Educators
Minnesota’s K–12 science standards are due for an update this year (the last update occurred 10 years ago in 2009), and this past November, members of the 2018–19 Science Education Standards Committee released the first draft of the proposed updates. Standards Committee meetings are being held at the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE), and a complete schedule of meetings and due dates can be found on the MDE Science Standards Review Timeline. Draft deadlines will be open for a brief period of time to allow for public review. A final deadline has also been shared for when the final draft of the science standards will be sent to the MDE Commissioner’s Office for approval. Below is a list of important deadlines to keep in mind:
Minnesota Science Standards Timeline
- November 9–26, 2018 – Draft #1 open for public review
- February 14–28, 2019 – Draft #2 open for public review
- May 10, 2019 – Final draft sent to commissioner for approval
Minnesota demonstrates its commitment to science by being a lead state partner (along with 25 other states) for the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). Minnesota and the rest of the lead state partners have provided leadership to the NGSS standards writing team that developed the NGSS based on A Framework for K–12 Science Education. These state partners continue to diligently provide guidance and best practices to other states who are considering the adoption of the NGSS.
To support Minnesota science educators in the search for great NGSS information, we’ve compiled a helpful list of resources to explore:
Understanding NGSS in Minnesota
Minnesota Department of Education (MDE)
The science page of the MDE website is filled with wonderful resources on science education standards, including graduation requirements in science, a safety checklist for school science facilities, and of course, drafts of the proposed Minnesota Academic Standards Science K–12 for 2019 as they are made available.
Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS)
The Minnesota state page on the NGSS website details the state’s science background and its commitment to standards-based learning in science. Under the page’s Recent News section, educators will find a list of recent NGSS Now newsletters that contain rich resources, including relevant research on science education.
National Science Teachers Association (NSTA)
The NSTA does a great job of summarizing what the NGSS are and why/how they were first developed. This site also contains applicable resources that science educators will find helpful as they plan their curricula:
SciMathMN advocates for effective, engaging, and rigorous STEM education. The nonprofit organization drives several major initiatives, including the Minnesota STEM Teacher Center who, in partnership with the MDE, developed Frameworks, which are resources to “help teachers translate the Minnesota state standards into classroom practice and assist in student achievement of those standards.” Educators can search Frameworks by code or concept and can narrow their search by grade level and subject/strand to get information such as standard codes, benchmarks, and a helpful breakdown of standards in lay terms.
Edmentum’s Science Courses
Edmentum has relied on the NGSS framework to develop Courseware’s rigorous science courses, with each science standard incorporating three primary facets of NGSS: disciplinary core ideas, science and engineering practices, and crosscutting concepts. Take a look at a few fun blog posts describing the behind-the-scenes process of how we built and developed our courses:
- Biology and Earth & Space Science: Courseware's Science Courses
- Chemistry: Courseware’s Chemistry Course
- Middle School Science Courses: Edmentum’s Middle School Science Courses
Interested in learning about all of the courses we offer? Take a look our course catalog, which showcases hundreds of our engaging semester-long courses in core subjects, CTE, electives, World Languages, and advanced courses.
