QUICK HITS (USE THIS!!!)The California Science Teachers Clan and the nonprofit education research and development agency WestEd are seeking a one-half-dozen school districts to take the lead in implementing the Next Generation Science Standards.

In exchange for committing to making scientific discipline a core subject area and participating in a new Thou-8 California Next Generation Scientific discipline Standards Early on Implementation Initiative, the districts would receive funding to railroad train teams of teachers and administrators in the new standards over the next four years. Those interested must file a preliminary application to WestEd by April 30.

"This is an exciting opportunity for districts that are ready to move forrad with the new standards," said Laura Henriques, who chairs the science education section at California State University, Long Beach and is president of the state scientific discipline teachers clan. "It's also important to the state for early adopting districts to serve as models."

Concluding fall, the State Lath of Education adopted the new One thousand-12 standards, which are the scientific discipline counterpart of the Common Core standards in English language arts and math; they emphasize science concepts over rote knowledge and the application of science processes to solve bug and think critically.

The Next Generation Science Standards are a states-guided initiative undertaken past the National Research Council, the National Science Teachers Association and the American Association for the Advancement of Scientific discipline. Eleven states and the District of Columbia take adopted them and then far. However, many California districts have not yet begun to phase in the new standards, and the state is at least several years away from holding districts accountable for them. The Country Board of Education is just starting a two-year procedure that will lead to the adoption of the curriculum frameworks, a comprehensive grade-by-form instruction guide.  And the state Department of Teaching has even so to decide when tests on the new standards will be created – and by whom.

Meanwhile, the S.D. Bechtel, Jr. Foundation* has agreed to fund the initiative, which WestEd volition manage, to kickstart district implementation. For the five to seven districts chosen, it will consist of leadership training for key teachers and administrators, training in content and teaching techniques for dozens of teachers and creation of districtwide  implementation plans for the new standards.

Districts volition accept to share some of the costs. They will besides accept to cull integrated science courses, which blend elements of earth science, life scientific discipline and physical science for centre schoolhouse grades, instead of education the disciplines separately, one form at a time. The new standards allow both options, and in that location are potent views among teachers on both sides, but this initiative requires the integrated arroyo.

The state Department of Pedagogy and Reach, a nonpartisan, nonprofit instruction reform arrangement, helped to create the initiative.

*The South.D. Bechtel, Jr. Foundation is besides ane of EdSource's funders.

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