Course assignment - Reflection 1

New science standards are needed now because the dynamics of science are changing rapidly.  The world is inundated with new technology and scientific findings at a remarkable rate.  New science standards are need now, because science has both direct and indirect effects on our lives on a daily basis that are more present now than ever; therefore, the implementation of the new science curriculum standards is more vital and relevant now than in recent years.   The Next Generation Science Standards were developed with the intent of preparing the future scientific minds of students in grades K-12 in the United States as a means of facilitating scientific learning and inquiry based scientific understandings with an anticipated outcome that will better prepare students for life after high school when they enter into college or into the workforce.  The new science standards are also needed now because, in recent years, the United States has set a trend of falling behind other counties both economically and educationally, this trend has contributed to creating a global achievement gap for the United States.  The science educational reform of public school education in the United States was essential in order to begin closing this global achievement gap among students in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) content areas. Because the United States does not meet the expectations as other countries around the world, it is inevitable that competition for employment will increase as employers search for the best employees around the world that possess new and innovative ideas.  American students will have greater difficulty standing out to employers due to the possibility that the global perception previously may have been that students receiving an education in the United States are not as well equip to face and meet the needs and demands for employment qualification or employment requirements for STEM fields because of the low global educational ranking and outdated science standards. The United States realizes that our students are in competition with other students on a global scale. Therefore, the Next Generation Science Standards are geared towards the next generation of scientist that are living in a time where they are experiencing scientific advances and innovations that were not present 20 years ago.  The Next Generation Science Standards have superseded the outdated science standards as a means of developing standards that are more relevant to the way students learn today and that will help them grow tomorrow. Essentially, the Next Generation Science Standards provide our students with real world applications that are useful and relevant in the 21^st century.

Some unique features of Next Generation Science Standards that are different from previous standards would include the developmental approach that is present in the new standards.  Previously, there was no vertical alignment among grade levels enabling students to articulate, research, communicate, and rationalize scientific and educational core ideology.  However, the Next Generation Science Standards have compensated for the lack of these requirements not being present in the previous science standards. The new requirements aid in increasing academic rationality and scientific accuracy which in turn will increase the efficacy of our students in STEM fields of study.  In addition, another difference between the old and new standards is that the new standards have interdisciplinary connections and cross-disciplinary concepts embedded into the standards. Finally, the Next Generation Science Standards used a “meeting of the minds” approach in its development by allowing for the knowledge, input, and feedback of individuals from a variety of backgrounds to include the science and business community, educators in grades K-12 as well as educators from the collegiate level throughout the development of the new standards.  The Next Generation Science Standards provide students in public education with a better approach to teaching, learning, and contributing to the scientific world around them.