Standards Background: Research and Reports

States have previously used the National Science Education Standards from the National Research Council (NRC) and Benchmarks for Science Literacy from the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) to guide the development of their current state science standards. While these two documents have proven to be both durable and of high quality, they are around 15 years old. In addition, major advances have since taken place in the world of science and in our understanding of how students learn science effectively. Explore the timeline below to read some of the recent foundational science education research and reports on which the Next Generation Science Standards were based.

1989    Science for All Americans, AAAS
1992   

Content Core/Scope, Sequence, and Coordination of National Science Education Content Standards, National Science Teachers Association

1993    Benchmarks for Science Literacy, AAAS
1996    National Science Education Standards, NRC
1998    Blueprints for Reform, AAAS
1999    Designing Mathematics and Science Curriculum Programs, NRC
1999    Selecting Instructional Materials: A Guide for K-12 Science, NRC
2000    Inquiry and the National Science Education Standards, NRC
2001    Designs for Science Literacy, AAAS
2001    Classroom Assessment and the National Science Education Standards, NRC
2001    Atlas for Science Literacy, Volume 1, AAAS
2005    Systems for State Science Assessment, NRC
2005    America’s Lab Report: Investigations in High School Science, NRC
2007    Atlas for Science Literacy, Volume 2, AAAS
2007    Taking Science to School, NRC
2007    Rising Above the Gathering Storm, NRC
2008   

Science Framework for the 2009 NAEP, National Assessment Governing Board

2009    College Board Standards for College Success: Science, College Board
2009   

Opportunity Equation, Commission on Mathematics and Science Education

2009    Learning Science in Informal Environments, NRC
2011    Rising Above the Gathering Storm Revisited, NRC
2011    Framework for K-12 Science Education, NRC
2013     Next Generation Science Standards, NGSS Lead States