Now that the Next Generation Science Standards are beginning to roll out across the nation, understanding the structure of the NGSS standards is key to understanding the new approach. As part of the Next Generation Science Standards, instructors are offered guidelines both for teaching and developing curricula for science and engineering classes K-12. An important piece of the overall framework for teaching under the NGSS standards is the Performance Expectation, a measure of student assessment.

Performance Expectations offer a benchmarked guideline for what a student should know, but they can’t be understood in a vacuum. The Performance Expectations outlined in the NGSS standards depend on the three dimensions of the NGSS framework. Understanding how the NGSS standards are organized is fundamental to their successful implementation.

What is NGSS?

The Next Generation Science Standards are new, internationally benchmarked standards for science and engineering education K-12. They are the newest guidelines in nearly 15 years and are the result of a multi-year, state-led effort by educators, scientists, researchers and policy experts. 40 states have expressed interest in adopting the standards; 16 of those have already begun implementation. Those states are Arkansas, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Nevada, New Jersey, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, and the District of Columbia.

If you are a science teacher living in one of those states, you probably already know about the NGSS standards and have started building it into your curriculum. If not, it’s quite possible you will soon. The NGSS standards for high school are considered under a single “grade band” from 9th-12th grade and are meant to be a build on everything they’ve learned in elementary and middle school. The Next Generation Science Standards emphasize learning by doing, and each year builds on the previous one.

How do the Next Generation Science Standards Work? 

One thing to remember about the NGSS standards is that they represent an overall shift to a traditional approach to science education, which typically relies on content delivery across a broad number of topics. Until the NGSS standards, students learned a broad number of subjects in isolation, with each topic getting its curriculum and with little overlap between the subjects. Now, students will focus on fewer subjects overall but dive into them more deeply.

There are a few key changes you’ll notice in the overall approach, but they’re all tied together by the motivating belief in blending content with practice. One of the biggest changes you’ll notice is the coherent building of knowledge from kindergarten onward. The new science standards focus on a dynamic process of building knowledge over the entire course of a student’s education.

Finally, the standards build around three dimensions — Science Practices, Cross Cutting Concepts and Disciplinary Core Ideas — taught not as separate entities but as overlapping principles. They are not meant to be taught in a vacuum but rather in context — just as in real life.

What are the Three Dimensions and why are they Important?

The three dimensions work together by reinforcing inter-related concepts, giving students a way of organizing and applying their knowledge across a broad spectrum. This interdisciplinary approach represents a shift in traditional science education.

The NGSS standards are built around notions of interconnectedness and engagement. Teachers will be answering fewer questions, and instead, posing questions to the student in return. For the NGSS, this core principle expresses the belief that merging the teaching of content with the teaching of practices leads to the application of that material. In short, when you learn by doing, things start to make sense. This approach allows the student to feel like they truly own the content and can apply it to other problems in the future.

The clearest way to approach the NGSS standards as an educator is to familiarize yourself with the three dimensions of the NGSS framework. They represent a three-dimensional system of learning and are a shift in overall approach when it comes to science education. These are:

Science and Engineering Practices: the methodology of science. Students learn the habits, tasks, and tools used by scientists and engineers working in the lab and the field today.

• Defining Problems and Asking Questions
• Developing and Using Models
• Planning and Carrying Out Investigations
• Analyzing and Interpreting Data
• Using Mathematics and Computational Thinking
• Constructing Explanations and Designing Solutions
• Engaging in Argument from Evidence

Cross Cutting Concepts: ideas that span sciences and engineering subjects, and serve as a way for students to make connections across topics and disciplines.

• Cause and effect: the idea that one process is responsible for another
• Patterns: a framework for understanding and analyzing repetition
• Systems and System Models: organizing principles
• Similarity and Diversity: commonalities and discrepancies across disciplines
• Scale, Proportion, Quantity: understanding size and growth
• Energy and Matter: the study of physical substance and how things work
• Structure and Function: principles of design and engineering
• Stability and Change: the study of equilibrium and evolution

Disciplinary Core Ideas: the four subjects that the student will learn throughout K-12, each year getting more sophisticated and complex, but building on knowledge acquired in previous years.

• Earth and Space Science (ESS)
• Life Science (LS)
• Physical Science (PS)
• Engineering and Technology Science (ETS)

How do Performance Expectations Fit into this?

Most simply, Performance Expectations are what a student should understand at the end of instruction. Performance Expectations are not instructional strategies, outlines, or even lesson plans. They are meant to summarize the knowledge the teacher needs to assess, at a particular standard, at a particular grade level. Understanding the intention behind each section is an important part of reading NGSS standards correctly.

Every standard at every grade level is organized around linking the three dimensions together, and every Performance Expectation must consider how the student demonstrated their knowledge of these dimensions. The NGSS standards for every grade level and grade band contains these four sections, and as an instructor, are the most important building blocks of the new approach.

The NGSS standards further differ from previous science standards because they integrate these three dimensions within each standard, intentionally connecting topics and grade bands. Reading NGSS standards will feel complicated without familiarizing yourself first with the three dimensions, and the best way to start preparing for a transition. Because the system of standards is built on the notions of coherence and contextuality, you will see these same sections over and over at different grade levels and across topics.

For an instructor, evaluating Performance Expectation means understanding how the three dimensions apply to the topic at hand and figuring out the best way to make that assessment. Let’s take a look at an example, and you’ll start to see how the three dimensions and Performance Expectations fit together.

Above is an example of the NGSS standard for Life Science at the high school grade band. You’ll see a box labeled Performance Expectations at the top, and underneath are three columns, representing the three dimensions. Every NGSS standard looks just like this, for every topic from K-12.

In our example, you’ll see that the Performance Expectation says the student should be able to, at the conclusion of this subject, be able to construct an explanation based on evidence for how the structure of DNA determines the structure of proteins which carry out the essential functions of life through systems of specialized cells.

So no matter how you choose to teach this subject or craft this lesson, a student in high school should be able to demonstrate their knowledge of the above. In this example, you can also see the Assessment Boundary, which outlines more clearly what the student is expected to know. In this case, the student does not need to include knowledge of specific cell or tissue types, whole body systems, specific protein structures, and functions or the biochemistry of protein synthesis. It outlines the limitations of the student’s knowledge on this subject at this grade band, which is important to know when doing Performance Expectations.

In other NGSS guidelines, you might see another section, also bracketed in red, called a Clarification Statement. These are essentially notes to you, the in, which includes further specifics for the instructor. In this case, the Clarification Statement explains what evidence could be used, or what the focus of the student’s model should be. The first Performance Expectation is clarified with a note that says examples of evidence could include observing the masses of other stars, or the variation in radiation caused by solar flares.

The Performance Expectations sit atop the three dimensions, representing the fact that overall, the Performance Expectation must make sure to integrate practices, core ideas and cross cutting concepts because a student won’t be able to demonstrate an understanding of this concept without having to put all three into practice. It is a demonstration of knowledge being used, and therefore in line with the NGSS standards, which emphasize learning by doing. How to use NGSS as a teacher developing curriculum is up to you, the instructor.

Are the NGSS Performance Expectations Standards?

There are some states that consider the Performance Expectations enough of a guideline on their own and consider them the standards. Other states include the three dimensions to bolster the student’s chance at reaching the Performance Expectations. The coalition that created the NGSS is apparently neutral on this, so you’ll have to see what your state does once implementation occurs.

As far as the coalition is concerned, the most important point is that students should be held accountable for demonstrating their understanding of the points laid out in the Performance Expectation. As long as your lesson plans build up to that assessment, there is some open-mindedness on how to adopt the NGSS standards.

Why NGSS Standards for High School Students?

For the committee that designed the new NGSS standards, the goal was twofold. First, to educate all students in science and engineering and, second, to provide a base of knowledge for the scientists and engineers of the future. The key difference is that the teachers and assignments will show students what they are expected to do versus what they learn — not your usual vocabulary lists and comprehension quizzes.

The guidelines build around the core idea that the methodologies of science (research, analytical thinking, communication) are as important as the content in preparing a student for navigating an increasingly complex, global world. High school students especially are meant to benefit from a practice-based education. The overall goal is for high school students to delve more deeply into each subject while learning real-life habits and skills used today by scientists and engineers.

So even though the new NGSS standards hopes to encourage more STEM careers, it’s even more important that the guidelines empower the student with a foundation of knowledge and application as they enter their post-secondary lives.

As a teacher, have you ever dreamed of creating your own, more hands-on curriculum? The new science standards offer educators that chance, while still providing a higher standard of science teaching across the board. The NGSS offers course maps for high school, which are fewer end products and more processes for integrating the new standards.

By the end of high school, students should have sufficient knowledge and experience in the three principles (practice, cross cutting, core ideas) but even more important: they have come to appreciate science as the result of human endeavor. In post-secondary life, NGSS hopes to offer students the ability to engage in discussions on science-related issues, be critical consumers of information, and continue to have an interest in science throughout their daily lives.

How does this differ from the way you’ve previously evaluated your students? Do you find the Performance Expectations a good way to assess student knowledge? Are you excited begin developing lesson plans based on the Next Generation Science Standards? If you’re interested in getting a deeper look at how to read the guidelines, check out our post on how to read NGSS standards, also on the Albert blog.

Looking for NGSS practice?

Kickstart your NGSS prep with Albert. Start your NGSS exam prep today.