ScienceStandardsPublicForum

SiouxCityNWAEA
Thursday,March262015
4:306:30

MarianGodwin,SusiePeterson,TinaWahlert,RitaMartins,DavidTilly
15peopleatthestartofthemeeting

Speaker1:AprilTidwell(4:50)ForNGSS
Themes:CC,NGSSContent+

IamtheSTEMcoordinatorforSC;CoordinatorTLCleadership
LedcurriculumteamsinthecycleselectingPowerStandards
WhatdowewantourstudentstolooklikefeelcurrentIowaCoredoesnot
Understandandapplyknowledge??Whatdoesthatmean?Confusionofteachers
understandingthat
NGSSidentifieswhatwewantstudentstobeabletodoandknow
NGSSoffersdataanalysismodelgivesownershiptothestudentsandallowthemto
meetstandards.
EasyforteachersinthelowergradestoseeconnectionwithELAandmath.
AtSiouxCityschools,wehavetriedtoaligntobothIowaCoreandNGSSfeltitwasso
importanttouseNGSSintegratedthemintowhatwearedoing.
Whynotadoptit?Majorityacrossthestatefeelweshould.
Onlycomplaintcertaincontentthatwastheirfavoriteisnttheresuchasgaslaws
butwhentheyunwrappedthestandardstheyunderstoodtheycouldteachthat.
NGSShelpsdefinewhatisaqualitysciencestudent.

Speaker2:JodyStillHerbold(WrittenCommentsSubmitted)(9:10)
ForNGSS
Themes:NGSSContent+,IC

Ihavebeenineducationforthepast16yearsasateacherandasascienceconsultant.I
alsohavetwochildrenenrolledinanareapublicschooldistrict.
WhenIstartedmyteachingcareerIwasgivenatextbookandalistofbenchmarks.I
essentiallywasabletoteachwhatIwanted.Ialsohadmanystudentsmoveinthrough
outtheschoolyearwhohadeitheralreadylearnedwhatIwasteachingortheywere
completelybehind.Theresimplywasnoconsistencyfromschooltoschool.ThisI
believeisdoingadisservicetoourIowastudents.Iamspeakingasaparentandan
educatorwemusthavearoadmapforIowastudentsduringtheirK12science
educationtopreparethemforcollegeandfuturecareers.Onecannotdiminishthe
thorough,researchbasedprocessthewritersoftheNGSSundertook.
Thistookyearsoffeedbackfrommanystakeholderstomakeitwhatitistoday.I
appreciatethecurrentscientificresearchthatisthefoundationoftheNGSSandthe

inclusionofresearchinhowstudentslearnscience.Inaddition,itisavaluableattribute
that26leadstates,whichincludedIowa,tookchargeofdevelopingthisscience
frameworkandsoughttheinputfrommanynationwide.IampleasedthatIowawasone
ofthosestateswhofelttheneedforstrongersciencestandardsbyofferingfeedbacka
totalof5times.ThewritersoftheNGSSmadechangeseachtimeaccordingtofeedback
theyreceivedfromstakeholders.AsIworkwithIowateachers,manyarealreadyusing
theNGSSstandards.Manyhaveexpressedtomehowtheypreferthemtothecurrent
IowaCoreScienceStandards.Teachersappreciatetheperformanceexpectations
becausetheydescribewhattheirstudentsshouldknowandbeabletodoattheendof
instruction.TheprecisecommentsareFinally,thereareclearendgoalsformy
students!WhatistrulyimportanttoteachersisthatcurriculumisnotdefinedinNGSS
teacherswillchoosehowtogettheirstudentstotheendgoalsandusewhatresource
materialstheyprefer.Ultimately,theperformanceexpectationsofferteachersmuch
neededclarityastothepracticesandkeyunderstandingsofaproficientstudentunlike
thequitevagueandmisinterpretedunderstandandapplystatementsemphasizedin
theIowa
Coresciencestandards.AnotherkeyfacetnotedbyIowateachersisthe3dimensionsof
scienceandengineeringpractices,crosscuttingconcepts,andcoreideas.Theresearch
providedwithinthestandardsnotingthelearningprogressionsandintertwiningthese
areasiskeyinsciencelearning.Thisisahugeleapfromhavinginquiryasaseparate
standardintheIowaCoreScienceStandards.OurIowastudentsshouldbelearning
scienceasascientistlearnsandusesscience.TheIowa
CoreSciencewritershaveexpressedhowtheyknewitshouldbeseparate,however
simplydidnothavethetimeorfundstochangeit.TheIowaCorewritershave
expressedthatNGSSwaswrittenthewaytheyhadintendedscienceeducationforIowa
students.Itakethisstatementquiteseriouslyasitspeaksvolumes!Atfirstteachersare
apprehensiveoftheNGSSbecauseitisdifferentfromwhattheyhaveseeninthepast.
Likeanythingelseitwilltaketimetobecomefamiliarwithitandhavingcollaborative
learningdiscussionswithothereducatorstofullyunderstandit.Wehavemore
resourcesandlearningnetworksabouttheNGSSthanwehaveeverhadbeforein
scienceeducation.Teachersfromacrossthenationcannowcollaborateonthesame
standards.ElementaryteachersarethrilledtohaveK5standardsforeachgradelevel.
Manyhavesaid,FinallyIknowwhattoteachatmygradelevel!Iamdisheartened
whenIhearthatmanyelementaryclassroomsareluckytoget2hoursofscienceduring
theweekintheirclassrooms.ThismustchangeforourIowastudents.TheNGSS
incorporatesconnectionboxeswhereteacherscanmaketheliteracyandmath
connectionsintheirscienceinstruction.OurIowastudentscanlearnscienceinreading
andreadinginscience!TogethertheNGSSandtheIowaCorereadingandmath
standardsemphasizeforscienceeducatorstheskillsandknowledgethatstudentsneed
inordertobescientificallyliteratecitizenswhoareabletomakereasonabledecisions
abouttheworldinwhichwelive.Letsgetawayfromlearningsciencefromatextbook
androtememorization
andlearnscienceconceptuallyandusecriticalthinkingskillstosolverealworld
problems.Inconclusion,IurgethestateofIowatoputasidepoliticalagendasandtruly

thinkaboutwhatisbestforourIowastudents.Wemustbeopenmindedandbegood
consumersofinformationandnotputonblindersandbelievewhatwewanttobelieve.
AsaneducatorandparentIwantIowastudentstobescientificallyliteratecitizenswho
arepreparedforcollegeandcareertousetheirknowledgeinthescienceand
engineeringpracticestosolverealworldproblems.Nowmorethaneverweneeda
roadmapofresearchbasedsciencestandardsthatwillensureasolidK12science
educationforALLstudentsinIowa.AndasaparentIwantmy
childrentohavestandards,whichwillallowthemfuturesuccessincollegeandbeyond.I
believetheNextGenerationScienceStandardswillhelpleadtothatsuccess.16yearsin
edandscienceconsultantalsohas2childrenwhoarestudents
GottoteachwhatIwantedwheninclassroomIsawtheirwasnotconsistency
betweenschoolswhenstudentsmovetheyarenotinthesameplace.
performanceexpectationsofferteachersclearunderstanding.Theunderstandand
applyinIowaCoreistoovague.
Learningprogressions.
LearnlikeandIowaCoreIowaCorewritershavesaidthatwhattheyintendedisthe
wayNGSSwrote.Teachersacrossthecountrycancollaborate.
NGSSincorporatesmathandliteracy
UrgestatetoputasidepoliticalagendasanddowhatisbestforIowastudents,
preparedfor
SolidK12forallstudentsnomatterwheretheylive.
Wantmystudentstohavethese.

Speaker3:JordanMenning(14:40)ForNGSS
Themes:NGSSContent+,LocalControl,IC

Teacher,parent,andstillineducation
ThroughexperienceIhaveseenthedifferencebetweenthestandards
NGSShasmadescienceexcitingagain
IowaCoreunderstandandapply.AsateachertheICwasdifficulttounderstand
depth.
NGSSoffersclarificationondepthofknowledge.
Scienceandengineering
Crosscurricular
Broadentheirteachingtoallsubjectsandhowtheytietogether
Scientificliteratecitizen
Clarityatgradelevelsandgradespans
Performanceexpectations
Localchoicenottellingthemhowtoteachgivesaframeworktoteach
Cognitivelyresearched
Matcheshowstudentslearnbestbrainresearch
EqualityandcommonlearningforallIowastudents
Asaparent,Iunderstandtheconcernsaboutwhatthestudentsarelearningandwhat
theyaretaught,butwedontknowwhatiscomingforthem.

InIowaweneedtofocusonwhatisbestforstudentsandwhatisbestforstudentsin
Iowa.IbelieveNGSSisbest.

Speaker4:KariWebb(19:00)ForNGSS
Themes:NGSSContent+,AdoptionProcess+

DirectorofCandI
1. Engineeringdesignprocessisanincredibleadditionwecanteachkidsthe
criticalthinkingcriticalcriticalthinkersneedthinkersinallcontentareas
Steminitiativeproblemsolving
2. PracticebasedtaughtsciencefromtheviewofdoingscienceCoulddothe
understandandapplywithatextorworksheet.NGSScannotbetaughtthis
way.
3. ProcessofthisadoptionWhenIstartedteachinginIowa,therewereno
standards.Wasjustgivenabook.Wehavetodobetterforoureducators.Elem
teachershaveminimalbackground.Givethemtheresourcestheyneed.
Nationallyvetted.InthestateofIowa,wehavedoneanincrediblejobofgetting
publicinput.Thankyouforlisteningtoourvoice.
4. ServedontheNGSStaskforce2yearsago.AuthorsofIowaCorewritersasked
thelastteamtoadopttheNGSS.PleaseonbehalfoftheSiouxCityschools,we
arereadytogoandwewilldeliverhighqualitysciencetoourstudents.
Recommendadoption.

Speaker5:JenniferPhelps(24:20)AgainstNGSS
Themes:Fordham

CamefromCouncilBluffsmightstandalone.Parent,notateacher.Takeadifferent
view.Thankedtheteachers.Icantdowhatyoudo.However,stepbackandlook
outsideourexpertise,adifferentviewpoint.Wantstandardsandconsistency.Iwonder
ifwearemakingtherightchoice.BillandMelindaGatesFordhamNGSSgradeofa
C.NotcomfortablewithaCrating.Iowashouldntbeeither.Ifwewantourchildrento
succeed,aconsistentstandardokay,butweneedanAcurriculumandstandard.Im
takinganoutsidersviewpoint,andIwantthattobeconsidered.

Speaker6:PaulGorski(27:10)
Themes:

SchoolBoardMemberforSiouxCity
WillsaythatasagrandparentattendedschoolinPittsburgteacherswerenot
certified.Iwentontocollegebecameanelectricalengineer.Nocomputers.Ithinkthat
ourstudentsallofthem,Idontcarewhattheyaregoingtodoshouldtakephysics,
chemistrybiology,statisticsmore.

Setstandardsthatgetaccomplishedwhatneedstobeaccomplished.

Speaker7:MoniqueKuiper(29:50)
Themes:Religion,Creation,Environment

CurriculumDirectorforChristianSchools.
ChristianSchoolsindirectconflictwithcreation,environment.
ThoseofuswhoteachfromtheChristianperspective,Christianbackground,weare
passionateaboutlearningfromaChristianbackground.
Suggestion:DontthrowouttheNGSS,butistheresomethingthatcanbedoneforthe
ChristianbeliefsthatcouldreplacetheoriesofEvolutionthatwedontagreewithand
thatwillhelpusstayaccreditedandhelpusstayuniqueandstayaccredited.
Somethingthatstaysalignedandstillholdourbeliefs.Andstillsayaccredited.
DontforgetaboutuslittleChristianschools.