The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) were created to help improve K-12 science education and set the expectation of what students should be able to do with their knowledge. But what exactly are the NGSS 3-Dimensional standards? In this blog post, we’ll take a closer look at what they are and how educators can use them to measure the Disciplinary Core Ideas, the Science and Engineering Practices, and the Cross Cutting Concepts.
What are the NGSS 3-Dimensional Standards?
The NGSS 3-Dimensional Standards are a set of standards that were created to help improve K-12 science education. The standards focus on three key areas: Disciplinary Core Ideas, Science and Engineering Practices, and Cross Cutting Concepts. These standards were created to provide guidelines for more equitable science education and to set the expectation of what students should know and be able to do by the time they graduate high school. These three dimensions address the skills, knowledge, and analytical lenses that students need to be prepared for college and careers.
Disciplinary Core Ideas
The Disciplinary Core Ideas are the big ideas that connect different concepts within a scientific discipline. The Disciplinary Core Ideas help students to see how science is interconnected and how different concepts fit together. These core ideas are the knowledge that students leverage to make sense of the world.
Science and Engineering Practices
The Science and Engineering Practices are how scientists and engineers analyze phenomena and problems, or communicate their work and thoughts. These practices help students to understand the process of scientific inquiry and engineering design, and outline the skills that students will use to apply their knowledge and understandings.
Cross-Cutting Concepts
The Cross-Cutting Concepts are lenses that scientists use to analyze and evaluate phenomena and problems. These ways of thinking help students to see how science is interconnected and a framework for looking at problems.
Measuring the three-dimensions
Tracking progress is complex in 3 dimensional standards, but educators should seek to write questions that specifically assess one or two dimensions of these standards. By writing purposeful questions, educators can more easily see which students need more support in a particular dimension and adjust their instruction accordingly.
The NGSS emphasizes depth over breadth to give students a deeper understanding of key concepts that they can apply in other contexts. To measure student understanding of these concepts, educators can use a system of 1, 2, or 3 dimensional questions to directly assess specific standards. This will help ensure that all three dimensions–the Disciplinary Core Ideas, the Science and Engineering Practices, and the Cross Cutting Concepts–are addressed in instruction and assessment. As an educator, you can use these targeted assessments on InnerOrbit to measure student progress and identify areas where students may need additional support.
