The National Association of State Boards of Education will assist state boards of education and state-level partners in learning about the Next Generation Science Standards, including the implications for policy related to the adoption and implementation of them. Following the final release of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), state boards of education will be asked to examine them and, based on their merits and the needs of individual states, decide whether to adopt them. With twenty-six leadership states involved in the development of the NGSS, NASBE is positioned to provide support to help states make informed, evidence-based decisions about these standards. This has been made possible by a grant from the Carnegie Corporation of New York.

NASBE’s NGSS initiative will specifically focus on: 1) capacity-building assistance in order for state boards to learn more about the standards and their implications for state and local school systems, such as how the NGSS fit within a college- and career-ready framework; 2) conducting state policy audits of related issues such as graduation requirements, assessments, and teacher preparation to support the alignment of their state systems; 3) individualized assistance for developing state action plans for various issues, such as alignment of policies; and 4) making resources and materials easily accessible to address state boards’ communications concerns related to the NGSS.

A number of publications, online activities, and face-to-face events will be available to state board of education members. For example, NASBE will be releasing a NGSS Communication Tool kit with examples and processes for helping constituents understand the development, structure, and implications of the NGSS.

More information, including previous and upcoming NASBE NGSS events, podcasts, resources, and reports from the regional conferences, are provided below. For the complete list of downloads and resources for the NGSS project, click here.