State Board of Education Adopts New Science Standards

Last week members of the State Board of Education adopted new state standards for what Iowa students should know and be able to do in science from kindergarten through 12th grade. 

The board’s unanimous vote was based on a state review team’s recommendation that Iowa adopt the Next Generation Science Standards with some modifications. The board accepted that recommendation and directed the Iowa Department of Education to develop a timeline and plan to help schools statewide put the new science standards into practice. The Next Generation Science Standards is the name of learning expectations in science for grades K-12 that all states can consider adopting and adapting to meet their needs. Twenty-six states, including Iowa, led the development of the Next Generation Science Standards, which refocus the way science is taught to help students truly grasp the subject and apply what they’ve learned. 

In October 2014, the Iowa Department of Education convened the Science Standards Review Team in response to Gov. Branstad’s Executive Order 83. The executive order called for a review of Iowa’s academic standards, including public comment, to determine the content of, and to continually improve, the standards. The science team’s charge was to review Iowa’s science standards, as well as rigorous science standards from other states and organizations, and to make a recommendation for improvement. The team’s recommendation followed months of work in an open, transparent process that emphasized public input as well as the team’s scientific expertise. 

The Science Standards Review Team recommended that Iowa modify the Next Generation Science Standards so that they reflect only the performance expectations section of the standards. Performance expectations are statements of what students should be able to do to demonstrate their learning. The team also recommended organizing the performance expectations into grade-specific standards for K-8 and into grade spans for 9-12. 

Education and business leaders who made up the science team have said the Next Generation Science Standards are an improvement from Iowa’s current science standards because they reflect more modern practices in science, were developed by experts in a process led by states including Iowa, and include engineering practices, which is important as Iowa grows its commitment to science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education. 

 Visit the Iowa Core website to read Iowa’s new science standards.