January 25, 2018

Standards Review and Revision Newsletter

Recommendation to adapt the Next Generation Science Standards for Colorado

At its January meeting, the State Board of Education heard proposed revisions to the science standards from the review and revision committee. The committee proposed adaption of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) for Colorado.

Proposed adaptation of NGSS would take substantial parts of the NGSS and incorporate them into the science standards. The committee is not recommending full adoption of NGSS in its current form at this time as the Colorado Academic Standards for Science.

The committee recommends adaption of three of the four NGSS to fit our state standards. The first three NGSS are the same as Colorado's: physical, life, and Earth and space sciences; but the fourth standard, engineering, is not being recommended by the committee due to the potential strain it may put on smaller districts to implement.  

In addition, Colorado would retain elements of its own template, which NGSS does not have, namely prepared graduate competencies, grade level expectations, evidence outcomes, and academic context and connections. In addition, in the Colorado Academic Standards, grade level expectations are proposed as questions, while NGSS does not use questions in their standards.

For more information and to view resources, visit the science standards committee webpage.

Focus group for science standards committee recommendations

Superintendents and other interested district leaders are invited to participate in a focus group on the science standards committee recommendations at the CASE Winter Leadership Conference.

The hour-long focus group will be conducted at 8:30 a.m. Friday, Feb. 2, in the Meadowbrook 1 conference room at the Westin in Westminster. All interested CASE attendees are welcome to attend.  Please RSVP to Melissa Colsman, associate commissioner of Student Learning, at colsman_m@cde.state.co.us.

CDE staff are also answering questions and gathering feedback from superintendents on the adaption of the NGSS during February through April Superintendent Advisory Council meetings. Superintendents can send their feedback on the NGSS directly to Karol Gates at gates_k@cde.state.co.us. 

State Board continues to review proposed revisions

The Colorado State Board of Education will continue to hear updates from standards review and revision committee members and CDE staff. 

In January, the board heard updates on the proposed revisions in the content areas of music; reading, writing, and communicating; science; and social studies.  

Since November 2017, these informational items have given members of the Board an opportunity to learn more about the work of the standards committees, their decision making process for recommendations, and the themes of public feedback that led to proposed revisions. 

Resources from second public feedback opportunity now available

Thank you to the over 1,500 educators, school and district leaders, parents, elected officials, students, faculty at institutions of higher education, education organizations, and community members for sharing their feedback on proposed revisions to standards in all content areas. View standards review and revision - proposed revisions and round two of public feedback.

The feedback will be used to assist the committees in determining what additional revisions are needed prior to making recommendations before the Colorado State Board of Education.