School districts throughout Kentucky will spend the summer putting the finishing touches on new science curriculum. State Education Commissioner Terry Holliday announced this week that what’s known as the Next Generation Science Standards will be implemented this fall.
Kentucky is one of 26 states that recently worked to develop the new standards.
Next Generation puts greater emphasis on subjects such as physical science, life sciences, earth science, and engineering.
Some school districts across the state have gotten a head start in getting the new standards in place.
“In Barren County, we have already started the implementation, with about half of our grades having made the transition last year, and the other half to make the transition this year,” said Scott Harper, director of instruction and technology for Barren County Schools.
Jennifer Davis, director of elementary and secondary programs for Bowing Green Independent Schools, says the content that students will experience next school year goes beyond learning basic scientific concepts.
“With the new standards, it’s not just a focus on core ideas, but also engineering practices, concepts as to how science is applied in the real world,” Davis told WKU Public Radio. “It’s really about how to teach kids to think scientifically.”
Kentucky Education Commissioner Terry Holliday has said it will take up to 18 months to develop new assessment tests based on the new science standards. Because of that, a one-year moratorium has been put in place for fourth-grade and middle school state science testing.
You can learn more about the Next Generation Science Standards here.
