WestEd News
NextGenScience at WestEd: Transforming Science Teaching and Learning
San Francisco – WestEd is pleased to announce the launch of NextGenScience—a new project and team focused on advancing science teaching, learning, and achievement nationwide through the implementation of rigorous science standards.
NextGenScience joins WestEd from Achieve, the nonprofit organization that helped shape the design and development of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). Achieve recently announced its plan to sunset later this year.
At WestEd, the NextGenScience team will manage and use the tools developed by Achieve and housed on nextgenscience.org to support educators in the field, including:
- Conducting reviews of K–12 science units using the EQuIP Rubric for Science and awarding the NGSS Design Badge to top-rated materials.
- Maintaining nextgenscience.org, the official website that hosts the NGSS and also features free and publicly available resources to support educators with high-quality science teaching and assessment.
- Sharing news and resources with science educators through the @OfficialNGSS Twitter account and NGSSNow newsletter.
- Supporting district and agency leaders with planning, implementing, and evaluating equitable science education programs.
“Continuing Achieve’s groundbreaking work to lead a new generation of science standards, NextGenScience joins WestEd with a clear vision that all students should experience a science education that honors their identities and experiences, motivates them to explore relevant issues, and prepares them for college, career, and citizenship,” says WestEd CEO Glen Harvey.
“This vision closely mirrors our agency’s mission and we are thrilled to work together to strengthen science teaching and learning across the country.”
As stewards of the NGSS, the new team at WestEd will spearhead work with districts in developing standards-driven plans, evaluating existing science instruction and programs, and providing data-driven solutions for improving student success in science.
“Achieve is proud to have played such a pivotal role in supporting the development and implementation of the NGSS. I’m very pleased to know that Achieve’s science team will continue the work at WestEd,” says Achieve President Michael Cohen.
NextGenScience is led by Director Jenny Sarna, Program Associate Neelo Soltanzadeh, and Associate Director Vanessa Wolbrink who will actively launch new initiatives in the coming weeks. NextGenScience is currently funded in part by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Chevron, and the Arconic Foundation.
For more information about WestEd’s NextGenScience, visit the team’s project page where you can learn more about forthcoming work. You can also follow @nextgenscience or sign up for the NGSSNow monthly newsletter.
Please email NextGenScience@WestEd.org for more information.
Posted on April 20, 2020