Audrey Champagne (2006). Then and now: science assessment 1996-2006.

A retrospective examining the influence of the National Science Education Assessment and System Standards in efforts to achieve the vision that the standards established ten years ago. These 10 years have seen major efforts by federal and state government and education to create a US system of education matching the vision contained in the National Science Education Standards.

National Academies Press (1996). National Science Education Standards.

The National Science Education Standards present a vision of a scientifically literate populace. They outline what students need to know, understand, and must be able to do to be scientifically literate at different grade levels. They describe an educational system in which all students demonstrate high levels of performance, in which teachers are empowered to make the decisions essential for effective learning, in which interlocking communities of teachers and students are focused on learning science, and in which supportive educational programs and systems nurture achievement.  

National Academies Press (1998). Every Child a Scientist: Achieving Scientific Literacy for All.

This article is for those who want to take an active role in improving the science program in their schools. The first section of the article argues that science should be a part of all students’ education. The article provides a vision of the curriculum and teaching in a classroom where students can gain the understanding of science and technology that they need in today’s society. Finally, the article outlines how the standards can help provide the quality of science being taught and how it is assessed and what an individual can do to become a partner in improving science teaching and learning.

National Academies Press (2008). Assessing the Role of k-12 Academic Standards in States: Workshop Summary.

David Coleman and Jason Zimba (2007). Math and Science Standards That Are Fewer, Clearer, Higher to Raise Achievement at All Levels.

Coleman and Zimba argue that current U.S. mathematics and science standards do not promote high levels of student learning and call upon the Commission to press for the following actions: states should establish fewer, clearer, and higher content standards; educators should engage in more pragmatic analysis of what students actually need to know to be workforce-ready, and what that implies for the teaching of math and science; K-12 and higher education should align programs toward dramatically raising the number and diversity of students performing at the highest levels in math and science; and, schools and teachers should institute deliberate and evaluative practice as a means to increase the number and diversity of high performers in math and science. Carnegie IAS Commission on Math and Science Education Commissioned Reports.

Liz Gewirtzman (2008). An Unorthodox but Pragmatic Approach to National Math and Science Literacy.

Gerwirtzman tackles the question of how schools and teachers can spur students to deeper mathematics and science learning. She contends that the major obstacles to high academic achievement in math and science in the public k-12 education system are ineffective school design and weak instructional leadership. As a solution, Gerwirtzman proposes a nationally agreed-upon math and science literacy curriculum and individualized instruction that draw on what is known about the order in which students learn best. Carnegie IAS Commission on Math and Science Education Commissioned Reports

Karen Hollweg and David Hill (2003). What is the Influence of National Science Education Standards?

The purpose behind the NSES was to create that consensus of what every K-12 student should be expected to know and be able to do in the area of science and what reforms in professional development, teaching, assessment, curriculum, and systems are needed to deliver high-quality science education to all students. A cursory view of the literature suggests that it has achieved at least a part of that vision. Most state departments of education have used the NSES in developing their own guidelines for what students should know and be able to do in science. These state standards, in turn, have focused local and regional efforts ranging from teacher education and textbook adoption to large-scale testing.