Stephen Pruitt, Senior Vice President of Achieve, Inc. gave a presentation today at the NSTA Conference in Portland, Oregon. The presentation was titled “Implementing the NGSS: Shifts in Classroom Practice”. I”m assuming we will all have access to Stephen’s slides on the NSTA site but there were several ideas and key points that will not be in the slide deck.

• Data do not equal evidence (this may be a new way of thinking for some of us)
• Students need to know HOW they know science content (versus simply memorizing facts)
• Instruction should build toward the NGSS Performance Expectations (PEs). In other words, there is instruction that needs to happen before students are able to demonstrate the PEs.
• The PEs should not “go on the board” as learning targets. Stephen reminds us to challenge ourselves (as teachers, administrators, district office personnel) to identify the teachable targets that lead up to the PEs
• We should “bundle” the PEs. He gave three versions of this.. bundling by Disciplinary Core Ideas, Crosscutting Concepts, and Science & Engineering Practices.
• PEs are not “examples” they are the assessable targets
• In the classroom, we should use “all and any of the practices” that build toward the PE. In other words, we don’t need to limit ourselves to the practice in the PE.
• Stephen reminds us to fit NGSS implementation with the overall education plans; to focus; be patient… “If we rush, we will fail”

Hope this is helpful

Kirk